The rage, the hype, the NEW wave of drinking coffee has arrived, (Note sarcasm here)! Coffee shops around the country are promoting their “slow” coffee bars with manual pour-over coffees. This surely beats the coffee from the pot on the burner that may have been sitting for half an hour. Mind you, the cost of this kind of a cup can now easily exceed the $5 mark. In actuality, the Pour-Over Coffee has been around for well over a hundred years. And as it turns out, ‘Melitta’ Bentz played an instrumental role in revolutionizing this coffee preparation method. A German housewife and founder of Melitta she went on to grow this coffee brand into a worldwide empire.
I intend to turn the Melitta Pour-Over coffee brewer into a multi purpose coffee attack; at home, for the morning commute, at the office, on the campground, and as a traveling companion while staying in hotels.
Travel mug, Melitta filters, Melitta coffee, and the filter cone. (not pictured are my French presses and stove top espressos)
Doing it right
I really enjoy making my own coffee! Hence, I mostly stay away from the java huts that adorn every other corner. That said, I have assembled a nice arsenal of coffee preparation devices that keep me entertained, happy, and most importantly, highly caffeinated.
First, place the cone, and Melitta filter on the mug. Then, add a medium to finely ground bean to the filter. 2-3 tablespoons should do it, but adjust according to personal taste. The trick is to really focus on the slow and steady pour when preparing the coffee. The professionals use what’s called a goose neck kettle. Those are a bit pricey, but with a little patience your regular tea kettle will suffice. The first pour aside from being slow and steady, should only just cover the beans. Wait half a minute, and pour more water into the filter (you guessed it, SLOWLY). And as a final step repeat to fill your mug. All told, this process should take about 2-3 minutes to get the maximum full burst flavor for your morning Joe.
Creamy, foamy, and frothy kind of sum up this shot.
My one knock is that the top cone filter mug connection could use some re-engineering. As it stands, the lid screws onto the mug, and the cone filter can be placed on top. You could also simply place the cone filter on top of any cup for that matter. If you have an uneven surface, or happen to bump it, this could cause a messy problem. I would have liked to see the cone filter have a similar thread as the lid, so it could be screwed onto the mug.
A window into the coffee brewing result. Note, this is the end of the process, and the coffee is much lighter.
Uses For the Melitta Pour-Over Coffee Brewer
Obviously, this is great for home and the daily office commute. Since I am more of the active outdoorsy type, I wanted to take the Melitta Pour-Over Coffee Brewer out into the wild. A camping trip seemed like the perfect testing ‘grounds’ (pun definitely intended). One of the best things for me about going camping and playing out in nature is the morning, usually well before my family, to start a fire and continue with subsequent coffee preparations. The morning calm along with nature slowly waking up around you with a good cup of coffee to shake out the cobwebs makes for an idyllic setting and moment of peace and quiet. The Melitta Pour-Over Coffee absolutely played a large part to a great start.
I also stayed at a very nice hotel with a view to die for. Instead of using the dry pod coffee gadget in the room, I simply used it to heat my water and make my own pour-over coffee every morning.
Features
It’s all pretty basic and straightforward. The filter cone uses #2 Melitta filters (they provide a few to get you started). This filter cone is also dishwasher safe. The travel mug (not dishwasher safe however) holds up to 16 ounces. A large enough quantity for many, I would ascertain, and fits into most cars’ cup holders.
Final thoughts on the Melitta Pour-Over Coffee Brewer
If you want to duplicate the feel, taste, aroma, and overall experience of your favorite local coffee shop, then the Melitta Pour-Over Coffee Brewer will get you very close. The preparations are simple, the end product is excellent, and the price is downright cheap. This century old method of coffee preparation will certainly become a part of the coffee arsenal that I’ve assembled. Try one out, because you won’t be disappointed. For more info or to purchase, visit www.amazon.com/melitta.
