Grind Size for Pour Over - Complete Guide
Grind size is a crucial variable for adjusting coffee recipes, while most feel that it's just a different way. But most coffee professionals understand that the size of your grind is one of the most impactful variable you can adjust to dial in your pour over coffee.
When talking about grind size there's 2 main important things you need to know, the first being grind size (universally this can be measured in microns and the second being grind size distribution, which refers to the range of grounds within that grind size.
Grind Size Distribution:
Within a grind size your grounds have a range of different sizes of particles, the smallest grounds are known as fines and the largest grounds are called boulders. If you think of the shape of coffee beans they're round and irregular and when beans are ground they form all sorts of different shapes and sizes of grounds. If you think about burrs and their geometry the beans only need to exit the burrs with one side being the actual grind size, this allows the other edges of the ground to be bigger or smaller depending on how they entered the burrs.
Different grinders can have an inherently larger or smaller grind size distribution, this isn't necessarily a bad thing but it can lead to some problems occurring when brewing pour over coffee.
Why Grind Size Distribution matters:
Imagine you have a magical grinder that can grind coffee into the most uniform size, all particles of coffee are the exact same size and in theory you're able to brew all the particles the same, this would lead to a clean, uniform tasting cup of coffee. This however is unrealistic due to the reasons we discussed earlier and in reality bad coffee grinders like blade grinders have an incredibly high grind size distribution while precision coffee grinders may only have 10% of the ground coffee falling into the boulder / fines category.
Fines
Fines are small particles of coffee that extract very quickly. Because of their fast extraction, they can easily become over extracted during a pour over brew, leading to bitter, astringent, or drying flavours in the cup. Even a small amount of fines can have an outsized impact on taste, as they release soluble compounds much faster than larger particles.
In pour over brewing, fines also tend to migrate through the coffee bed and settle toward the bottom or along filter walls. This can slow down drawdown time, restrict flow and create uneven extraction across the brew. In extreme cases, excessive fines can cause stalling, where water pools on top of the coffee bed and extracts the coffee far beyond its optimal range.
High quality grinders aim to minimise the production of fines while keeping grind size consistent. Reducing fines helps improve clarity, sweetness and balance in pour over coffee, allowing the natural characteristics of the coffee to come through without harshness.
Boulders
Boulders are the largest particles present in a grind size distribution and extract much more slowly than fines. Because of their size, water struggles to fully penetrate and extract them during a typical pour over brew time. When a grind contains too many boulders, those particles remain under extracted, contributing flavours that are thin, hollow, or sour in the final cup.
In pour over brewing, boulders can also create uneven flow paths through the coffee bed. Water will naturally move around these larger particles rather than through them, increasing bypass and reducing overall extraction efficiency. This is why brews made with wide grind distributions can taste both sour and bitter at the same time, the fines over extract quickly while the boulders barely extract at all.
High quality burr grinders are designed to minimise the number of boulders produced at any given grind size, allowing for more even extraction and better clarity in the cup. While eliminating boulders entirely isn’t possible, reducing them is key to achieving a balanced, repeatable pour over.
Why Grind Size Matters So Much in Pour Over Coffee
Pour over coffee is just a brew method and grind size is important for all brew methods, that being said some more so than others. For instance brewing immersion brew methods (such as french press, AeroPress and HARIO Switch) grind size is less important.
Pour over coffee relies heavily on gravity to pull the hot water through the bed of grounds, making pour over coffee a percolation style of brewing. This is the same as Espresso, with the biggest difference being espresso has pressure forcing water through while pour over utilises gravity.
When making pour over coffee the grind size has an impact on coffee extraction and brew time, some coffees will inherently take longer to brew (even at the same grind size as other coffees) so grind size doesn't = brew time. Grind size does however effect the brew time and can be used to manipulate how fast / slow your pour over coffee takes to brew.
For example if you're brewing a washed African coffee it might normally take 4 minutes to brew but by adjusting the grind size coarser you can manipulate this to take 3 minutes and the same goes for extending the brew time to 5 minutes by grinding finer.
Brew Time is Less Important in Pour Over Coffee
With all that being said brew time is important for taking notes of when you should pour and identifying how long your coffee will take to brew but it's important to know that brew time doesn't actually matter, it's a guide and something to note but that's about it.
Some coffees inherently take longer to brew and that's ok, African coffees, washed processed coffees and lighter roasts generally take longer to brew and even after dialling in these coffees might taste better at 5-6minutes rather than the traditional 2-4 minutes that most coffees taste best at.
Is My Coffee Stalling?
As you already know, coffee can taste good at different brew times but how can you tell if your coffee is naturally taking a while to brew or if it's stalling?
A naturally long brew time and a stalled brew can look similar on a timer, but they behave very differently during the brew. A naturally slow pour over will still flow consistently. Water should pass through the coffee bed at a steady rate, the slurry should gently draw down between pours and the final drawdown should look smooth and controlled. Coffees with high density often behave this way, they take longer to brew but remain expressive, clean and balanced tasting.
A stalled brew on the other hand, has an inconsistent or restricted flow. If you notice water pooling on top of the coffee bed, drawing down slowing and more dramatically toward the end of the brew, or the filter clogging against the dripper walls, these are signs of stalling. This is usually caused by grinding too fine, producing excessive fines (grind size distribution), or agitating the coffee bed too aggressively during pouring.
A simple way to tell the difference is by taste and flow combined. If your brew takes five to six minutes but tastes clean, sweet and balanced, it’s likely not stalled. If it tastes muddy, bitter, or tastes dry especially alongside visible pooling or choking, the brew has likely stalled and adjusting grind size coarser is usually the first and best fix.
Why pour over magnifies grind errors more than immersion brews
If you have a cheap / old coffee grinder you don't have heaps of control over the grind size distribution but you do have control over how you brew that coffee. Percolation
What Does “Medium-Fine” Actually Mean?
One of the most common grind sizes for pour over coffee is often described as 'Medium-Fine', you see this in recipes, videos and pretty much anywhere that people are discussing brewing coffee. A medium grind size isn't as fine as espresso or cold brew and the 'Fine', suggests that this is on the finer side of a medium grind size.
All of the images bellow are of a medium-fine grind size and as you can see from the images the difference is huge. Why this is important to know and matters is that the size of your grounds change how your coffee tastes drastically and a more accurate way of describing the coffees grind size is by microns, or by the clicks on your coffee grinder.
Now's a great time to mention that if you have a Comandnate C40, C40 with red clix installed, Comandante C60 grinder or are looking to translate the grind size of a Comandante recipe to microns / your coffee grinder, we wrote a full article comparing and converting the coffee grind sizes: Comandante Grind Size Chart.
Pour Over Grind Size Ranges
| Brew Method | Texture Description | Micron Range (Approx) | Example Grinder Clicks (Comandante / Kingrinder K6) |
|---|---|---|---|
| V60 (Conical) | Medium → Medium-Coarse, like coarse sand | ~600-900 microns | Comandante: 18-24 Kingrinder: ~70-85 |
| Kalita Wave (Flat Bottom) | Medium, like regular sand | ~500-800 microns | Comandante: 16-22 Kingrinder: ~65-80 |
| Orea (Flat Bottom Fast Flow) | Medium → Medium-Fine (depends on recipe) | ~450-750 microns | Comandante: 14-20 Kingrinder: ~60-75 |
| Chemex | Coarse, like sea salt / rough sand | ~800-1200 microns | Comandante: 24-32 Kingrinder: ~85-100 |
| Flat Bottom Brewers (General) | Medium, balanced particle distribution | ~500-800 microns | Comandante: 16-22 Kingrinder: ~65-80 |
| Conical Brewers (General) | Medium → Medium-Coarse, slightly wider particle spread | ~600-900 microns | Comandante: 18-24 Kingrinder: ~70-85 |
Grind Size for Hario V60
The HARIO V60 is a conical brewer and that cone shape has a direct impact on how water flows through the coffee bed. Because the coffee bed is deeper and funnels toward a single exit point, flow rate is largely controlled by grind size and pour technique. In most cases, the V60 performs best in the medium to medium-coarse range, roughly similar to coarse sand. Too fine and the brewer can choke, stall or even channel, too coarse and you’ll get fast flow with weak extraction. If your brew is tasting thin or sour, grinding slightly finer usually helps increase extraction and body. If it tastes bitter, heavy, or slow to draw down, grinding coarser will usually improve clarity and flow.
Check out our full recipe for brewing with the HARIO V60 Dripper
Grind Size for Kalita Wave
The Kalita Wave dripper uses a flat-bottom design, which creates a more even coffee bed and a more stable extraction compared to conical brewers. However, the Kalita’s wave filters add additional flow restriction, meaning water tends to sit slightly longer in the bed compared to faster-flow brewers. Because of this balance between flat bed geometry and filter restriction, Kalita often works best in the true medium range, though in many cases it can handle slightly coarser grinds than a V60 depending on recipe and dose. If you grind too fine, Kalita brews can easily become heavy or muddy due to slower flow through the filter. If brews feel thin or lack sweetness, nudging slightly finer usually helps.
Grind Size for Orea Drippers
Orea drippers are designed for speed, clarity and very low bypass when paired with the right filters. Because of the fast flow rate and low resistance design, Orea brewers often perform surprisingly well with medium to medium-fine grinds, especially in faster single-pour or low-agitation recipes. Grinding finer helps increase extraction and body without necessarily stalling the brew, which is why many Orea recipes push finer than traditional flat-bottom brewers. The Orea V3 is known for very fast flow and high clarity, while the Orea V4 introduced more flexibility through adjustable bases and filter options, allowing users to tune resistance and grind size slightly more depending on setup.
Grind Size for Chemex
The Chemex uses extremely thick paper filters, which dramatically slow water flow and remove a large amount of oils and fines from the final cup. Because of this heavy filtration, Chemex typically requires a coarse grind, often closer to sea salt texture than sand. Grinding too fine with Chemex is one of the fastest ways to over-extract coffee, resulting in bitterness, dryness and stalled drawdowns. If your Chemex is draining very slowly or tasting harsh and heavy, the grind is usually too fine. If it’s draining very quickly and tasting weak or hollow, you may be able to move slightly finer, but Chemex generally lives on the coarser side of the pour over spectrum.
How Grind Size Affects Taste
Grind size is one of the fastest and most powerful ways to change how your coffee tastes. While variables like water temperature, ratio and pouring technique matter, grind size directly controls how quickly water extracts flavour from coffee.
If you learn to diagnose taste and link it back to grind size, you can fix most brewing issues in one or two brews instead of chasing variables blindly.
If Your Pour Over Tastes Sour
In most cases, sour pour over coffee means the grind is too coarse.
When coffee is ground too coarse, water flows through the bed too quickly. This limits extraction time and usually results in under-extracted flavours, sharp acidity, thin body and a hollow or watery finish.
What to change first:
- Adjust grind slightly finer
- Don’t jump multiple grind steps at once
- Keep everything else the same (ratio, pouring, temperature)
A good rule is:
👉 Move 1-2 clicks finer (Comandante / Kingrinder style adjustment)
👉 Re-brew and reassess
If the coffee becomes sweeter and fuller, you’re moving in the right direction.
If it suddenly becomes heavy or bitter, you went too far.
If Your Pour Over Tastes Bitter
Bitterness is most commonly caused by grinding too fine.
When coffee is too fine, water struggles to pass through the bed. This increases contact time and pulls out heavier compounds, often creating bitterness, dryness, or astringency.
You may also notice:
- Slow drawdown
- Sludgy coffee bed
- Muted acidity
- Harsh aftertaste
How much to adjust:
👉 Move 1–3 clicks coarser
👉 Avoid big jumps unless the brew is completely stalled
Fine grinds can “snowball” extraction quickly, so even small grind changes can dramatically improve clarity and sweetness.
If Brew Time Is Too Fast or Too Slow
Brew time is where many brewers panic, but grind size is not always the first thing you should change.
If brew time is too fast:
Could be:
- Grind too coarse
- Pouring too aggressively
- Too much agitation
- Low dose for brewer size
If brew time is too slow:
Could be:
- Grind too fine
- Filter clogging
- Too much swirling / stirring
- Very fresh coffee producing extra fines
Before adjusting grind, ask:
👉 Did I pour differently this brew?
👉 Did I agitate more?
👉 Is this a new coffee with different density or roast level?
When NOT to Touch Grind Size
This is where experienced brewers separate themselves from beginners.
You should not adjust grind size first if the problem is clearly caused by technique or setup.
Examples:
- New Coffee Bag
Different origin, roast level, or processing can change flow. Brew once or twice before changing grind. - Different Filter Paper
Filters dramatically change resistance. Dial filter first, then grind. - Pouring Changed
If you suddenly poured harder, higher, or with more agitation, fix technique first. - Water Temperature Changed
Higher temps extract faster → can mimic “too fine” grind symptoms.
How to Dial In Grind Size for Pour Over
Dialling in grind size for pour over coffee is one of the most valuable skills any coffee brewer can learn, yet it is often overcomplicated. In reality, most great pour over coffee is achieved through small, controlled grind adjustments rather than dramatic recipe changes. The most reliable way to dial in any coffee is to begin by following a proven brewing recipe. Starting with a known ratio, pouring structure and water temperature creates a stable baseline that allows you to isolate grind size as the main variable. If you attempt to invent a recipe and dial in grind size at the same time, you create too many moving parts and make it difficult to identify what is actually improving or worsening the cup.
Grind size should almost always be the first variable adjusted when troubleshooting flavour in pour over coffee. This is because grind size directly controls how quickly water extracts soluble compounds from the coffee bed. When coffee tastes sour, sharp, or hollow, it is very often under-extracted, which usually means the grind is too coarse. When coffee tastes bitter, heavy, or drying, it is often over-extracted, which commonly means the grind is too fine. Adjusting grind size allows you to correct extraction balance quickly and predictably without needing to change dose, water temperature, or pouring technique.
One of the most important principles in coffee brewing is changing only one variable at a time. When brewers change grind size, brew ratio and pouring style simultaneously, they remove their ability to learn from the result. Controlled brewing allows you to move toward ideal extraction efficiently. Professional baristas often dial in new coffees in only a few brews because they make small, single-variable adjustments and taste carefully after each change.
Small grind adjustments can have surprisingly large impacts on flavour, particularly when using high-quality hand grinders or well-aligned burr grinders. Moving one or two clicks finer or coarser can shift a coffee from sour to sweet or from bitter to balanced. Large adjustments often cause brewers to overshoot the ideal extraction range, resulting in a cycle of chasing problems rather than solving them. Precision and patience almost always produce better results than aggressive changes.
Grinder Differences That Affect Grind Size
Not all grinders produce the same grind size even when set to what appears to be the same setting. Burr geometry plays a significant role in how coffee particles are shaped and distributed. Some burr designs produce more fines, which slow down water flow and increase body, while others produce fewer fines and allow faster flow with greater clarity. The difference between conical and flat burr geometries can be especially noticeable in pour over brewing, where clarity and flow consistency are critical.
Burr alignment is another factor that significantly impacts grind quality. Even high-quality grinders can perform poorly if the burrs are not properly aligned. Poor alignment can create inconsistent particle sizes, leading to uneven extraction and unpredictable brew times. Properly aligned burrs produce more uniform particles, which improves extraction consistency and flavour clarity.
Grinder adjustment resolution, often described in microns per click, also affects how precisely a brewer can dial in coffee. Some grinders move very small distances per click, allowing extremely fine tuning, while others make larger jumps between settings. This is why grind charts should always be treated as directional rather than absolute. One click on one grinder may equal two or three clicks on another grinder depending on adjustment resolution.
Lower-cost grinders often struggle with pour over brewing because they produce wider particle distributions, including excessive fines and large boulders. This inconsistency causes uneven extraction and unstable flow rates. Higher precision hand grinders such as those produced by Comandante, Kingrinder and Timemore are widely respected because they produce tighter particle distributions and allow more predictable dial-in adjustments. This is not about branding or prestige, but about mechanical consistency and extraction control.
Common Grind Size Mistakes in Pour Over
One of the most common mistakes in pour over brewing is grinding too fine in an attempt to slow down a fast brew. While grind size does influence flow rate, fast brews are often caused by pouring technique, agitation levels, or brew ratio. Grinding too fine to slow flow often leads to over-extraction and bitterness rather than improving flavour balance.
Another frequent mistake is changing grind size and brew ratio at the same time. When multiple variables change simultaneously, it becomes impossible to determine which variable improved or worsened the cup. Maintaining a stable ratio while adjusting grind size produces more predictable results and allows brewers to learn how grind size specifically affects flavour.
Coffee bean density and roast level are also frequently ignored. Light roast coffees are denser and typically require slightly finer grind sizes to extract properly, while darker roast coffees are more brittle and often perform better at slightly coarser grind settings. Ignoring these physical differences often causes brewers to chase grind settings that will never produce optimal results.
Many brewers also focus too heavily on brew time rather than flavour. Brew time can be a helpful reference, but it is not the ultimate measure of extraction quality. Two brews with identical brew times can taste dramatically different depending on grind distribution, pouring technique and coffee characteristics. Taste should always be the final decision-maker.
FAQs About Pour Over Grind Size
What Grind Size Is Best for Pour Over Coffee?
The best grind size for pour over coffee typically sits in the medium to medium-coarse range, often described as similar to coarse sand. However, exact grind size depends on the brewer design, filter paper thickness, coffee roast level and brewing recipe. Faster brewers often allow slightly finer grind sizes, while brewers using thicker filters usually require coarser grind sizes.
Should Pour Over Coffee Be Finer or Coarser Than Drip Coffee?
Pour over coffee and drip coffee are both forms of filter coffee, but grind size can vary slightly depending on the specific brewer. Some pour over brewers require slightly finer grind sizes to control flow rate, while automatic drip machines often perform best in the medium range. The best approach is always to dial in based on taste rather than assuming one grind size works for all filter methods.
Can I Use Pre-Ground Coffee for Pour Over?
Pre-ground coffee can work for pour over brewing, but it often produces less consistent results because grind size cannot be adjusted to match the specific coffee and brewing method. Fresh grinding allows brewers to control extraction more precisely and typically produces better flavour clarity and balance.
Why Does Grind Size Change Between Different Coffee Beans?
Different coffee beans have different physical structures depending on origin, processing method and roast level. Denser coffees usually require finer grind sizes to extract properly, while more brittle coffees may require coarser grind settings. Environmental factors such as humidity can also influence grind behaviour and flow rate.
How Often Should I Adjust Grind Size?
Grind size often needs small adjustments whenever switching to a new coffee. Even coffees with similar roast levels can require small grind changes. Many experienced brewers adjust grind size slightly throughout a bag of coffee as the coffee ages and degasses.
Does Water Temperature Change the Grind Size I Should Use?
Higher water temperatures increase extraction speed, which can mimic the effects of a finer grind. Lower water temperatures extract more slowly and may require slightly finer grind sizes to maintain balance. However, grind size should still be the primary dial-in tool before adjusting temperature dramatically.
Why Does My Pour Over Taste Weak Even When Brew Time Is Correct?
Weak pour over or filter coffee can be caused by grind size being too coarse, insufficient dose, or uneven extraction due to particle distribution. Brew time alone does not guarantee proper extraction and taste should always be prioritised over timing benchmarks.
Why Does My Pour Over Taste Muddy or Chalky?
Muddy or chalky flavours are often caused by excessive fines in the grind, over-agitation during pouring, or grinding too fine. Adjusting grind slightly coarser and reducing agitation usually improves clarity and mouthfeel.
Is There One Universal Grind Size for All Pour Over Brewers?
There is no universal grind size because each brewer design interacts differently with coffee bed depth, filter resistance and water flow. The most effective approach is learning how grind size influences flavour and adjusting based on taste rather than relying on universal settings.
