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In recent years, coffee culture has continued to deepen, and many coffee lovers need a cup of coffee every day to have the energy to "grind." However, not everyone can always go to a coffee shop to properly enjoy a delicious cup of pour-over coffee, so for convenience people invented drip bag coffee.
What is drip bag coffee?
Drip bag coffee is coffee that has been ground in advance and placed into a sealable filter bag with two ears that can hang securely. With just hot water and a container for the coffee, it is a coffee packet that can be brewed anytime, anywhere.
Like pour-over, drip bag coffee is a form of filter extraction, but compared with making pour-over coffee, drip bag coffee is much more convenient and quick. Pour-over coffee requires at least: a brewing kettle, a thermometer, a dripper and filter paper, a grinder, a timer scale, etc. Since drip bag coffee is pre-ground, there is no need for grinding equipment. The filter bag is usually made of degradable non-woven fabric. Water extracts the soluble substances from the coffee grounds, which pass through the non-woven fabric, so there is no need to prepare filter paper and a dripper for brewing.
Those incorrect ways of brewing drip bag coffee
Mistake 1: Brewing it like instant coffee
Drip bag coffee is not instant coffee, drip bag coffee is not instant coffee, drip bag coffee is not instant coffee!Instant coffee is made by drying extracted coffee liquid into powder, which is why pouring hot water into it can instantly restore a cup of coffee.
At Front Street, when makingdrip bag coffee packets, fresh coffee beans are ground directly into medium-fine coffee grounds,and only 30% of the flavor substances in these coffee grounds can dissolve in water. The remaining 70% is water-insoluble woody fiber (that is, coffee grounds). So if you open the drip bag and pour the coffee grounds into a cup to brew it, not only will you get a cup of black coffee, but you will also get a mouthful of coffee grounds along with it~
Mistake 2: Soaking it directly
Drip bag coffee is not a tea bag, and coffee liquid will not come out just by soaking it directly in water! This is because the coffee grounds used in drip bag coffee packets are ground relatively fine, with each packet containing about 10 grams. When the drip bag coffee is hung in the cup, the coffee grounds pile up in the center of the filter bag, forming a thicker layer of grounds.
At this time, if you do not tear open the seal and pour water into the center of the coffee grounds layer, but instead pour water directly onto the surface of the filter bag to soak it, the center of the coffee grounds layer cannot be moistened, or it takes a very long time of soaking to moisten. Then the coffee grounds close to the filter bag will release a woody taste after they have finished releasing their flavor. Since not all the coffee grounds participate in the entire extraction process, in the end we only get coffee water that has no flavor and tastes woody and papery (the hot water is also soaking the paper support of the drip bag at the same time).
Mistake 3: Pouring in too much water at once
Many friends directly use a boiling kettle to pour water when brewing drip bag coffee packets. Because the spout diameter of a boiling kettle is relatively large, it is easy to fill the coffee filter bag all at once, and the coffee grounds leak out along the surface of the liquid, greatly reducing the taste when drinking the coffee.
Mistake 4: The container for brewing drip bag coffee is too small/too short
For a 10g packet of Front Street drip bag coffee, it is recommended to pour in 150g of hot water, which can extract about 140-145g of coffee liquid. At this time, if the container is too small/too short, then while the coffee is brewing, the liquid surface is soaking the bottom of the drip bag, and the coffee grounds at the bottom are continuously being extracted for coffee flavor, which can easily cause the coffee to taste bitter and astringent.
The correct way to brew drip bag coffee
Correct 1: Choose a taller brewing container
Try to choose a taller cup/pot for brewing to ensure there is a certain distance between the drip bag coffee packet and the extracted coffee liquid surface.
Correct 2: The water temperature for brewing drip bag coffee should not exceed 92°C and should not be lower than 88°C
The soluble flavor molecules in medium-fine ground coffee grounds need a suitable temperature to be better released. Front Street recommends brewing medium-light roast (with floral/berry/citrus notes) drip bag coffee packets at 90°C-92°C; brewing medium roast (with nut/cocoa notes) drip bag coffee at 89°C-90°C; and brewing medium-dark roast (with herbal/spice/dark chocolate notes) drip bag coffee at 88°C-89°C.
Correct 3: Pour hot water in small amounts multiple times
At this point, it is best if you have a small coffee pouring kettle, because it can control the flow of water into the coffee grounds and ensure the coffee grounds are evenly moistened and extracted. If you do not have one, that is okay too. Pour water in small amounts multiple times, and do not fill the filter bag all at once.
Correct 4: The brewing ratio for drip bag coffee is 1:15
Front Street recommends a brewing ratio of 1:15 for drip bag coffee packets. For example, one packet of Front Street drip bag coffee is 10g. If brewed at a 1:15 ratio, 150g of hot water should be poured.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
