V60: 2:30–3:30 minutes. Chemex: 4–5 minutes. Kalita Wave: 3–4 minutes. Too fast equals under-extracted (sour); too slow equals over-extracted (bitter). You control the brew time through grind size and pouring speed.

How long should a pour-over coffee take?

V60: 2:30–3:30 minutes. Chemex: 4–5 minutes. Kalita Wave: 3–4 minutes. Too fast equals under-extracted (sour); too slow equals over-extracted (bitter). You control the brew time through grind size and pouring speed.

Why that is

Brew time in pour-over — just like in espresso — is not a goal in itself, but an indicator of your extraction. It tells you how long the water was in contact with the coffee grounds, and therefore, how much was dissolved.

Every pour-over brewer has different flow characteristics because they differ in filter thickness, porosity, and geometric shape:

Hario V60: Uses a thin paper filter and a conical shape with a single, massive exit hole. Water flows through it relatively quickly. Target brew time: 2:30–3:30 minutes for a single cup (250 ml). The V60 is highly sensitive to pouring technique — pouring aggressively speeds up the drawdown, while pouring slowly extends it.

Chemex: Uses a very thick, proprietary paper filter that dramatically slows the water down. Because of this, the contact time is inherently longer. Target brew time: 4–5 minutes for a 2–3 cup batch. The thick filter also traps heavy coffee oils — resulting in a cup that is exceptionally clean and crisp, but with noticeably less body than a V60.

Kalita Wave: A flat-bottom brewer with three small exit holes. The flat bed promotes a highly stable, even extraction that is much less dependent on pouring technique. Target brew time: 3–4 minutes. It is generally more forgiving than the V60, making it an excellent choice for beginners.

If your brew time is consistently too short (and the coffee tastes sour, thin, and weak): adjust your grind finer. If your brew time is too long (and the coffee tastes harsh, bitter, and astringent): adjust your grind coarser. Always make these adjustments in small steps.

Besides grind size, your pouring technique heavily influences the time: fast, aggressive pours increase agitation and speed up the flow (the water essentially “flushes” through the coffee bed). Slow, gentle pours extend the time. Your pouring style makes a massive difference on a V60, but a relatively minor one on a Kalita Wave.

In practice at Green Wall Coffee

At Sophienstraße 27, we use the V60 and aim for a 3-minute brew time for a single cup. Every single pour is tracked with a timer and a scale — it sounds obsessive, but after a few days, it becomes pure routine. I tell guests: a timer is just as crucial for pour-over as a scale. Together, they make the difference between a lucky guess and repeatable craftsmanship.

Related questions

• How to brew Hario V60 correctly?
• What is the difference between V60, Chemex, and Kalita Wave?
• What grind size do I need for filter coffee?

You can find more in-depth information in the article V60 pour over guide. Or drop by Sophienstraße 27 — Mon–Fri 8am–5pm, Sat 10am–5pm.