vCoffee

This is a bit of a blast from the past. Live Oak Coffee was a little coffee shop on Ocracoke Island. The specialty was pour overs, and the coffee was delicious. Unfortunately Live Oak Coffee was only open for a season or two.

A pour over takes time, you can’t be in a hurry or it will suck. Which is one of the reasons why I do not make them at home. I don’t have the patience to take the time to make it good. Time moves a little slower on Ocracoke Island which makes it great place for a pour over coffee joint. While on vacation in Ocracoke it was a great treat and I was sad to see Live Oak Coffee go.

I still have a mug I got from Live Oak Coffee back in 2012, which I think may have been the only season Live Oak Coffee was open. It is actually one of my favorite mugs. Nothing really fancy about it, but I like the finish on it, kind of a satin texture, just feels good when you handle it (hey when you drink as much coffee as I do shit like this matters).

I have tried to do my own pour overs, but like I said I don’t have the patience for it. I usually want my coffee and I want it now, which is why I really like the Keurig coffee makers. But if you take your time, and use fresh grounds, a cup of pour over brewed coffee can be a most excellent cup of coffee. The time it took at Live Oak Coffee didn’t bother me for a number of reasons: I was on vacation, I was not the one doing it, and I would have already consumed a couple of cups of coffee at the hotel (so there was no emergency need).

If you are willing to give it a try the process is pretty simple. The important thing is to take your time, wet the grounds down really well, and try not to rush the pour.

To make a pour over coffee you are going to need a dripper. This is a funnel with a lip which sits on top of the coffee cup. There are a bunch of these available in a variety of styles and materials (I don’t like the plastic ones myself). Below are a couple of options:

Ceramic Coffee Dripper The ceramic walls insulate to maintian temperature while brewing. Requires #2 Cone Filter Paper Makes 1 to 4 cups.

Stainless Steel Paperless Coffee Dripper No paper filter required. Easy to clean. Makes 1 to 4 cups.

How to make a pour over coffee:

1. Put a couple teaspoons (2-3 teaspoons per 8 oz of coffee) of fresh ground coffee in the bottom of the pour over cone.
2. Heat water to a slow boil.
3. Pour just enough hot water over the ground to wet the grounds and wait a minute to allow it to absorb.
4. In a circular motion slowly pour the hot water over the wet grounds.
5. Adjust your pour speed to adjust the coffee strength. Slow – stronger, fast – weaker.

 
It will probably take a few times for you to perfect the method. With a little practice you will end up with a very decent cup of coffee. For me, I’ll stick with my Keurig, unless I run across another place like Live Oak Coffee where there are folks willing to do it for me.