Pour overs are a hallmark of specialty coffee. Defined by the high level of skill and attention to detail required to prepare them, they have become quintessential for coffee purists, offering unparalleled flavour experiences.
This focus on beverage quality will always be central to the industry. But simultaneously, ever-evolving consumer preferences have pushed convenience to the forefront, especially with the inevitable retail price increases in 2025.
As customers become increasingly price-conscious and time-crunched, coffee shops have to balance customer wait time with beverage quality, especially for pour overs.
Technology has emerged as one of the most viable solutions. Automated single-serve brewing systems allow baristas to extract a carefully dialled-in cup of coffee at the touch of a button, reducing preparation time and freeing up their availability to focus on other tasks.
But even with automated pour over machines, these drinks will always take longer to prepare. Batch brew can be a happy medium; however, for coffee shops to fully address the challenges that pour over poses, taking a more strategic approach can be advantageous.
I spoke to Gemma Kiernan, head of marketing at Marco Beverage Systems, and Andy Sprenger, owner of Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters, to find out why.
You may also like our article on the ongoing evolution of pour over coffee.
Pour overs are fundamental to specialty coffee
For both baristas and consumers, one of the most appealing aspects of pour over coffee is the ability to enhance flavour clarity. The controlled, slow pouring process allows for optimal extraction, bringing out intricate notes and aromas that might otherwise be muted or even lost when using other brewing methods.
“I believe the continued interest in pour over stems from the desire to experience coffee – whether it’s a specific variety, processing technique, or farm – in its purest form, with the clearest articulation of flavour possible,” says Andy Sprenger, the owner of Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters in Colorado, US.
Pour overs also offer baristas and coffee enthusiasts a playground for experimentation, where adjustments to variables such as grind size, water temperature, and pouring technique can significantly influence the final product.
The process is visually captivating, too – especially when prepared by hand. Watching the coffee bloom and the careful pour of water over the grounds is an art form that draws customers into the craft of the industry. This level of engagement not only deepens their appreciation for coffee and barista skills but also creates a memorable experience for them, adding value to their café visits.
“There is beauty and art in a good pour over,” Andy says. “From the aesthetic of the brewer to the smells, sounds, and sights that hand brewing offers.”
But manual pour over brewing poses challenges
Despite being staple menu items, integrating manual pour overs into busy, fast-paced coffee shops can be difficult. One of the most significant hurdles is the time it takes to prepare them.
“There are so many steps, from the minute the order is placed to when baristas can actually serve the next customer,” says Gemma Kiernan, head of marketing at Marco Beverage Systems, which designs and manufactures hot and cold beverage solutions. “They have to weigh and grind coffee and wet the filter paper before the actual brew even starts.”
Meticulous hand brewing can lead to longer wait times and potential bottlenecks during peak hours. For customers who are in a rush, these delays can easily detract from their overall café experience.
“After saturating the coffee bed with the first pour, the barista needs to wait for about 40 seconds before continuing to pour in concentric circles. So, while this may result in an excellent coffee, it takes the barista out of action for about four to six minutes,” Gemma adds. “The barista has to concentrate on the speed and flow of the water, so they can’t engage with their customers during the process, meaning there’s little meaningful interaction until they can serve the coffee.”
Consistency is another challenge. The quality of a pour over relies heavily on the skill of the barista. Proper training is essential to ensure that every cup meets the shop’s quality standards, yet this level of expertise takes time to develop. Variations in technique between baristas can inadvertently lead to an inconsistent product, impacting the shop’s reputation.
“A coffee shop will have several different shifts, with baristas at different experience levels, so naturally, there will be some variation in the final beverage quality from person to person,” Gemma says.
Convenience vs quality
Pour overs are synonymous with the craft and artisanry of specialty coffee; however, as the industry has matured and captured the attention of a mainstream audience, convenience has become more important.
Recent data indicates that a staggering 97% of consumers have abandoned a purchase that they considered inconvenient. For small independent coffee shops, this underscores the urgent need to integrate convenience into their operations – or risk losing a considerable chunk of their customer base.
“Generally speaking, if a customer orders a pour over, they know it will take about five to six minutes, and they will be happy to wait,” Gemma tells me. “The real issue is the other customers who want to grab their coffee and go but may find their order delayed.”
According to data from a recent Perfect Daily Grind LinkedIn poll, 65% of people are willing to wait between five and ten minutes for a pour over, while less than 10% said they were happy to wait for more than ten minutes.
“If a person doesn’t have their drink after ten minutes, especially at a peak time, they may not leave the shop (especially if they have paid,) but their overall experience will be strongly impacted, and they may choose not to visit again,” Gemma adds.
Even more significantly, 25% expected their pour over to be served in five minutes or less – indicating that quality and convenience are of equal importance to some consumers.
Coffee shops embrace automation
To adapt to these changing consumer expectations, automated brewing equipment dedicated exclusively to single-serve pour overs has emerged as a solution.
“At busy coffee shops or cafés with limited space, there are automated pour over systems like the Poursteady, which can brew single cups with little attention needed after dosing the ground coffee,” Andy says.
Baristas need to spend time carefully dialling in different coffees on these machines, which is often done during the morning shifts prior to opening. But once the coffee is dosed, ground, and dispensed into a pre-wet paper filter in the brew basket, these automated systems manage the entire brewing process using a pre-programmed recipe.
“Automation ensures routine tasks are done quickly and accurately, freeing up baristas to focus on quality control, customer engagement, and drink presentation,” Gemma says. “For example, if an automated pour over system like the Marco SP9 reduces barista focus time from six to two minutes, they can spend that extra time chatting with the customer, grabbing a croissant, or ringing up the order.”
With convenience at the forefront of consumer priorities – especially as retail prices are set to increase considerably in 2025 – coffee shops will continue to invest in automation as a solution to these challenges. This not only maximises efficiency but also maintains beverage quality, with these systems eliminating human error and improving extraction consistency.
“The Marco MilkPal is another great example of how investing in automated solutions directly addresses consistency in coffee shops,” Gemma adds. “By automating dispensing hot and cold milk and milk foam, the MilkPal ensures each drink is made with the correct milk texture and volume for each drink.”
The risk of losing the craft of brewing
There is concern that the move towards automation in pour over brewing could divert from the artisanal experience that customers demanded in the first place. For those few who are happy to wait over ten minutes, the hand-brewed process is likely to be an integral part of ordering a pour over, and they may be disappointed to see it disappear.
Ultimately, specialty coffee shops need to ask how much more time or money their customers are prepared to exchange for quality. In turn, they can decide whether it makes sense to switch to automated solutions fully or whether offering both automated and manual pour overs is the best way forward.
The answer lies in the type of customer experience coffee shops want to offer, which ties into a number of different factors. A small, busy location in a city centre, for example, is likely to fully automate its pour over programme, allowing baristas to quickly prepare drinks to high standards and keep up with customer turnover.
A neighbourhood café or a boutique coffee shop that focuses heavily on specific hospitality concepts, meanwhile, could find more success with manual pour over brewing, helping baristas to engage more deeply with customers.
Taking a strategic approach to pour over programmes
The pour over represents the intersection of tradition and innovation in the specialty coffee industry. Its ability to produce an exceptional cup, coupled with the craft and transparency of the process, ensures its relevance in cafés striving to deliver premium experiences.
But for pour overs to maintain their popularity in an increasingly fast-paced industry, coffee shops must embrace strategies that balance quality with the realities of modern customer service. By emphasising education, leveraging new technologies, and crafting thoughtful service approaches, coffee professionals can continue to highlight this brewing method while meeting the expectations of today’s discerning customers.
“Many of us love the idea of a hand-crafted cup of coffee that is made ‘just for us.’ There is ritual, technique, and specificity that can make the pour over you wait five minutes for much more special than whatever is quickly handed to you from the large container sitting in the corner,” Andy says.
People increasingly want higher-quality coffee, but should this come at the expense of convenience or price, then most consumers won’t be interested. The number of people willing to wait under ten minutes for a pour over that costs twice the price of a milk-based drink is already minimal and unlikely to increase any time soon – and specialty coffee shops need to bear this in mind.
Still, the small but growing market for high-end, exclusive micro lots brings with it the need to prepare these coffees with care and attention to detail. Otherwise, they can easily lose what makes them unique.
“The premium paid for higher-end coffees these days effectively demands these coffees be brewed one cup at a time,” Andy tells me. “Imagine finding a US $80/lb Gesha on batch.”
So what can coffee shops do?
Strategic menu design and premium pricing can position pour overs as a high-value beverage, helping to manage demand and customer expectations. For instance, only offering the three or four highest-quality offerings as pour over means baristas can spend more time developing recipes, helping them achieve better results in the long run.
It can also help to educate consumers more effectively. When customers understand that exceptional coffees require a more meticulous brewing method, they are more likely to appreciate the time and effort required. Cafés can use this as an opportunity to highlight the unique flavour profiles, justifying the longer wait times and adding value to the overall experience.
Setting up for success
Timing also plays a crucial role. Offering pour overs during quieter periods, such as mid-morning or late afternoon after busy lunch rushes, can alleviate pressure on staff while enhancing the experience for customers. Highlighting pour overs as a special feature during these times creates exclusivity as well, possibly encouraging guests to indulge in a premium beverage and increase their spend.
Another practical approach is to streamline preparation. Pre-heating water and setting up stations before peak hours can minimise delays, allowing baristas to focus on the brewing process when demand rises.
“Our pour over station at the roastery café has six scales, four kettles, and we pre-dose all of our coffees,” Andy explains. “There are also other efficiencies implemented, from pre-wetting filters to pouring two or more brews at a time to simple, repeatable brew recipes.”
Even in the face of convenience, specialty coffee wants to stay true to its artisanal roots – and pour overs are an integral part of that. The move towards automation is balancing the best of both worlds, but adopting a more strategic approach is also helpful.
The way in which coffee shops offer pour overs needs to be on brand. Whether it’s a meticulous hand-brewed approach or a modern automated set up, it should feel authentic to their values.
Enjoyed this? Then read our article on how long customers should wait for filter coffee.
Photo credits: Marco Beverage Systems, Five Senses Coffee
Perfect Daily Grind
Want to read more articles like this? Sign up for our newsletter!