Most pour over recipes are tuned for a specific dripper or roast level. Lance Hedrick’s Ultimate Pour Over Recipe takes a different approach — it’s designed as a catch-all method that works with any dripper (V60, Kalita Wave, Origami, etc.) and any coffee, from light to dark roast. It’s the recipe he reaches for daily.
| Method | Any pour over dripper |
| Coffee | 20g |
| Water | 300ml (light roast) to 280ml (dark roast) |
| Ratio | 1:15 (light) to 1:14 (dark) |
| Grind | Medium-fine |
| Water Temp | 100°C (light), 92°C (medium), 85°C (dark) |
| Total Time | ~3:00 |
Step by Step
- Rinse the filter and preheat the dripper. Add 20g of coffee and level the bed.
- Bloom (0:00–0:30) — Pour 3x the coffee weight (60g) of water. Give it a gentle swirl to saturate all the grounds. Wait until 0:30.
- First pour (0:30–1:00) — Pour to 100g total in a slow, steady circle.
- Second pour (1:00–1:30) — Pour to 200g total.
- Third pour (1:30–2:00) — Pour to 300g total (or your target weight).
- Let it drain. Aim for the drawdown to finish around 3:00.
Watch the Full Guide
Adjusting by Roast Level
The core technique stays the same — you adjust ratio and water temperature to match your beans:
Light roasts — Use hotter water (100°C) and a higher ratio (1:15 to 1:17). Light roasts are harder to extract, so more heat and more water help pull out sweetness and complexity.
Medium roasts — Dial the temperature back to around 92°C. A 1:15 ratio works well here.
Dark roasts — Use cooler water (85°C) and a tighter ratio (1:14). Dark roasts extract easily, so less heat and less water prevent bitterness and harshness.
Why This Recipe Works
Lance designed this as a low-bitterness, high-clarity recipe. The even pour structure (three equal pours) keeps the extraction consistent, and the relatively quick 3-minute brew time avoids over-extraction. The result is a velvety, balanced cup with distinct flavor layers — you can actually taste what makes your coffee unique.
Tips
- Level the bed before you bloom. A flat coffee bed ensures even saturation and prevents channeling.
- Pour slowly and deliberately. Fast, aggressive pours agitate the grounds too much and increase bitterness.
- This works with any dripper. The recipe isn’t V60-specific — Lance uses it with whatever he has on hand.
- Adjust one variable at a time. If the cup is too bitter, try a coarser grind before changing the ratio.
Scale It with Coffee Calculator
Want to brew a different dose? Coffee Calculator makes it simple — enter your coffee weight and get instant water calculations for any pour over ratio.
Recipe by Lance Hedrick. Watch more on his YouTube channel.