Drip, Pour-Over, Americano: How Are They Different?

It’s time for another installment in our coffee drink comparison series! This time we’re breaking down the differences between drip coffee, pour-overs, and americanos. We’ll talk about how to make these three drinks and their different characteristics.

First off, what is drip coffee? This is the good old tried & true coffee from a coffee maker. It goes by many names, like filter coffee or batch brew, but we’re going to refer to it as drip in this blog post.

There are so many different coffee makers on the market, and a lot of them are capable of brewing a very high quality cup of coffee. Perhaps we will dive into different brands and models of coffee pots in a future blog post! But, regardless of the brand, drip coffee is brewed in an automatic coffee maker that heats the water and distributes it over the grounds. The coffee brews through a paper filter and drips down into a carafe.

If this process sounds familiar, it might be because it’s quite similar to a pour-over: it’s really just an automated version. The pros of drip coffee include speed, large batch capabilities, and a mostly hands-free brew process. Once you’ve put the grounds and water into the coffee maker, all you have to do is push a button, and on a busy day that can be a lifesaver.

A well-brewed drip has a balanced taste, not bitter or sour or drying. It’s light to medium in body with a smooth mouth feel. And it’s a clean cup of coffee: most of the fines and particles are filtered out. While it doesn’t taste exactly like a pour-over, it’s very close.

Here’s our recipe for really good drip…
Get a really great single origin coffee, ground about the size of table salt, and some good filtered water. Brew the coffee at a 1:17 ratio. So, one part coffee to seventeen parts water. We encourage you to play around with the recipe, though, until it’s exactly the flavor profile you like!

We’ve talked a lot about pour-overs in the past. You can find our recipe and more thoughts about this brew method in a previous blog post. There are also quite a few brands and models of pour-overs on the market. In this post, we’re referencing any cone-shaped pour-over in which you brew coffee through a paper filter.

A pour-over is typically a one cup manual brew method, so it’s a much more hands-on process than drip. However, because it’s not automated, you have a lot more control and ability to personalize this brew method.

Pour-over coffee is often lighter in body than drip. Many of the fine particles are filtered out, and you will get a lot of tasting notes from the coffee. Similar to drip, pour-overs have a smooth mouth feel. People often describe pour-over coffee as clean. It’s a delicate cup of coffee with a lot of flavor!

Lastly, we’re going to talk about one other black coffee option: the americano. This one is quite different from both drip and pour-over coffees. An americano is hot water with a double shot of espresso on top. This drink effectively uses the hot water to make an espresso into a larger cup of coffee

Americanos are extremely fast and easy to make. Yes, it’s a hands-on process, but it’ll take less than a minute to make. All you have to do is pull a shot of espresso, fill whatever size of cup you want with hot water, and pour the espresso shot on top of the water. It’s important to note that the larger the cup, the more water, and the weaker the coffee will taste. So if you want a punchy, strong cup, use a smaller mug. It’s also important to note that the espresso shot goes on top of the water to preserve the crema.

This is the boldest, fullest bodied drink we’re discussing today, because it’s espresso versus a filtered coffee. Americanos have a heavy body and a stronger mouth feel. You do get that syrupy, heavy espresso body even with the addition of water. This is not a delicate cup of coffee, and you might get less tasting notes than in a pour-over. Americanos also hold up well to the addition of cream or milk.

So there you have it: three very different ways to brew your coffee and why they taste different. We believe drip, pour-overs, and americanos all have their perks, and now you can make all three at home!

As always, our comments are open! Let us know your favorite way to brew coffee below & stay tuned for an upcoming blog post discussing different coffee makers and pour overs.