What are the key points of these three coffee brewing methods?

Drip bags, French presses and moka pots each brew coffee with minimal equipment but different mechanics. A drip bag is torn open, hung on the cup, poured over and discarded; a French press relies on grind size, coffee-to-water ratio, steeping and a slow press; a moka pot uses steam pressure, from filling the lower chamber to heating and turning off the heat at the right moment.

Grind size and parameters decide whether results can be repeated. In comparative brewing, simple methods can still bring out the character of single-origin beans, and drip bag coffee, first developed in Japan as a patented product, brews like drip-filter coffee with no additives needed. Moka pots, French presses and drip bags all offer a direct route to flavor.

For coffee lovers who seek convenience without sacrificing flavor, besides the parameter-conscious pour-over, drip bags, French presses, and moka pots are also brewing tools worth mastering. In Front Street Coffee's in-store brewing experiments, we prefer to present the true character of beans from different origins in a simple and direct way. This article will explain the operating procedures of these three devices one by one: how to tear open a drip bag, spread it out, pour water, and discard it; how to choose beans for a French press, determine grind size and coffee-to-water ratio, steep, and press slowly; and how a moka pot uses steam pressure, from filling the lower chamber with water, distributing the grounds, heating, to when to turn off the heat. The article also includes Front Street's grind size reference standards and specific parameter suggestions to help you consistently reproduce a good cup of coffee.

Front Street Coffee's stores focus mainly on pour-over single-origin coffee. There are more than 50 kinds of single-origin coffee beans from different regions alone. How to use equipment to bring out the flavors of these beans is also a question Front Street needs to consider. After comparative brewing experiments at Front Street, we are more inclined to choose simple methods for brewing.

Besides pour-over coffee, which is more particular about parameters, there are actually many extraction methods that can help us obtain a delicious cup of coffee, such as drip bags, moka pots, French presses, and so on. In this article, Front Street introduces these three coffee brewing devices to everyone.

Drip Bag Coffee

Drip bag coffee is made by putting ground coffee into a filter bag. The cardboard on both sides of the filter bag is made into tabs so that it can hang on the cup, and after brewing, the coffee filter bag can be discarded. Drip bag coffee was initially developed by Japanese people and is a patented product. Because it brews like drip-filter coffee, it is also called drip-filter drip bag coffee. It is a type of instant freshly ground coffee that can be enjoyed immediately after brewing.

How to brew drip bag coffee

a. Along the tear-open indicator, carefully and neatly open the packaging bag;

b. After shaking the drip bag flat, tear open the sealed opening of the coffee powder bag. Evenly spread the drip bag open and hang it on the rim of the coffee cup;

c. Prepare a pot of boiling water. Purified water is best. After the water boils, let it sit for about 1 minute before pouring. When pouring hot water, pour it evenly into the filter bag at a steady pace (note that the speed should not be too fast and the water flow should not be too strong, to avoid overflow). After the liquid level in the filter bag drops, pour again. When the amount of coffee liquid in the cup reaches about 70% full, or according to personal taste, carefully remove and discard the drip bag. (Be careful of burns);

d. Please drink the delicious drip bag coffee immediately after brewing. You can also add granulated sugar or whole milk according to personal preference for seasoning;

French Press

The French press, called French Press in English, can also be called a French-style press pot in Chinese. The French press originated in France around 1850. It is a simple brewing device composed of a heat-resistant glass body and a metal filter mesh with a plunger.

The French press and moka pot are also called "lazy person's coffee devices." They are simple and convenient to operate, and can still preserve the complete flavor of a good cup of coffee. In fact, extraction with a French press is the brewing method closest to cupping results. It can fully bring out the oils, aroma, essences, and various flavor compounds in coffee. Its smooth, sweet, and rich taste makes it a very good coffee device choice.

How to make coffee with a French press

Step one : First, you need to select beans .

Single-origin coffee beans are suitable, or coffee beans with a strong fruity acidity. Coffee beans with medium to dark roast levels are suitable.

Step two : Determine the grind size and coffee powder ratio for French press coffee beans .

The coffee grounds need at least about 20g. The coffee grounds should be slightly coarser (because hot water directly contacts the coffee grounds, and if too fine, over-extraction is easy). Medium grinding can be used, about 5-6 degrees. If the powder is too fine, the coffee grounds will escape through the holes of the filter mesh, and the coffee will become cloudy. You can also follow Front Street Coffee's grind size:

Front Street Coffee grind size standard sieve passing rate: cold drip > pour-over siphon 80% > moka American drip 75-80% > cupping 70-75% > French press 65-70%.

You can start by trying a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:10. For 2 servings, for example, that is 20g coffee beans with about 200g water. The final ratio depends on your taste. The resting time is about 3-4 minutes. The longer the steeping time, the stronger the taste, and the heavier the acidity. The taste of each coffee bean and personal preference are different, so you need to try them one by one. During the resting time, do not press down the filter mesh; let the coffee and water have more time and space to contact.

Step three : Start using the French press to make coffee

1. First grind the coffee beans, then pour them into the French press. At this point, ignore what many people say about grind size. Do not grind too coarsely; medium grinding is enough.

2. Boil the water. The recommended water temperature is 93°C, then pour in the appropriate amount of water. We used 20g coffee grounds and poured in 200g hot water, then stirred with a spoon so the coffee grounds and water fully combine.

3. Put the lid on the French press with the filter mesh resting at the highest position, then let it sit for 4 minutes.

4. Before pressing down the filter mesh, you can open the lid and use a spoon to scoop out the foam and small fragments floating on top, then press the filter mesh all the way down.

5. When brewing is complete, immediately pour it out into another insulated container! Do not delay, because the coffee grounds are still steeping in it. Then pour it into a cup and enjoy it slowly.

Issues to note when using a French press

In addition, you can also prepare an electronic scale. But even with a French press that has markings and a measuring spoon, it is still recommended to prepare an electronic scale, because coffee beans change density due to many factors such as growing altitude and roasting method, and the mass and weight of each type of bean differ. Also, if you make a very delicious cup of coffee and want to reproduce that flavor, you must record the ratio. Conversely, if you make a terrible cup of coffee, based on the data you will also know how to adjust.

Use fresh, clean soft water. Do not extract with water that is too hard, and do not use unfiltered water. If the water itself is not good, it is difficult to make delicious coffee. The French press is elegant and gentle, so you must press slowly. If at this critical moment you violently stir the coffee, it is equivalent to accelerating the extraction process at the final stage, and by then your coffee has already released all the good things, and what is summoned next is bitterness.

If you want to upgrade it to a milk coffee, a French press can do that too. Prepare a clean French press, pour in 1/3 warm milk, slowly insert the filter, and push and pull repeatedly until the milk is frothed to twice its original volume. At this point the milk is fully frothed and has a silky texture. Add it to the coffee and you are done.

Moka Pot

According to Front Street's understanding, the moka pot is spelled Moka pot in English. The most common explanation is that mocha dates back to the first batch of coffee entering Venice in the 17th century. It can be said that in northern Italy, mocha is equivalent to coffee. Therefore, the moka pot is also called a coffee pot, meaning a brewing device that can produce a rich cup of coffee at home.

The moka pot consists of three parts: the upper chamber, the filter basket, and the base. The lower chamber is the water reservoir, the filter basket is used to hold more finely ground coffee, and the upper chamber is used to hold the extracted coffee liquid. The principle of moka pot extraction is very simple: it uses the steam pressure generated in the lower chamber. When the steam pressure is strong enough to penetrate the coffee grounds, it pushes hot water up to the upper chamber, brewing rich and aromatic coffee.

The brewing process of the moka pot

Coffee brewed with a moka pot is relatively strong, so Front Street suggests choosing coffee beans with a darker roast level, which better expresses that mellow coffee character. The beans used by Front Street are coffee beans from Brazil's Queen Estate.

1. Pour purified water into the lower chamber of the moka pot. The water level should be about 0.5 cm below the pressure relief valve.

2. Choose a coffee grind size slightly coarser than espresso. You can refer to the size of the gaps in the filter basket mesh to ensure the coffee particles will not fall into the lower chamber. Slowly pour the coffee grounds into the filter basket, tap gently to distribute the coffee grounds evenly, and when the coffee grounds form a small mound, level the coffee surface by distributing the grounds.

3. Place the filter basket into the lower chamber, tighten the upper and lower parts of the moka pot, then place it on an electric ceramic stove and heat over high heat;

4. When the moka pot rises to a certain temperature and makes an obvious "hissing" sound, set the electric ceramic stove to low heat and open the lid of the upper chamber.

5. When half of the coffee liquid has come out into the upper chamber, turn off the electric ceramic stove. The residual heat and pressure of the moka pot will "push" the remaining coffee liquid into the upper chamber.

6. When the coffee liquid has all been extracted into the upper chamber, it can be poured into a cup and tasted. Coffee extracted with a moka pot is very rich, and can even extract Crema. It can also be mixed with an appropriate amount of water or milk for a better flavor.

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