What is the difference between pour over vs auto drip coffee maker
On the surface, an auto drip coffee maker seems pretty similar to a pour over coffee maker. Both allow you to pour water over the coffee which then slowly drips into your cup. Indeed, to the average coffee drinker, this may indeed be the case. However, if you are one who can really appreciate coffee for its subtle differences in taste, then the coffee produced by a drip coffee maker can be very different from a pour over coffee maker.
Pour over coffee advantages and benefits
To better understand the subtle difference between the two types of coffee makers, you need to first understand what benefits or advantages does pour over coffee offer you. The most powerful is the control. A pour over coffee maker allow you to control everything about the coffee making process, especially on the water aspect. From water temperature to amount of water to how fast the water is being poured in, you will have complete control over these aspects which in turn can affect how the taste of the coffee turns out. In this aspect, how good the coffee taste really will depend on how good you are in terms of making coffee.
From the variables you can control, one of the most important is the temperature. In pour over coffee maker, you can decide how hot the water is during the pour over. For drip coffee, the cheap machine will typically extract the coffee with water temperature that is below the ideal, leading to a bitter taste. Some even have shower heads that leads the water to the ground bed, rather than extracting the coffee taste! If you want to know the difference in the actual brewing process between these 2 methods, check out our article on pour over coffee vs drip.
Side note: if you care deeply about control, you might also considering getting a pour over kettle. Its main differentiating feature is its gooseneck sprout which offers a much more delicate control over the pouring of the water, relative to normal coffee or teapot kettles. This will help you to better control the speed of the flow as well as the amount of water going into the pour over coffee maker.
Advantage of drip coffee over pour over coffee
A drip coffee on the other hand offers consistency and convenience. All you need to do is to pour water in and the end result will be the same day in and day out. However, in handling the control over to the machine, you lose the opportunity to make a brew of coffee that tastes really better than what you are getting everyday.
Should you get a pour over coffee maker
At the end of the day, how we drink coffee will determine which type of coffee maker is really suitable. You should get a pour over coffee maker if you:
- Cares deeply about your coffee taste;
- Are interested in improving your pouring technique;
- Willing to endure inconsistency in your coffee in order to find that perfect brew;
- Do not mind the effort put in to make a good pot of coffee
Conclusion
To conclude, the main difference between the drip coffee and pour over coffee maker is the degree of control. This can be a double edge sword. While it offers you to chance to make some really good coffee, you also be prepared for really bad coffee days when you get everything wrong.