Walk into more and more coffee shops, and besides lattes and cappuccinos on the menu, there is often an extra column—pour-over coffee. What exactly are those oddly shaped pots, cups, and filters on the bar for? How should you choose between Kenya, Guatemala, and Ethiopia Yirgacheffe? This article starts with the difference between instant and pour-over, explains why coffee needs extraction and filtration, and then explains the essence of pour-over coffee and the combination of equipment it involves; it then analyzes why pour-over is becoming increasingly popular—clean flavor, balance, rich layers, and the ability to experience ever-changing character through different origins and processing methods; finally, it offers an entry-level approach to pour-over that anyone can handle, while also keeping the drip bag as the simplest option.

Push open the door of a coffee shop, and the barista often first asks: "Would you like espresso today, or pour-over?" You look up and scan the menu. The familiar latte and cappuccino are still there, but beside them there is an extra column—"pour-over coffee."

"I understand espresso, but what is pour-over?"

"Those tools on the bar that all look so different—what exactly is each one responsible for?"

"Kenya, Guatemala, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe—how should I choose, and what difference do they make in taste?" ... A hundred question marks may suddenly pop into your head. (Meanwhile, the customer at the next table has already ordered and is leisurely drinking.)

Penguin Jun knows you have been holding these questions in for a long time.

This time, let's talk about "what is pour-over coffee," and also about why more and more people are willing to pursue better flavor, and even buy all kinds of equipment to brew at home and enjoy that pleasure.

I hope that after reading this, you can eliminate your unfamiliarity with pour-over and truly step into the world of coffee. Trust me, when you drink a good cup of coffee, that happiness is very direct!

ps. If you want to explain pour-over to a friend who is new to coffee, how should you do it? (Mm, just forward this article to them!)

1 | Instant vs. Pour-Over: Why Does Brewing Coffee Require Filtration?

When we were students pulling all-nighters studying, a packet of "1+2" was indispensable; the advertising slogan "rich drop by drop, lingering aftertaste" also struck deep... Back then, our understanding of coffee was basically coffee powder plus hot water, stir it a bit, and you get a sweet, milky "coffee."

It was not until university that a roommate happened to bring back a bag of "coffee powder." I scooped a spoonful, added hot water, and stirred—yet it actually did not dissolve! There was still a pile of grounds at the bottom of the cup, and it tasted bitter and astringent! (At the time I even wondered: is this coffee powder spoiled? Why doesn't it dissolve and why is it so bad? Thinking about it now, I was really too young and too simple.)

The reason is that instant coffee is a substance extracted from coffee extract, so it can dissolve directly in water.

Then what about the coffee we usually drink?

As mentioned earlier, coffee beans are the seeds of the coffee fruit. They must go through a series of processing and roasting steps, and then a grinder is used to grind the roasted beans into uniform, fine particles—that is, coffee grounds. The aroma and flavor in coffee grounds need water to be released and turned into a drinkable coffee liquid.

After extraction is complete, the water-insoluble coffee grounds are naturally useless!

This is the same principle as brewing tea: after the good substances in the tea leaves have been extracted, the leaves must be filtered out, otherwise your mouth will be full of tea fragments and drinking it will not be enjoyable.

2 | Understand in One Picture: What Is Pour-Over Coffee?

The essence of pour-over coffee: extraction + filtration

In order to drink clean coffee with no grounds, clever humans invented filter paper to separate the coffee liquid from the coffee grounds.

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But then a new problem arose: filter paper needs support in order to better separate the coffee grounds from the coffee liquid. This device that can hold the filter paper and coffee grounds is what we call a "dripper."

With a dripper, filter paper, a gooseneck kettle, and a carafe that can hold the coffee liquid, the basic pour-over equipment is complete!

The dripper supports the filter paper. Pour freshly ground coffee into the filter paper and gently level it, then use the kettle to pour hot water into the filter paper holding the coffee grounds: after the hot water fully contacts the coffee grounds, it extracts the good components, and the coffee liquid then passes through the filter paper and separates from the coffee grounds.

Any coffee brewed this way can be called "pour-over coffee."

3 | Why Is Pour-Over Coffee So Popular?

For me, the most important reason is of course that it tastes good!

Using only hot water to extract the good substances from coffee beans, without adding anything extra, this simple and direct method makes it easier to taste the flavor of the coffee itself!

The ever-changing coffee flavors brought by different varieties, different origins, and different processing methods are exactly why pour-over fascinates more and more people.

A good cup of pour-over coffee is clean, balanced, rich in layers, and distinct in flavor. You can fully perceive the personality of different coffee beans: African beans have bright acidity, as dazzling as the sunlight there; while Indonesian coffee beans have rich aroma and lower acidity.

In addition, well-made, refined and elegant pour-over kettles, drippers of various shapes and materials... the dazzling array of pour-over equipment is already pleasing to the eye just sitting there, and also reveals the owner's good taste.

In the early morning, if you can prepare yourself a hearty breakfast and then brew a delicious cup of coffee, I believe a good mood for the whole day will be lit up!

Weigh the coffee beans, grind them into powder, enjoy the happiness of being surrounded by aroma, gently wet the filter paper, pour in the coffee grounds and level them, then patiently pour in hot water, and finally let it drip through and serve.

Pour-over gives people a rare calm and focus. Our fast-paced lives—how much we need healing～

4 | It's Actually Not Troublesome—Anyone Can Do Pour-Over!

Is brewing coffee yourself difficult? Actually not.

If you are willing to spend 3 minutes brewing a pot of tea, then brewing a cup of coffee is not a difficult task either.

For example, brewing tea can be as simple as just needing a glass cup and hot water, or as particular as having a lidded bowl, aroma cup, and fairness cup all complete. Brewing coffee is the same.

Pour-over is both simple and scientific.

Simple, because as long as you grasp the coffee-to-water ratio and control the water flow with a certain stability, whether it is strong or light, whether you prefer it bitter or sour, all can be controlled by the person brewing the coffee.

As for equipment, if you feel that carrying a pile of gear when out and about is too cumbersome, then a drip bag only needs hot water and a cup to get the job done! A "drip bag" can be understood as the simplest, simplest, simplest "pour-over coffee."

The drip bag itself is the "filter paper," and the little ears that we often overlook and forget to fold are a simple support (I still have to nag a bit—remember to fold the little ears before hanging the drip bag on the cup), add hot water, and the coffee is brewed very quickly. Although freshness and flavor will inevitably suffer some loss, it is really convenient.

Scientific, because pour-over coffee is like an interesting experiment, constantly awakening your inner spirit of exploration. As your understanding of coffee gradually deepens, you will want to learn about the grind size of coffee beans, water temperature, water quality, water flow, extraction time, and even the pouring technique and timing. Every tiny change in a factor will affect the final flavor.

So, drink more, compare more, and practice more, so that the cup of coffee in your hands can get closer and closer to what you picture in your mind.

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If you want to get started with pour-over, Front Street Coffee also has pour-over beans and drip bags suitable for beginners to practice with, making it convenient to slowly compare the flavor differences of different producing regions at home.

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