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Uneven coffee bed after pour-over brewing

After brewing, the spent grounds sit unevenly in the dripper — a dry patch on one side, a deep well on the other.

A pour-over filter bed left uneven after brewing, grounds banked up one side and a pool of liquid on the other.
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph of a real subject.

Applies to: V60 (pour-over), Chemex, Filter coffee

Likely causes and adjustments

Try one adjustment at a time so you know what actually changed the result. Start with the first cause below — if it doesn't help, reveal the next.

  1. Cause 1 of 2 · Commonly the cause

    Pour concentrated in one spot rather than distributed

    Are you pouring in a steady circular motion, or mostly in the centre?

    Pour in slow, controlled circular motions to keep the whole bed saturated evenly.

Related issues

What to change

Specific adjustments for this symptom, with what each one trades off.

Learn the technique

Step-by-step guides to the skills this problem comes from.