Recently, many friends have purchased drip bag coffee and asked for brewing recommendations. Although drip bag coffee is convenient, it can feel unfamiliar to those who have never tried it before. So Front Street is here to sharehow to brew drip bag coffee!
Drip bag coffeehistory
In 2001, Japan's UCC Ueshima Coffee invented and patented the drip bag coffee, then brought it to market. In Japanese, it's called "one-cup extraction coffee." This is because the principle is to put ground coffee in a non-woven fabric or cotton paper filter bag, with two paper flaps on the outside. Once opened, it can be hung on a narrow-mouthed cup, and after brewing, you just pull it out and enjoy a rich black coffee. The good thing is that it's very convenient; the downside is that once coffee is ground, it quickly loses its aroma. That's also why Front Street Coffee only ships drip bags made within 5 days.
Those two paper flaps that rest on the cup rim like "ears" are where the name "drip bag" comes from. Because it's simple to use and portable, and the brewed coffee tastes much more authentic and aromatic than instant coffee, drip bag coffee now accounts for 15% of Japan's regular coffee market share. But in China, even by 2010, very few people had heard of the name "drip bag." In recent years, with the growing coffee culture, drip bag coffee has become widely popular, and we can find it in many offices.
What is drip bag coffee?
Drip bag coffee is ground coffee sealed in a filter bag. It's called a drip bag coffee filter pack because during brewing, you need to open the small paper flaps (little ears) on both sides of the filter bag and hang them on the cup for extraction. Since its main feature is the convenience of enjoying a cup of black coffee, it has become a must-have for many offices, homes, and travel.
Since drip bags focus on convenience, although you can brew them like pour-over coffee using elaborate brewing and grinding tools, that would overshadow the advantage of convenience that drip bags offer. Moreover, those who buy drip bag coffee all love the taste of pour-over coffee. In the office, at home, or while traveling, when lacking a grinder, digital scale, gooseneck kettle, dripper, and other equipment, drip bag coffee is perfect for satisfying that craving.
How to brew drip bag coffee?
1. First, the net weight of coffee powder in a drip bag is clearly labeled (usually 10 grams), so it solves the problem of not having a grinder and digital scale.
2. Next, let's address the water amount and temperature. Just like pour-over coffee, use a ratio of 1:15 to 1:16, so the brewed coffee should reach 140ml to 150ml. Use water at around 90°C. If you have a thermometer or temperature-controlled kettle, use those first. If not, you can estimate the temperature: generally, after boiling water, turn off the heat source and open the kettle lid, wait 2-3 minutes, and the water will reach about 90°C (at room temperature of 28°C).
3. Once prepared, preheat your mug (cup), take out the drip bag and tear open the sealed top along the "Open" line, open the "ears" on both sides of the filter bag, hang it on the rim of the mug, and shake the coffee grounds level.
4. For the first pour, just enough to completely wet the coffee grounds, then let it bloom for 30 seconds.
5. After blooming, do the second pour. Pour in a slow circular motion directly to fill, wait for the coffee bed to drop slightly, then continue pouring to the top. Repeat this until the coffee in the cup reaches about 140-150ml, then remove the drip bag and enjoy.
6. If you want a more precise water amount, you can pour 150-160ml of water into your pouring kettle. During brewing, after all the water in the kettle has been poured, wait for the coffee to drain into the cup, then remove the drip bag. The entire brewing process takes about 1 minute.
Since drip bag coffee is pre-ground, the flavors dissipate faster than whole coffee beans. So if you want to enjoy the coffee's flavors, consume it as soon as possible.
Front Street Drip Bag Coffee Recommendations
The seasonal drip bag packs are made by randomly selecting coffee beans from 5 of Front Street's seven main producing regions currently available. The seven regions are: Front Street Ethiopia Yirgacheffe (citrus fruity notes), Front Street Indonesia Mandheling (herbal, rich nutty), Front Street Brazil Cerrado (clean nutty), Front Street Colombia Washed Huila (peanut, creamy), Front Street Costa Rica Tarrazu (nutty, toffee), Front Street Yunnan Small Bean (fruity, tea-like), and Front Street Guatemala Huehuetenango (citrus, smoky). Choosing seasonal drip bags is like opening a blind box—you might get a pleasant surprise~
Front Street Coffee · Brazil Cerrado Red Bourbon Drip Bag Coffee
Brazilian coffee beans were introduced from French Guiana (a country in northern South America) in 1720. At the time, Brazil was a Portuguese colony, while many other South American countries were Spanish colonies. As a result, most South American countries speak Spanish, while Brazil speaks Portuguese.
A Portuguese military officer stationed in Brazil, in order to bring Guiana's coffee beans to Brazil (at the time, exporting coffee to other countries was strictly prohibited), won the heart of the governor of Guiana's wife and successfully brought coffee seeds into Brazil. Since then, coffee quickly adapted in Brazil, spreading from the north to the southeastern state of São Paulo. By 1845, Brazilian coffee beans accounted for 45% of the world's total coffee beans. Currently, Brazil is the world's largest coffee exporting country.
Front Street Coffee not only includes Brazil in its drip bag series but also features Brazilian coffee in its Front Street staple bean coffee series. This shows that Brazil, as a coffee-producing country, is an indispensable presence in classic coffee flavors. Front Street staple beans are the "face" of regional coffee beans, because their regional basic flavors have higher recognizability and they are also low-priced, high-value coffee beans.
Flavor: Nutty, peanut, brown sugar, balanced
Front Street Coffee · Panama Butterfly Drip Bag Coffee
Panama is a Central American country, bordered by Costa Rica to the west and Colombia to the east. Panamanian coffee is famous in the coffee world for Hacienda La Esmeralda's Geisha coffee. The whole of Panama is filled with a rich Geisha atmosphere, and many estates cultivate Geisha coffee beans. However, because Geisha is difficult to grow, low in yield, and excellent in flavor, its price is also high. But this Front Street Panama Butterfly has 70% superior Geisha lineage, along with Catuai and Caturra, planted in the Baru Volcano region of Boquete, growing at an altitude of 1,600 meters in a volcanic area. The unique local microclimate results in abundant rainfall, large temperature differences between day and night, and meticulous harvesting and fine processing, making this Front Street Panama Butterfly coffee perform excellently in body, acidity, and floral notes.
What's even more delightful is that despite its excellent quality and conditions, the price is very affordable, allowing people to experience Geisha flavors at a great value.
The washed method uses machines to first remove the skin and pulp, leaving only the coffee beans wrapped in the inner parchment. At this point, the beans still have a layer of mucilage on the outside, and the washing process is meant to clean off this mucilage. However, the mucilage adheres strongly and is not easy to remove, so it must be placed in a tank for about 18-36 hours to ferment and break down the mucilage.
Flavor: Citrus, floral, tea-like, honey, high sweetness.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
