The short answer
The best pour over beans are fresh, light-to-medium roast single origins with bright acidity — coffees from Ethiopia, Kenya, or Colombia are classic picks. Pour over is a clean, clarity-forward method, so it rewards the delicate, distinct flavors that a lighter roast preserves and a paper filter shows off.
Dark roasts work, but they mute the very character pour over is good at revealing. Save those for espresso or French press.
Why light-to-medium single origins win
Pour over's paper filter removes oils and fines, giving a tea-like clarity that puts flavor front and center. A light-to-medium roast keeps the fruit, floral, and acidity notes that make a single origin interesting; a dark roast flattens them into generic "roasty."
A single origin gives you one place's signature to taste, which pour over renders beautifully. Ethiopian coffees bring blueberry and florals; Kenyan ones are bright and blackcurrant-like; Colombian sits balanced and sweet. See single origin vs blend for the trade-offs.
Freshness and grind matter as much as the bean
Even the perfect bean disappoints if it is stale or ground wrong. Buy within a month of the roast date, grind medium-fine just before brewing, and use fresh beans within 2 to 4 weeks of opening. A burr grinder makes a bigger difference here than a fancier dripper.
Then lock your ratio — start at 1:16 — with the pour over ratio calculator, and read the coffee-to-water ratio guide for the method chart.