Can a coffee machine brew pour-over coffee?

An espresso machine can technically brew pour-over when the dripper diameter matches the brew head. Machine water temperature is adjustable and meets pour-over requirements, and the wide drip can spread water evenly. The drawback is that dripping water has no penetrating force, so it cannot stir the grounds, lowering extraction efficiency and risking under-extraction unless other parameters are adjusted.

A brewing test used Elida Estate Catuai beans, medium-light roasted and sun-dried, so differences from conventional pour-over would show clearly. To offset the missing agitation, coffee extraction can be pushed by raising water temperature, grinding finer or extending brew time, and physical stirring with an external tool is another option. The experiment compared the resulting cup against standard pour-over.

When the size of a pour-over dripper happens to match the brew head of an espresso machine exactly, an interesting question follows: can you use a coffee machine to make pour-over coffee? This article will start with a theoretical analysis, exploring the feasibility and limitations of using an espresso machine to brew pour-over, and through a practical brewing experiment using Elida Estate Catuai beans, combined with specific parameters and operating steps, verify the final result. If you are interested in the principles of coffee extraction and the cross-use of brewing equipment, why not follow Front Street Coffee and see what surprises this experiment can bring.

The result was that their diameters are the same, a perfect fit! Then, a bold idea came to mind: so, this pour-over coffee... can it be brewed with a coffee machine?

Leaving aside for now whether coffee brewed with a coffee machine can be called pour-over coffee, let's first talk about whether this is feasible. Theoretically, it is possible, because the water temperature of most coffee machines can be adjusted, fully meeting the extraction temperature required for pour-over coffee. At the same time, the hot water from the coffee machine can be freely controlled, and the water comes out in a wide-range drip, so it can also make the extraction more even. There is only one drawback: because the hot water all drips down, it has no penetrating force and cannot stir the coffee grounds. The lack of stirring will reduce the overall extraction efficiency, and the brewed coffee is prone to under-extraction.

Fortunately, this deficiency can be compensated for by adjusting other parameters. For example: increasing the water temperature, making the grind finer, or extending the extraction time. Of course, we can also use external objects for physical stirring. In short, it is theoretically feasible! So there is no time to lose. While there are not too many customers right now, Front Street Coffee will put it into practice and see what kind of pour-over coffee an espresso machine can brew! Brewing Experiment After hesitating for a long time, I finally decided to use Elida Estate's Catuai as the bean for this experiment! Medium-light roast and regular sun-dried processing allow us to more clearly taste the difference between coffee brewed with an espresso machine and conventional pour-over. The extraction parameters are as follows:

Dose: 20g

Grind size: Ek43 setting 10, 80% pass rate on a No. 20 sieve, fine granulated sugar grind

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

Brewing water temperature: 94°C (the actual water temperature coming out of the coffee machine will drop)

Dripper used: V60 (01)

Brewing method: three-pour method

Brewing tool: coffee machine

Although not everyone will necessarily try it, Front Street Coffee still needs to remind everyone here: before using a coffee machine to brew pour-over, we must clean the brew head thoroughly, otherwise the coffee powder remaining on it may fall into the dripper and affect the performance of the brewed coffee. So, as usual, let's first wet the filter paper!

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