Debate: Is the pour over snobbery real or just in our heads?

I was at a cafe in Chicago last spring and this guy behind the counter told me my V60 technique was 'aggressive' and handed me a different filter without asking. On the flip side, I've met tons of folks who just say drink what you like and move on. Which side do you lean on when you see someone brewing a way that's different from yours?

2 comments

2 Comments

umab868d ago

Last place I went in Portland had a sign that said 'no alternative brew methods allowed' which is just gatekeeping with extra steps. Gate's been real since at least 2014 in my experience, some folks just can't handle that not everyone wants their coffee to taste like a chemistry experiment.

carter.jennifer8d ago

The sign at that Portland place is actually REFRESHING, not gatekeeping. I've been going to coffee shops since 2012 and the whole "alternative brew methods" trend has turned into a circus. You walk in and there's a chemex and a v60 and some weird ceramic dripper that costs 60 bucks, and the barista spends 15 minutes explaining the "flavor notes" like they're a wine sommelier. It's exhausting for everyone. A shop that says "hey we do drip coffee and espresso, pick one" is just being HONEST about what they can actually deliver well. Most of those pour-over stations are just for show anyway, the coffee comes out lukewarm half the time. I'm all for specialty coffee but sometimes you just want the dam cup without the lecture.