How does the Devil Brewing Method produce delicious coffee?

Tetsu Kasuya, a World Brewers Cup champion, built the Devil Brewing Method on top of his 4:6 method. It combines drip filtration with immersion: the first phase uses high temperature to extract flavor, and the later phase uses low temperature immersion to build body. The result is simple to operate and produces a balanced, satisfying cup.

The 4:6 method splits a single brew into five pours. The first two pours decide the balance of acidity and sweetness and account for 40 percent of the total water, while the last three shape mouthfeel. The Devil Brewing Method follows this coffee basis but needs a dripper with a controllable valve, letting the water distribution be tuned to adjust the sweet-and-sour balance.

World Brewers Cup champion Tetsu Kasuya, building on the 4:6 method, developed a clever cup brewing recipe known as the "Devil Brewing Method." This method combines drip filtration with immersion: the first phase uses high temperature to extract flavor, while the latter phase uses low temperature immersion to enhance body. It is simple to operate yet delivers outstanding results. After actual testing, Front Street also found its performance to be quite impressive. This article will break down the principles, parameter settings, and operating procedure of this brewing method in detail, and share how to adjust the sweet-and-sour balance of coffee through water distribution. If you have a clever cup with a valve on hand, why not follow along with Front Street and try this simple yet delicious brewing method.

Because this brewing method has a rather dramatic name, many friends habitually call it the "Devil Brewing Method." After trying it personally, Front Street found the results truly satisfying.

So today, Front Street will discuss the principles behind this brewing recipe called "Devil," and how to actually put it into practice.

God Brewing Method (Devil Brewing Method)

"God Brewing Method" is the name Mr. Tetsu Kasuya gave at the beginning of the video, but the dialogue about the devil in that video left such a deep impression that most people now call it the Devil Brewing Method. Either name works—we just need to know they refer to the same brewing method.

This brewing method was developed on the basis of the 4:6 method. Around the concept that "anyone can brew delicious coffee," Mr. Tetsu Kasuya created the widely recognized 4:6 method in the pour-over community, and from the 4:6 method extended the Devil Brewing. So it is not hard to see that the Devil Brewing Method is likewise an easy-to-understand and simple-to-operate brewing recipe. And indeed it is. (The only thing to note is that this brewing method requires a dripper with a controllable valve.)

Since Devil Brewing is derived from the 4:6 method, let us first briefly understand the basic logic of the 4:6 method:

The "4:6 method" splits the pouring process of a single brew into five stages. The first two pours determine the flavor direction of the coffee—that is, the balance between acidity and sweetness—and together account for 40% of the total water. The latter three pours determine the mouthfeel intensity of the coffee—that is, the body—and together account for 60% of the total water.

The Devil Brewing Method also divides the brewing water into the first 40% and the latter 60%, with the same principle. The difference is that the original latter three pours are merged into one pour, and an immersion extraction step is added during brewing. Therefore, this method combines "drip filtration" and "immersion." The addition of immersion increases extraction efficiency, so to avoid over-extraction, the water temperature for the latter 60% is lowered accordingly.

The specific brewing parameters are as follows:

Dripper used: Hario V60 Clever Cup

Coffee dose: 20g

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

Total water: 300ml

Grind size: caster sugar coarseness, Ek43 setting 9 (85% passing a No. 20 sieve)

Brewing temperature: 92°C for the first two pours, 70°C for the last pour

Pouring process:

Pour the first stage of hot water in a circular motion from the center of the coffee bed outward (here using 60ml as an example) for the bloom.

(Bloom for 30s, including the pouring time)

After 30 seconds, pour the second stage of hot water (60ml) in a circular motion.

(Wait until 1 minute 15 seconds, close the valve, and by the way replace the hot water in the kettle with 70°C water)

Then pour all the remaining hot water (180ml) at a single point in the center of the coffee bed!

At 1 minute 45 seconds, open the valve to let the coffee liquid seep out. Once dripping is complete, the brew is finished.

(If dripping is not finished by 3 minutes, remove the dripper directly)

Finally, swirl the coffee to mix it evenly, and it is ready to pour and enjoy!

Although the whole process looks tightly scheduled, in actual operation you will find it is not complicated, and the principle is very clear. The finer grind allows the hot water to fully extract the aromatic substances in the coffee during the initial brewing stage. Then the water temperature for the latter pour is lowered, so during the immersion extraction in the latter stage, it can both maintain the coffee's concentration and slow the release rate of negative flavor compounds (equivalent to putting a limit on extraction).

Looking next at the water distribution for the first two pours, we can adjust it according to the flavor we want. For example, if we want the coffee sweeter, we can split this 40% of hot water between the two pours at a 4:6 ratio: 50ml for the first pour and 70ml for the second pour. If we want more acidity, just do the opposite. (The principle is mainly the difference in the amount of substances extracted by hot water: the more water used for the bloom, the less total substances are extracted by hot water, and vice versa.)

In addition, this theory is not limited to the Hario V60 Clever Cup; other drippers with valves can also be applied directly. For example, the Hero cake dripper that has appeared in Front Street articles, or various other styles of clever cups, are all suitable.

(A warm reminder from Front Street: some drippers with valves do not have a large enough capacity to hold the large amount of hot water that 20g of coffee requires at a certain stage of brewing, so it is best to adjust the coffee dose according to capacity.)

It is worth mentioning that in the video, Mr. Tetsu Kasuya was amazed by the practicality of this brewing method. Besides saying it is a brewing method exchanged with one's soul, he also stated outright that it surpasses the 4:6 method. Okay, that is roughly it.

If you have a clever cup but have not yet tried this brewing method, Front Street highly recommends giving it a try. You can brew delicious coffee so simply—why not?

- END -

Front Street Coffee

No. 10, Bao'an Qian Street, Yandun Road, Dongshankou, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.