Shoutout to the barista at Blue Bottle who changed my pour over game

I was over at Blue Bottle in Brooklyn last Tuesday grabbing my usual drip coffee when the barista, a guy named Marcus, asked if I ever tried pouring in circles instead of just straight down. He showed me how he does a slow spiral from the center out and back again, and I figured why not try it at home. My first attempt was a mess with water everywhere, but after 3 tries I got this clean, even bloom that made my morning coffee taste way brighter. Has anyone else had a random tip from a barista that actually stuck with you?

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the_kim4mo ago

Did you manage to keep any of the water in the cup during those first tries? I had a similar thing happen at a local shop where the barista showed me how to pour in a tight circle once the bloom starts, and I spent three mornings straight soaking my counter before I got it right. My wife still gives me grief about the day I tried to catch the overflow with my hand and ended up with coffee grounds all over my sleeve. Pretty sure I looked like a man wrestling a raccoon, but that first smooth pour the next day was worth every bit of the mess.

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drew_grant524mo ago

Wait, @the_kim are you me? Because I definitely had coffee grounds on my ceiling fan after trying this for the first time. Marcus would probably laugh at my splash zone but that bright taste was worth every paper towel.

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