The preferred way of making coffee by professionals and amateur baristas — the pour-over coffee.
We appreciate a drip coffee maker and a single-serve pod, but nothing comes close to recreating that rich, full-flavored coffee as a pour-over coffee maker does.
It doesn’t hurt either that compared to other coffee brewers, a pour-over coffee maker will be a blip on your budget.
If you’re not a fan of technology other coffee makers come with, you’ll love pour-over coffee makers. No more wasting coffee beans or pouring out stale cups of java.
With a pour-over coffee maker, you can make exactly the amount of coffee you want with a method called percolation. Just pour water over ground coffee and let gravity do its work.
At Nomad Coffee Club, we want you to have the best coffee experience and a great tasting coffee. Here’s our selection of the best pour-over coffee makers guaranteed to satisfy all your coffee needs.
Table of Contents
What to Know Before Buying a Pour-Over Coffee Maker
Here’s everything you should know before investing in a pour-over coffee maker.
Accessories
While it’s true that pour-over coffee makers won’t cost an arm and a leg, you’ll need to get accessories that are essential for coffee brewing:
- Filters — Coffee makers use regular paper filters, mesh, or a reusable filter.
- Coffee grinder — Some will argue that a coffee grinder is an even more important purchase than a coffee maker (our top pick is the OXO Conical Burr Coffee Grinder). The National Coffee Association recommends a burr or a mill grinder because they give a consistent ground coffee size. They also say you should grind your coffee as close as possible to the brew time, to achieve maximum freshness.
- Kettle — We recommend choosing a gooseneck kettle for better extraction. A gooseneck kettle allows you to control where the hot water falls on the ground coffee. Check out the 8 best gooseneck kettles.
- Scale — For measuring coffee. You can also use measuring cups, but for the most accurate measurement, we recommend going for a digital food scale.
Portability
Yes, ceramic and glass pour-over coffee makers will look better on your kitchen countertop. But, they are fragile. If you plan to make coffee on the go, go for a plastic or a stainless steel brewer.
Make sure the coffee maker can fit into your bag and won’t get damaged easily.
Your Skill Level
Fair warning — if you’re just getting into brewing your coffee, there are bound to be some mistakes and spilled cups of coffee. But, once you get it right, it’ll be so worth it.
Pour-over is a manual coffee brewing method. Because of this, there are tons of things to take into consideration:
- Brew time
- Ground coffee weight
- Water temperature
- How to pour
If you’re confident in your brewing skills, go for a brewer where you can customize the brew. If not, that’s alright. You can go for a brewer that’ll always give you great coffee, with little effort on your part.
Read on to find out which pour over coffee makers are best.
Make Barista Quality Coffee With These Pour-Over Coffee Makers
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Top Pour-Over Picks |
Material, Skill Level, Sizes Available |
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Hario V-60 | Best Overall |
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Kalita Wave | Best for Beginners |
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Chemex | Best Glass Option |
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Melitta Ready Set Joe | Best on a Budget |
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Bee House Ceramic Dripper | Best Ceramic Option |
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*Price at time of publishing
The Best Pour-Over Coffee Makers of 2024 in Detail
Best for Beginners: Kalita Wave Coffee Dripper
Source: Amazon | Kalita Stainless Steel Wave 155
Kalita Wave is the perfect choice for beginners because it comes with three holes at the bottom that stop the water flow from being too fast. This ensures even coffee grounds saturation.
This pour-over coffee brewer got its name after its special filter shape. As the filter is wavy, it shelters the brew bed from the cone. This creates a more stable brew temperature and ensures an evenly extracted coffee flavor.
Another great design feature Kalita has is the flat, instead of a conical-shaped, bottom. This ensures a longer steep time, and there’s also less room for error. It makes it easier to get a consistently great brew, even when you’re in a hurry.
Note: With the Kalita wave, you’ll have to use Kalita filters, which create a pool of water on top of the coffee bed to get maximum extraction.
Kalita comes in several versions:
- Ceramic
- Glass
- Stainless steel
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Best Pour Over Coffee Maker Overall: Hario V-60
Source: Amazon | Hario V60 Ceramic Coffee Dripper
Hario V-60 is the industry favorite and the best-known pour-over method out there. It’s used in coffee shops all over the world.
It comes from Japan, and it’s made by a Hario, which means king of glass. This means you won’t have to worry about its quality. Apart from glass, it comes in ceramic, plastic, and metal versions and different colors.
Why is it so popular? Because it produces the best coffee quality. It’s rich and nuanced with a hint of acidity.
You can make a perfect cup of coffee because you can control:
- Brew time
- Water flow
- Water temperature
It’s also called a pour-over coffee cone because of its design. It has a ridged vortex shape which stops the paper filters from sticking to the side while you brew the coffee and ensures perfect coffee grounds extraction each time.
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Here’s how to make a great cup of coffee with the Hario V60.
Best Glass Pour Over Coffee Maker: Chemex
Source: Amazon | Chemex Coffee Maker
The trendiest on this list is the Chemex coffee brewer.
Did you know? Chemex is part of the permanent design collection at the Museum of Modern Art, so you get bragging rights with your guests.
This coffee maker isn’t our first choice for beginners, as it requires time and willingness to learn.
It’s also not portable, because of the material it's made of: glass.
However, Chemex coffee brewers are made with non-porous Borosilicate glass, which makes them the highest quality as this glass doesn’t absorb chemical residue and odors.
A big plus is that Chemex has is that it’s a great choice for larger households, as it can brew large coffee quantities without a break.
The filter is another feature that sets it apart. Chances are that’ll be the thickest filter you’ll see, as it’s made of double-bonded paper.
Chemex filter benefits are:
- Brews a smooth cup — No bitter oils in the coffee
- You can taste coffee hidden flavors — It stops the water from going too quickly through the grounds
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Best Pour Over on a Budget: Melitta Ready Set Joe
Source: Amazon | Melitta Ready Set Joe Single Cup
The most budget-friendly pour-over coffee maker on the list is the Melitta Ready Set Joe.
It comes in two colors — black and red — and is a fantastic starter option because of its easy-to-use plastic cone shape. Just put in a filter and the grounds, and pour the water.
What makes it so popular? The fact that you can see into the cup during the brewing process, so low risk of overfilling.
It’s also a popular choice with travelers, as the plastic material makes it safe for transportation. Also, the brew cone is designed to fit nicely atop a variety of mug sizes, so it’s easy to make coffee on the go.
Did you know? Melitta got its name from a German housewife, Melitta Bentz, who first invented paper coffee filters and then also pour-over coffee makers.
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Best Ceramic Pour Over Coffee Option: Bee House Dripper
Source: Amazon | Bee House Ceramic Coffee Dripper
If your choice is a ceramic coffee brewer, Bee House could be the one for you.
Like the Hario, Bee House is also made in Japan. What sets it apart is its unique aesthetic with the short curved handle.
It’s another good choice for beginners as it has holes near the base which makes it easy to see how much coffee has been brewed without having to lift the dripper off the cup.
Its wedge shape means this brewer has excellent heat retention and the contact between the water and coffee grounds is more consistent. You’ll end up with evenly brewed coffee with little effort.
It’s also a good size — it’ll fit on top of a mug or a teapot.
What sets it apart from the V60 and the Kalita Wave is that you can use the Bee with any standard cone coffee filter. No need to order and pay for special filters. When you run out, just go to the closest grocery store.
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Get Your Coffee Needs Taken Care of With Nomad Coffee Club
No matter what pour-over coffee brewer you go for, the most essential thing you’ll need to make that mouth-watering cup of joe is — coffee.
At Nomad Coffee Club, we know the value of a good cup of coffee to get you through the day. That’s why we offer only the highest quality coffee, which is:
- Ethically sourced
- 100% organic — You only get coffee, without any pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, or genetically modified organisms
- Freshly roasted and date stamped
- Rainforest Alliance Certified
Order your coffee today, knowing that with every coffee order you make we’re helping to provide education to children in Africa and clean drinking water to families.
Choose between 3, 6, or 12 months subscription, and never run out of coffee again.
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