Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) encounters customers every day asking aboutpour-over coffee. The questions might be: what pouring technique should be used for pour-over coffee? Or how much coffee grounds should be used for pour-over coffee?

In fact, with the development of coffee culture, more and more people no longer find coffee unfamiliar, but see it everywhere around them and can even make it at home. Of course, some people feel that brewing a good cup of coffee is still not simple. Front Street Coffee believes this actually depends on one's own understanding of pour-over coffee, combined with repeated practical experience. Perhaps after reading this, many people will still feel they only half understand. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) will talk today about how to brew a cup of pour-over coffee. There are many factors affecting the taste of a cup of coffee, and the coffee-to-water ratio of pour-over coffee is one of them.
 

In brewing, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) advocates a conservative pour-over coffee pouring technique: accurate grinding, accurate temperature, accurate weight, and full extraction at an accurate time, ensuring the presentation of coffee flavor on this basis. The accurate parameters referred to by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) are based on the parameters provided by the SCA, combined with Front Street Coffee's (FrontStreet Coffee) actual application. Over-extraction means exceeding the golden cup requirement, while under-extraction means falling below the golden cup requirement. With this brewing method, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) provides everyone with a standard practice that can be adjusted according to personal preference on this basis.

What isgolden cup extraction rate?

30% of coffee beans is soluble, but extracting all 30% of the soluble substances is not necessarily best. The golden cup extraction rate defined by the SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America) is 18-22%, that is, extracting 1.8-2.2g from 10g of coffee grounds. The TDS concentration of drip coffee is about 1.2-1.45% (as shown in the index below), meaning the extracted 18-22% coffee substances account for 1.2-1.45% of the whole cup of coffee. Therefore, most of the pour-over coffee we drink is water. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) suggests you can use a calculator to work it out: to reach this concentration range of 1.2-1.45%, the ratio of coffee grounds to pour-over water should be between 1:12 and 1:15.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) uses this range to standardize our brewing parameters. Before each new bean is put on the shelf, it undergoes adjustments in roasting, cupping, pour-over, and other stages. The adjustment direction for pour-over is based on TDS concentration. Of course, for those who just drink coffee at home, there is no need to buy specialized instruments; you can judge strength by taste. After many brewing trials and customer feedback, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) recommends controlling the coffee-to-water ratio at 1:15.

1.2-1.45% is only a statistical range, suitable for most people's tastes. If it is lower or higher than this range, as long as it meets your own taste requirements, it is also fine.
 

Pour-over coffee dosage for one person

Whether for one person or multiple people, this golden cup extraction rate range is followed. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) chooses a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, uses 15g of grounds, and obtains 225g of coffee liquid, which is exactly one serving. For two servings, besides choosing a larger dripper, the amount of grounds is increased by 10g. Stacking upward in this way, as the amount of grounds increases, the coffee bed becomes thicker, the water flow speed slows down, and over-extraction easily occurs. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) recommends starting with a single-serving pour-over first.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) takes a bag of Front Street Colombia Finca La Luna coffee currently sold in stores as an example for brewing.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) · Colombia Finca La Luna Coffee Beans

Region: Colombia  Huila Region

Farm: Finca Astorga

Altitude: 1800m

Variety: Caturra

Processing Method: Anaerobic Natural

Roast Level: Light Roast

Pour-over coffee brewing parameters used by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee):

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90℃

Dosage: 15g (single serving)

Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15

Grind Size: fine granulated sugar size (80% passing rate on China Standard No. 20 sieve).

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreetCoffee) chooses a water temperature of 90℃. The higher the water temperature, the more active the movement of material molecules, but at a certain temperature value it tends toward equilibrium. The more active the movement of material molecules, the higher the extraction rate. As mentioned earlier, we do not need the highest value, but the most suitable value, ensuring sufficient dissolution of substances while also ensuring a comfortable taste (not too hot for the mouth). Generally, water temperature is between 83-94℃. Japan chooses lower water temperatures because they prefer immersion-style extraction, and this extraction method is not suitable for higher water temperatures. After many trials and customer feedback, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreetCoffee) finds that brewing light-roasted coffee beans at 90℃ is relatively suitable.

Grind Size

refers to the size of coffee particles. Grind size affects the contact time between coffee and water. If the coffee grounds are finer, water can extract more substances in the same amount of time, but with a fine grind, the coffee is prone to over-extraction during brewing. Conversely, the coarser the coffee grind, the fewer substances are extracted by water in the same amount of time, but with a coarser grind, the coffee is prone to under-extraction. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreetCoffee) recommends using 80% passing rate on China Standard No. 20 sieve as the pour-over grind size. This is obtained through multiple taste tests. It should be noted that different coffee beans have different grind sizes, so when the pour-over flavor seems off, you can check whether there is a problem with the grind size.

The finer the coffee grind, the more surface area is increased, meaning the extraction speed will be faster. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreetCoffee) suggests that if you usually brew dark roast coffee and now want to brew light roast, you can grind finer. By the same logic, if you usually brew more light roast coffee, when brewing dark roast coffee you should grind slightly coarser.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreetCoffee) uses an EK43s. However, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreetCoffee) should mention that even grinders of the same brand can differ in grinding performance. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreetCoffee) re-sifts powder at intervals to see whether the grind size needs adjustment.

Pour-over coffee pouring technique

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreetCoffee) adopts segmented extraction, that is, three-stage pour-over pouring.
 

First Pour:Bloom(to help degassing)

During the roasting process in which green coffee beans become roasted beans, a series of chemical reactions and physical changes occur. After reaching a certain degree of roasting, a large amount of gas (mostly carbon dioxide) accumulates inside the coffee beans.

Generally speaking, the fresher the coffee and the closer to roasting, the more bubbles usually appear during blooming. Dark-roasted beans also release more gas during blooming than light-roasted beans. Front Street Coffee's (FrontStreetCoffee) coffee beans are all freshly roasted, so customers are generally advised to rest the beans for three days first, allowing the coffee beans to release carbon dioxide first, which can avoid instability and under-extraction during brewing.

After the gas is released during blooming, the coffee particles can absorb water evenly, allowing later extraction to be even. A good bloom can allow the coffee grounds to degas quickly, fully, and evenly while also allowing the coffee grounds to fully and quickly contact water, helping the coffee grounds be extracted evenly.

When blooming pour-over coffee, pay attention to the following four points:

1. Before pouring for the bloom, first level the coffee grounds.

2. Pour gently during the bloom.
    

3. During blooming, let as little extracted liquid drip down as possible; when too much extracted liquid appears in the server, reduce the pouring amount, or pay attention to grind size. (If the bloom water amount is too much and a large amount of coffee liquid drips down, the falling water does not stay but directly carries out substances from the outer layer of the coffee grounds. Off-flavors and astringency from the outer layer of the coffee grounds also begin to dissolve out. The coffee brewed this way is both weak and has off-flavors from over-extraction. If the bloom water amount is insufficient and no water drips down at all, then the coffee grounds have not absorbed enough water, and some coffee has not degassed sufficiently, causing under-extraction.) Based on this situation, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreetCoffee), through multiple bloom trials, found that pouring water at twice the amount of coffee grounds during blooming is relatively suitable.

4. The blooming time is about 30 seconds. When the expansion of the coffee grounds' surface ends, you will see the coffee surface shrink, which means the bloom is complete and pouring can begin. (In terms of time, if the blooming time is too long, the coffee easily develops bitterness and astringency; if too short, the soaking is insufficient, and the coffee may be under-extracted or its flavor may not be fully displayed.) Generally speaking, the end time of blooming differs for each bean, but Front Street Coffee (FrontStreetCoffee) found that this is not conducive to beginners' operation. After all, beginners value standardization and ease of use. Therefore, while ensuring the coffee beans are still in a freshly roasted state, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreetCoffee) recommends a blooming time of 30 seconds. Of course, experienced people can adjust the time themselves.

Second Pour for Pour-Over Coffee

The second pour starts from the center, pouring into the bottom of the coffee bed with a thin stream. In order to concentrate the penetrating force of the stream, the circling range should be small, about the size of a one-yuan coin, and then circle outward. From the start of the second pour, pay attention to the water amount, trying not to exceed the height of the coffee bed. That is, when the stream circles close to the filter paper, you can stop pouring.

Third Pour for Pour-Over Coffee

As the originally thicker coffee bed near the edge of the filter paper becomes heavier from absorbing water, it slides down and becomes thinner as the water level drops. When the water level drops to half, the third pour can be carried out.

From the start of the third pour, observe the extent of the water level drop. Likewise, start pouring from the center and circle, and do not let the water amount exceed the height of the coffee bed. At this time you will also observe that foam has covered the surface. The third pour should increase the tumbling of coffee particles, causing all deposited particles to tumble and thereby dissolve soluble substances.

The rolling particles begin to settle when water is stopped. At this point, the flow rate caused by the falling water level is needed to create friction among the coffee particles. Therefore, once pouring stops, the coffee particles sink downward, causing clogging, so pay special attention to the rhythm of pouring. If pouring is interrupted too many times, it is equivalent to letting the coffee particles stay soaked in water, which will cause the final-stage coffee extraction to produce astringency and off-flavors.

Summary:

Front Street Coffee's (FrontStreetCoffee) brewing of this Front Street Colombia Finca La Luna coffee bean follows this overall process: use bloom water at twice the amount of coffee grounds, that is, 30g of water for blooming, with a blooming time of 30 seconds. Pour in a small stream in circles until 125g, then pause; when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring until 225g and stop. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper. (Timing starts at the beginning of blooming.) The extraction time is 2 minutes.

Front Street Colombia Finca La Luna Coffee Flavor

Rich strawberry aroma, strawberry acidity on entry, jam-like sweetness in the middle, a slight cocoa finish, and a juicy mouthfeel.

Of course, besides the three-stage brewing technique, there are also one-cut pour, drip method, volcano pour, stirring method, and so on. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreetCoffee) recommends that beginners use the three-stage pouring method to brew because this technique is suitable for light-roast, medium-light, and medium-roast coffee beans. The segmented extraction method of three-stage pouring can clearly define the front, middle, and back flavors of the coffee and better ensure the presentation of coffee flavor. Below, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreetCoffee) briefly introduces several other brewing techniques and their advantages and disadvantages.

Stirring Bloom Method

Suitable for light-roasted coffee beans

Stirring method: during the bloom stage, use a stirring rod to stir in a cross pattern. It is also a branch of the three-stage method and was developed as a pour-over technique after Matt Perger, the 2012 World Brewers Cup champion. This practice can effectively enhance the release of aromatic substances in coffee beans, amplify the flavor strengths of the coffee beans, and enhance the coffee's mouthfeel so it is not too thin.

The stirring method has very high requirements for coffee bean quality. If poorer coffee beans are used, it will amplify their undesirable flavors. In addition, the stirring bloom method is more suitable for brewing light-roasted coffee beans, and in terms of grind size, a finer grind is often used, which can increase the water contact area of the coffee grounds and improve the extraction rate. However, if the degree of stirring is not controlled well, over-extraction easily occurs.

Therefore, we also recommend pairing it with pour-over equipment known for fast extraction. The Hario V60 dripper uses alternating long and short spiral extraction ribs, increasing the speed of water flow. The cloud-shaped design of the Hario Buono pouring kettle, with its wide base, can provide stronger penetration for the poured stream, keeping fine particles tumbling for a longer time. This is very important because when coffee grounds are tumbling, the release of internal substances is paused, thus avoiding the extraction of off-flavors caused by long soaking.

Japanese-style Drip Pouring Method

Suitable for medium-roast or darker-roast coffee beans

The drip pouring method is also called essence-style extraction: the drip pouring method uses a weaker stream, disrupting the coffee bed as little as possible, reducing convection, and increasing soaking time. Coffee made with this Japanese technique has high body, high sweetness, is rich and smooth, and has a distinct texture.

 
Because the pouring kettle needs to output water drop by drop, it is suitable to choose a flat wide-mouth spout or a wide-mouth gooseneck kettle. The advantage of this type of pouring kettle is that the thickness of the water stream is highly controllable and better suited to the drip pouring method. Paired with Kono's conical dripper, its ribs stop before reaching half the dripper's height. This design allows the filter paper to fully adhere to the cup wall after absorbing water, greatly limiting the degassing space. This method is more suitable for Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling, Front Street Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1, and other medium-roast or darker-roast coffee beans.

At the beginning of pouring, we use drip-by-drip pouring, which increases soaking time. With a low coffee-to-water ratio, the coffee grounds fully expand without producing any off-flavors. After that, use a thin stream and then a thicker stream to extract the front-end floral and fruity aromas of the coffee. The whole process takes about 4-5 minutes.

One-Cut Pour Brewing Technique

Its meaning is that after blooming, only one uninterrupted pour is performed, hence the name.

After blooming, one uninterrupted pour can keep the coffee grounds continuously soaking in water, and the retained liquid fully releases the aromatic substances in the coffee grounds. The water flow rate continuously increases; before the water volume overflows the dripper, reduce the flow. This technique mainly controls the water amount and flow rate. You need to know when to pour in order to achieve full-stage extraction without losing balance. An unsuitable pouring method will破坏 the overall balance of the coffee.

This practice mainly maintains a mild flavor and sense of balance. The disadvantage is that if the pouring technique is not well controlled, water may pass through the upper layer without coffee grounds, falling along the edge of the filter paper, so the coffee produced may be mixed with a watery taste.

Volcano Brewing Technique

The "volcano pour" technique originates from Japan and is suitable for dark-roasted coffee beans because these coffee beans contain more carbon dioxide. By using the carbon dioxide in the coffee beans and undergoing multiple blooms, the coffee grounds puff up like a volcanic eruption. "Volcano pour" mostly uses flannel filter cloth and V60 drippers for brewing. Because the middle coffee bed is thicker, water is poured at a position about the size of a one-yuan coin in the center of the coffee grounds. The first half focuses on sufficient extraction without disrupting the coffee bed, while the second half pours evenly to prevent over-extraction of the middle coffee grounds and to dilute.

Advantages: The coffee has a thick mouthfeel and obvious sweet aftertaste.

Disadvantages: Over-extraction in the first half and under-extraction in the second half make the coffee liquid uneven. It must be fully shaken after brewing to mix into a perfect coffee. However, shaking will lower the coffee's temperature. If high-temperature extraction is used to maintain temperature, it will make the coffee dry and astringent.

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