Pour over coffee was popularized by German housewife Melitta Bentz, when, on a whim, she invented the coffee filter. Her wild new brewing method quickly became a success, and Bentz went into business, selling her revolutionary pour over coffee makers at the 1909 Leipzig fair. Her husband and two sons became the first employees of the company then known as M. Bentz, and Melitta remained the guiding hand behind the business until her death in 1950. Pour over, while a perennial favorite brewing method since it first came on the scene, is experiencing an upsurge in popularity in the current coffee climate. For your brewing needs, we have here compiled a collection of our favorite pour over devises.
The Melitta Brew Cone
Named for the woman who started it all, and produced by the company she owned a century ago, we love the Melitta for its long history, classic design, and low commitment introduction to pour over. If you are new to the brewing style and don’t know that you want to make a big investment right away, a single cup plastic Melitta is light on your wallet and easy to store. Alternatively, if you are an avid pour over fan, take to the collectors sites to find yourself a vintage ceramic Melitta filter and show the world that you are serious about coffee. Purchase: $5
The OXO Good Grips Water Tank and Filter Holder
Our very favorite feature of the OXO Good Grips coffeemaker is its handy attached water tank. The tank, which sits snugly atop the coffee maker, allows you to pour up to the mark and go, leaving it to distribute water evenly over your grounds. Other pour over coffee makers require you to stand and decant, regulating water distribution manually. Not so the OXO. Purchase: $15
The Primula Seneca Coffee Maker
The Primula sits pretty on top of your coffee carafe, or for the smaller sizes right on your mug itself, with its own unique flair, pert, and ruffled and ready to brew up a hot cup of Joe. We love the Primula for its style, but also for its built in, double lined, stainless steel filter. Purchase: $21
The Bodum Coffee Maker
Cute and perky, the Bodum Pour Over is a delight. Featuring a reusable mesh filter on top and your choice of color, the Bodum’s rounded shape and cheerful appearance make it feel like a friend from the moment you bring it out of the box. Operating on a classic scheme of filter holder and carafe combined, the Bodum offers it all in one convenient package. Purchase: $24
The Bartelli Coffee Dripper
Stainless steel and versatile, the Bartelli Coffee Dripper was a must have for our list. Dishwasher safe and filter free, the Bartelli is designed to fit over any coffee cup, travel mug, or small pot. The laser cut double mesh design protects your java from any unwanted grounds. Recommended for single serve coffee making, the Bartelli is easily rinsed and reused for as many cups as your morning needs. Purchase: $35
The Chemex Classic Coffeemaker
A tireless standby, the Chemex Classic boasts an attractive hourglass shape with a grooved spout and wooden collar. It is made of glass and as such does not absorb chemical residues or odors. The Chemex is one of the simplest pour over coffee makers, with the brewing station and carafe all of a single piece. It’s great for beginners to the pour over method, and beloved by pour-over experts as well. Purchase: $37
The Hario Drip Pot
The Hario Drip Pot captures the imagination with its rugged old school appeal. It’s the sort of coffee pot one imagines Teddy Roosevelt taking with him down to Panama, though we realize it probably wasn’t. Featuring a wooden neck for safe handling and reusable flannel filters to preserve the taste, the Hario Drip Pot filters coffee with pizzazz. Purchase: $40
The Hario V60 Coffee Dripper
The Hario V60 is a perfect fit for the coffee connoisseur who wants complete control over the brewing process. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it puts you in charge. The classic conical shape sets the Hario V60 in line with the best of pour over’s long history, while the distinctive grooves along the sides place it in a class of its own. Also available, and somewhat less costly, in glass, ceramic, and plastic, we recommend copper for its superior durability, heat retention, and aesthetic appeal. Purchase: $60
The Able Brewing Kone Filter
The Kone Filter is a fabulous green alternative to regular coffee filters. Perforated with thousands of minuscule holes, the Kone Filter retains any grounds and bitter sediment that exist as byproducts of the brewing process, while allowing all of the rich, full flavor of delicious coffee through. Though it represents a significant up front investment, the Kone saves you hundreds of dollars in disposable filters, and completely eliminates the waste they represent. Purchase: $60
The Walkure Karlsbad Coffee Brewer
With a touch of old world charm, the Walkure Karlsbad takes a different approach from most. With a delicate cross hatching of porcelain grids, it depends on cake filtration, using the grounds themselves in place of paper or mesh. Of German make, this pour over coffee maker and its ultra modern brother, the Walkure Bayreuth, are completely unique and utterly delightful. Purchase: $89
The KitchenAid Custom Pour Over Brewer
Though the pour over method is renowned for being low tech, it doesn’t have to be, as the KitchenAid Custom Brewer has stylishly demonstrated. Combining the one touch convenience of the coffee machine with the full flavor of pour over brew, KitchenAid comes through again with a beautiful machine, heating water to the optimal temperature of 204 degrees Fahrenheit directly before wetting the grounds, minimizing heat loss and optimizing the extraction process. Purchase: $170
