Pour-over · medium
NextLevel Pulsar
The Pulsar is a cylindrical "no-bypass" dripper from NextLevel, designed with astrophysicist and coffee writer Jonathan Gagné. Water can't flow around the coffee bed, a dispersion cap spreads the pour like a shower screen, and a valve in the base lets you hold the bloom as a full immersion before switching to percolation. The result is an even extraction that's hard to mess up, and you don't need a gooseneck kettle to get there.
20 gCoffee
340 gWater
1:17Ratio
96-99 °CTemp
3:30-4:30Time
medium (coarser than V60, finer than batch brew)Grind
Water by roast: light 99 °C · medium 97 °C · dark 93 °C
Steps
- PrepClose the valve, fill the base with water just above the ridges, lay a dry filter on top, then open the valve over the sink so the filter settles flat. Close the valve.This traps as little air under the filter as possible
- PrepMount the barrel, add coffee, shake or WDT to level, fit the dispersion cap and tare
- 0:00With the valve open, pour 60 g (3x the dose). Close the valve once it starts dripping.Hold the brewer by the base, not the barrel, when you close it
- 0:10Swirl gently by the base to wet everything
- 1:00Open the valve and pour in short pulses, keeping about 1 cm of water above the bed
- 2:30Finish pouring at 340 g, then a gentle swirl
- 4:00Drawdown finished
Variations
Steeped-Bloom PercolationJonathan Gagné (Coffee ad Astra)
The Pulsar co-designer's daily recipe. Valve-closed bloom for a minute, then pulse pours with a shallow slurry
20 g · 340 g water · 99 °C · medium-coarse (about 800 microns average)
- 0:00Valve open, pour 60 g. Close the valve once it starts to drip, then swirl by the base.
- 1:00Open the valve and pulse-pour, keeping about 1 cm of slurry over the bed
- 2:30Stop at 340 g (1:17). Use 1:16 if you want it stronger.
- 4:00Drawdown finished (aim for 3:30-4:30)
Pulsar Starting RecipeScott Rao
Bigger 25 g dose for a deeper bed, prewet with 75 g, bloom 45-60 seconds
25 g · 425 g water · just off the boil · coarser than hand pour, finer than batch brew
- 0:00Valve open, pour 75 g just off the boil, then close the valve right away
- 0:45Pour until the slurry sits about 1 cm above the grounds, then open the valve
- 1:00Pour in short bursts, holding 1-2 cm of slurry, to 425 g
- 3:00Swirl gently right after the last pour
- 4:00Drawdown finished (3:30-4:30)
Fix your cup
| Taste | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Sour, thin | Under-extracted, total time under 3:30 | Grind finer |
| Bitter, astringent | Over-extracted or slurry too tall | Grind coarser, keep the slurry closer to 1 cm |
| Drawdown well past 4:30 | Grind too fine or too much agitation clogging the filter | Grind coarser, swirl more gently, skip heavy stirring |
| Flat, roasty | Water too hot for a darker roast | Drop to 92-94 °C |
| Uneven, channelled bed | Grounds not level before brewing | Shake or WDT the dry bed before the first pour |
Tips
- Grind coarser than you would for a V60. Gagné uses about 800 microns at 20 g, and suggests going nearly as coarse as batch brew at 30 g.
- Don't go below 20 g. Rao recommends 25 to 30 g so the bed is deep enough to avoid astringency.
- Keep the slurry shallow, about 1 cm above the bed. Taller water columns add astringency.
- Use very hot water. The dispersion cap breaks the stream into droplets, which cool faster than a solid stream.
- Short blooms push the cup toward clarity and acidity. Longer blooms add sweetness and body, but go too far and you'll pull odd flavors, especially from darker roasts.
- Pick it up by the base, never the barrel, when closing the valve or swirling.
Common mistakes
- Forgetting to close the valve after the first pour. You lose the steeped bloom that makes this brewer work.
- Leaving air trapped under the filter. Use the fill-and-drain trick in the prep step so the paper sits flat.
- Stirring hard. The flat filter has less open area than a cone and clogs if you push fines down.
- Brewing tiny doses. Under 20 g the bed is too shallow and cups turn harsh.
- Letting coffee sit in the brewer after you're done. Rinse right away, and watch for dishwasher detergents that leave residue.
What you need
- NextLevel Pulsar (base, barrel, dispersion cap)
- Pulsar flat paper filter
- Scale
- Any kettle (gooseneck not needed)
- Burr grinder
- WDT tool or thin needle (optional)