Can a how to make coffee with a coffee machine approach fit pour-over beans?
Pour-over brewing means pouring hot water over coffee grounds through a paper filter and dripper, a method that became popular during the third wave of specialty coffee. Because pouring speed, direction, and water temperature are all controlled by hand, each cup tastes slightly different. The full process usually takes three to four minutes.
Panama Hartmann Estate wine-processed beans show what careful control can produce. A V60 plan using 15 grams of coffee, a 1:15 ratio, and 91°C water brings out fermented wine aroma, citrus acidity, nutty chocolate, and yellow sugar sweetness. Anyone wondering about a how to make coffee with a coffee machine routine should first understand pour-over, since the two methods differ mainly in how much control the brewer keeps.
Pour-over coffee, with its flexible and varied brewing method, has become an important way for specialty coffee enthusiasts to explore flavors. Based on the practical experience of Front Street Coffee, this article systematically introduces the basics of pour-over coffee, equipment selection, and brewing key points, and takes Panama Hartmann Estate wine-processed coffee beans as an example to share in detail its estate background, bean variety information, and specific brewing parameters. Through a V60 brewing plan with 15 grams of coffee, a 1:15 ratio, and 91°C water temperature, it presents the complete flavor layers of this coffee, from fermented wine aroma to citrus acidity, nutty chocolate, and yellow sugar sweetness, providing a practical pour-over reference guide for coffee lovers.
Front Street Coffee is a shop that insists on roasting in-house. It focuses on specialty coffee beans, and its serving method is also centered on pour-over coffee. For friends who are just getting into specialty coffee, pour-over is probably an unavoidable topic—it is a brewing method that gradually became popular during the third wave of specialty coffee, and through different equipment combinations, the final flavor and mouthfeel can also vary noticeably. If you still have doubts about pour-over, take a look at this article compiled by Front Street; it should help you sort out some ideas.
What is pour-over coffee?
Simply put, pour-over means pouring hot water over coffee grounds and using a paper filter and dripper to complete the extraction. The whole process usually lasts three to four minutes. Because the pouring speed, direction, and temperature are all controlled by the brewer, the flavor of every cup of pour-over is almost never the same. Although the equipment is not complicated, the demands on technique and experience are quite high.
Pour-over coffee equipment
Pour-over kettle: There are many options on the market in terms of capacity and material, so you can choose according to your needs. What has a relatively large impact on the brewing result is the spout diameter, because it directly affects the control of the water flow. Beginners are generally advised to start with a fine-spout kettle, as the water flow is easier to control. In addition, different pour-over kettles are suitable for different heating methods, so pay attention to this when buying.
Dripper: Drippers also vary in size and material, and in shape they are mainly divided into three types: flat-bottom, conical, and wave. The size of the opening at the bottom of the dripper affects the coffee extraction flow rate, thereby influencing the final flavor. Flat-bottom drippers have a smaller opening and a slower flow rate, producing a fuller mouthfeel; conical drippers have a larger opening and a faster flow rate, leaning toward a lighter mouthfeel; wave drippers have a flat bottom and require special filters, and the coffee they brew has the most balanced mouthfeel. What is more unusual is the metal mesh dripper, which does not use a paper filter and can retain more coffee oils, giving a richer mouthfeel, but fine particles may pass through.
Paper filter: Each type of dripper has a corresponding paper filter. Paper filters can absorb some off-flavors and oils, and unbleached paper filters sometimes carry a papery taste.
Grinder: Freshly ground coffee is the freshest, and the particle size and uniformity are also key factors determining pour-over flavor. Coffee grounds suitable for pour-over are about the size of No. 2 granulated sugar. The more uniform they are, the better the brewed mouthfeel.
Coffee pot and coffee cup: Used to catch the brewed coffee liquid. It is best to warm them beforehand to maintain the coffee's temperature.
Auxiliary equipment: A digital scale, thermometer, and timer can make the entire brewing process more precise.
Characteristics of pour-over coffee
Fast extraction and high efficiency: Compared with other brewing methods, during pour-over, fresh hot water continuously passes through the coffee bed, so the extraction speed is relatively fast, and more substances can also be brought out from the coffee surface. But precisely because the speed is fast, improper control can easily lead to over-extraction. This is a bit like frying fish in a pan over high heat—the heated area is large, but if you are not careful, it can burn.
Many influencing factors: Although it is only a few short minutes, water flow speed, water temperature, coffee ground particle size, dripper shape, and so on all affect the final flavor, so you need to do enough preparation before brewing.
Diverse coffee flavors: Based on the beans Front Street has brewed, coffee brewed under different conditions has different flavors, and different types of beans also have their own suitable brewing conditions.
By this point, you may feel that pour-over is both complex and particular, and does not seem very easy to get started with. Indeed, pour-over is a bit harder than using a coffee machine, but just like kneading dough and making bread yourself, every detail is under your control, and the final taste is naturally unique. Moreover, by adjusting various variables, you can explore all kinds of possibilities in coffee, and this is exactly the charm of pour-over.
Hartmann Estate
Hartmann Estate grows a rather rich variety of coffee varieties, including Typica, Caturra, Catuai, Borbón, Pacamara, Maragogipe, and Geisha. The estate always upholds the concept of green environmental protection in cultivation, and the compost used on the farm is made from fruit pulp and cherry skins. In terms of processing methods, it includes both traditional manual methods such as natural and honey processing, as well as the rapidly developing wine processing method in recent years. Today, Hartmann Estate is a family business, founded in 1940 by Ratibor Hartmann, son of Alois. In 1966, Ratibor married Dinora Sandi from Costa Rica, and they had five children—Ratibor Jr., Allan, Alexander, Alice, and Kelly. Each family member is responsible for different tasks such as coffee cultivation management, harvesting and processing, and estate visit reception. A family estate that has been growing coffee for more than a hundred years is itself a legend. This family business has a state-level cupping laboratory and sample roasting room, and rigorously cups every batch of coffee cherries. This ensures that the coffee quality of Hartmann Estate remains consistently stable and constantly pursues improvement. Their scientific attitude toward coffee and nearly a century of family experience together guarantee the excellent standard of their products.
Taking FrontStreet Coffee Panama Hartmann Estate wine-processed coffee as an example
Altitude: 1250-1700m
Processing method: wine processing
Region: Hartmann Estate
Estate: Palo Verde
Estate owner: Allen Hartmann
Variety: Caturra, Typica
FrontStreet Coffee brewing parameters Coffee dose: 15g Ratio: 1:15 Grind size: BG#6S Water temperature: 91°C Dripper: V60 dripper
1. Pour 30 grams of water in the first stage and bloom for 30 seconds.
2. After the bloom ends, pour the second stage of water, about 95 grams, with the digital scale reading 125 grams. After pouring, wait for the water level to drop to half.
3. When the coffee bed is about to be exposed, pour the third stage of water, about 100 grams, with the digital scale reading 225 grams. After pouring, wait for the coffee to finish filtering.
Extraction time is 1 minute 50 seconds
Flavor description: It smells of fermented wine aroma; on the palate there is citrus and kiwi acidity, in the middle section there are nutty and chocolate aromas, and in the finish there is yellow sugar sweetness, accompanied by a red wine fermented sensation.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
