Where Did Pour Over Packs Come From — and Can They Work for Cold Brew?

Pour over packs feel like a modern convenience, but they’ve actually been decades in the making. Now, we’re bringing that same ease to cold brew — just in time for summer.

A Quick History of the Coffee Filter Bag

While portable pour over coffee may feel like a recent innovation, its roots go back over 40 years. The earliest known patent for a hanging filter design was filed in Tokyo in 1983 by inventor Shimizu Kimiaki. His creation — the Paper Extractor — introduced the now-familiar idea of a paper filter that hooks over the rim of a cup.

In the 1990s, inventors in the U.S. developed similar ideas, including Melvin Clarkson’s “Suspended Beverage Infusion Bag” and a single-serve brewing device by Carl Pridonoff and Kenneth Tarlow. But it was Japan again that ultimately popularized the format with the drip bag — thanks to patents by Saitoh Mitsunori and Miyahara Fumio in the early 2000s.

What started as a clever concept became a go-to brewing method across Asia — and more recently, around the globe.

👉 [Read more: What Is a Pour Over Pack?]
👉 [Shop Regent's Single-Serve Pour Over Coffee]

Regent’s Take on the Pour Over Pack

At Regent, we loved the idea of bringing specialty coffee into a simple, travel-friendly format — but it wasn’t just about convenience. Our owner and roaster, Leon, who is Chinese, was inspired by the popularity of drip coffee bags in Asia and wanted to bring that momentum to the U.S. — while keeping quality front and center.

Each of our filter coffee packs is filled with freshly roasted, precisely ground beans, then sealed for peak flavor and freshness. Whether you're traveling, commuting, or just want a no-fuss morning routine, these single-serve pour over packs make it easy to enjoy great coffee anywhere.

But as temperatures are rising here in southern California, we began to wonder…

What About Cold Brew?

We loved the grab-and-go ease of our pour over packs — but what if we could bring that same simplicity to cold coffee?

That’s when we dreamed up something brand new: cold brew pouches — a refreshing, mess-free way to brew smooth cold coffee at home, at work, or wherever summer takes you.

So… What’s a Cold Brew Pouch?

Our cold brew pouches are a new kind of brewing tool designed for effortless iced coffee. Each pouch contains a pre-filled filter bag of our coffee, housed inside a recyclable, sealable plastic pouch. To use it:

1. Fill the pouch with cold or room temp water

2. Seal it and place it in the fridge

3. Let it brew for 6 to 24 hours

4. Unscrew the cap on the side of the pouch to pour

5. Enjoy 2–3 cups of chilled, smooth cold brew

No equipment. No clean-up. Just delicious, ready-to-brew cold coffee that travels as well as you do.

👉 [Shop Cold Brew Pouches]