Where Is Arabica From? Tasting It in an Iced Pour-Over Coffee Recipe

An iced pour-over coffee recipe built on 15 grams of grounds, a 1:10 coffee-to-water ratio, and 100 grams of ice produces 150 grams of hot water plus dilution. A side-by-side test of adding ice first versus adding ice later shows the timing shifts cleanliness, aroma concentration, and mouthfeel rather than the basic strength of the brew.

The test used Kafa Forest, an Ethiopian washed bean from the Kafa Biosphere, a primary forest region tied to where is arabica's gene pool and to the Gesha name in Geisha's origin story. It cups with white florals and juicy sweet orange, dried apricot, peach, green grape, and yellow lemon. Grind slightly finer than for hot pour-over.

Iced pour-over coffee has gained favor among many enthusiasts in recent years, but the details during brewing often determine the final flavor direction. Front Street Coffee uses 15 grams of coffee grounds and a 1:10 coffee-to-water ratio as the foundation, paired with 100 grams of ice for cooling and dilution, and conducts a side-by-side comparative experiment on two methods: adding ice first and adding ice later. This article fully presents the experimental parameters, brewing process, and sensory differences, while also sharing the flavor performance of the Kafa Forest, an Ethiopian washed bean, to help readers understand the specific effects of ice addition timing on coffee cleanliness, aroma concentration, and mouthfeel changes, providing reference adjustment ideas for daily brewing.

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Previously, a customer asked Front Street: "How do you make your iced pour-over, and will adding ice first versus adding ice later bring different results?" To answer this question, Front Street specially arranged a round of comparative testing. Below is a summary of the process and conclusions for everyone's reference.

Front Street Iced Pour-Over Coffee Parameters Sharing When making iced pour-over coffee, Front Street weighs 15 grams of coffee grounds, sets the coffee-to-water ratio at 1:10, which means using 15 grams of grounds to extract 150 grams of hot water, and additionally prepares 100 grams of ice for cooling and dilution (whether to add ice first or later is exactly the variable to be verified in this test).

This time, Front Street selected the recently launched Kafa Forest for demonstration. The region where Kafa Forest is located is the area with the largest forest coverage in Ethiopia. The primary forest within the Kafa Biosphere is widely recognized as the birthplace of coffee and is also the gene pool of today's Arabica coffee; the "Gesha" mentioned in the origin story of Geisha is actually a region in western Kaffa. In addition to its origin background, this bean is washed-processed and presents elegant white floral notes, along with juicy fruit tones such as sweet orange, dried apricot, peach, green grape, and yellow lemon.

Regarding the grind size of coffee grounds, iced pour-over is set slightly finer than hot pour-over. Taking the Front Street Kafa Forest used in this experiment as an example, for hot pour-over, Front Street uses an EK43s grinder at 10 settings (80% pass rate with a No. 20 standard sieve), while for iced pour-over it is adjusted one setting finer EK43s grinder at 9 settings (85% pass rate with a No. 20 standard sieve). Regarding water temperature, light roast coffee is recommended at 90-91°C, and medium-dark roast coffee is recommended at 87-89°C.

Experiment Comparison Add ice first: First place 100 grams of ice into the sharing pitcher, then set up the dripper and filter paper, pour in 15 grams of ground coffee, and tare the electronic scale.

Begin pouring. For the first stage, pour 30 grams of hot water and bloom for 30 seconds; then pour 70 grams of hot water in a circular motion from the center outward. Because the coffee is ground slightly finer, the coffee bed is quickly lifted, and the flow rate is slower than hot pour-over. When the water level drops to halfway, continue pouring 50 grams of water. After all the coffee liquid flows into the lower pitcher, remove the dripper. The total extraction time is 1 minute 40 seconds. Then swirl the pitcher to let the coffee liquid cool quickly and mix evenly.

Add ice later: After completing the preparation steps, pour in 15 grams of coffee grounds and begin pouring. The first stage is also 30 grams of hot water for a 30-second bloom; then pour 70 grams of hot water in a circular motion from the center outward, and when the water level drops to halfway, add another 50 grams of water. After all the coffee liquid flows into the lower pitcher, remove the dripper. The extraction time is also 1 minute 40 seconds. Then add 100 grams of ice into the pitcher and swirl it so the coffee liquid cools rapidly and evenly.

Sensory Comparison After repeated side-by-side tasting, provided the pitcher is swirled evenly, the overall performance of the two methods is quite close. On first taste, the coffee with ice added first appears cleaner and more refreshing, with aromas leaning toward elegant floral and fruity notes; the coffee with ice added later has a more concentrated and intense aroma, and also a bit more layered variation on the palate. Of course, the difference between these two iced coffees is actually very small, and without a side-by-side comparison, it would likely be impossible to tell them apart.

As for why adding ice first is more refreshing, Front Street compared the state of both at the end of the first swirl and found that the pitcher with ice added first had noticeably more ice melted. The reason is that adding ice first is a continuous cooling process; the coffee liquid that first flows down is at a higher temperature and will dissolve more ice. In contrast, when ice is added after brewing is completed, the coffee liquid has already undergone "pre-cooling" at room temperature, so when it is further cooled by ice, naturally less ice melts.

After seeing this result, everyone should no longer struggle over whether to add ice first or later, right!

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