That $6 pour over I got at a gas station in Nebraska changed my mind about pour overs

I always figured pour over coffee was just pretentious drip. Fancy kettles, special filters, all that. On a drive through Nebraska last month I stopped at a gas station outside of Lincoln because I was dead tired. The guy behind the counter had a little pour over setup on the counter. I almost laughed. But I was desperate so I paid $6 and waited. He used some pre-ground bag from a local roaster. It was the cleanest cup of coffee I've ever had. No bitterness, no sludge. Now I'm trying to figure out if it was the method or just that I had low expectations. Has anyone else had a surprisingly good coffee from a random place like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

claire_hart5317d agoMost Upvoted

You said you were "dead tired" and willing to try anything. That's half the battle right there. Low expectations plus real exhaustion can make anything taste better. But I think the real reason that cup was so clean is the simple fact that pour over forces the water through the grounds at a steady pace. No over-extraction, no burnt flavors. The gas station guy probably wasn't overthinking it either. He just poured hot water over grounds and let it drip. That's all it takes. It's just coffee, not rocket science.

barbarah1916d ago

Right? Same thing happened to me at a diner once.