There are plenty of ways to brew a great cup of Kopi Luwak coffee. Commercial household coffee pots are the easiest way to brew coffee, but you may want to try some other methods to see which you like best. The aero-press is a great tool to make great coffee, but so is the French press. However, the pour over method has recently been gaining popularity for the smoothness of the brew it yields. Keep reading to find out how to get the best tasting kopi luwak coffee with the pour over method.
What Is the Pour Over Method?
The pour over method has been around since the early 1900s and has recently regained popularity among baristas and specialty brewers. The 
pour over method describes a means of making coffee that involves manually pouring hot water over coffee grinds in a filter. The coffee slowly pours through the filter and extracts the coffee into a cup or pot.
The pour over method is an excellent choice for specialty brews like kopi luwak because it brings out the small nuances of the flavours without making them too bold.
What Supplies Do You Need?
To create delicious pour over kopi luwak coffee, you’ll need a few pieces of equipment. You’ll need a kettle to heat the water. A gooseneck kettle which pours the hot water from the bottom is an ideal choice. You can choose an electric kettle or a stovetop version, but some electric kettles can be preprogrammed to heat the water to the exact temperature you choose. This takes out some of the guess work of brewing pour over coffee.
You’ll need a pour over coffee set. You can choose one that sits right on top of your coffee cup or one that sits on a pot, depending how much coffee you want to make at a time. There are many choices, and you may want to do a little more research to find out which one you think will work best for your coffee needs.
You will also need a filter that goes in the pour over set. You can choose disposable, reusable, and even cloth filters. Cloth filters do not affect the flavor of the coffee and are good for the environment, making them a popular choice among home brewers.
A kitchen scale is also an important element in good homebrewing. A scale will give you a more precise amount of coffee than a scoop, which in turn will give you a more consistent cup of joe.
Of course, you’ll need the coffee! And you’ll want to select the best grind and roast for your kopi luwak homebrew.
What Kind of Coffee Roast and Grind Do You Need to Make Kopi Luwak Coffee with the Pour Over Method?
The pour over method highlights the most subtle flavors of your kopi luwak coffee, so a light roast will probably work the best with your pour over equipment. Of course, there is nothing wrong with darker roasts of coffee if that is what you prefer to drink, but dark roasts are probably not optimal for brewing pour over coffee.
What is more critical, perhaps, is the coarseness of the grind. Grind size affects the extraction rate. A course grind will provide less surface area of coffee and a fine grind will provide more surface area. Start with a medium grind and see how it tastes. If you find the coffee tastes watery, then you’ll want to try a finer grind which will provide stronger flavour. However, if the coffee is too bitter, you will want to switch to a grind that is a little bit more coarse to give you a lighter flavour.
How Much Water and Coffee Should You Use to Make Pour Over Coffee?
Making a good cup of kopi luwak coffee is like making a recipe. A great starting point with your medium grind, light roast coffee is to use 1g of coffee to 17g of water. This is a generally accepted amount, however, if you find the coffee is too watery, you can increase the amount of coffee in your recipe. If it is too strong, you can decrease it. When experimenting, make sure to only change one thing at a time and to keep track of every change you make. This way, when you find the recipe you like you can easily replicate it. For the best flavour, also make sure to use filtered water. Tap water may contain chlorine or minerals that can affect the flavour of your coffee.
What Should the Water Temperature Be?
At sea level, you’ll want your water temperature to be between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit (90.6°C to 96.1°C). At higher elevations, 
water boils at a lower temperature, so you will need to reduce the temperature of your water. Boiling water will make your coffee taste bitter and harsh.
What Are the Biggest Challenges with the Pour Over Method?
The pour over method of brewing kopi luwak coffee is not without its pitfalls. If your water temperature is too hot, it could cause the coffee to become bitter or have an off taste. The water must be poured through the coffee slowly, so as to prevent ‘channeling.’ Channeling is where the water finds the easiest path to the bottom of the filter, which means it won’t use all of the coffee in the filter. This will cause a weak tasting brew. A little practice will help the home barista pour the water slowly and evenly over the coffee in the filter.
How to Pour Water Over Your Kopi Luwak Coffee
When you first pour hot water over your coffee grounds, you’ll see a ‘bloom’- this is when the gases first escape. You’ll need to pause your pouring and allow the bloom to fade. The best practice for the first pour is to pour about twice the amount of water as there is coffee grounds and then allow the bloom to take place. Wait a few moments. Once the bloom has finished, continue slowly pouring the water through the coffee so that the extraction can take place. It takes a little practice, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to brew up your favorite cup of kopi luwak just the way you like it every time.