There are many types of coffee. Some people like instant coffee, some like pour-over, and others like cold brew. Coffee made with different methods has its own characteristics. Some have distinct layers and clear flavors, while others are convenient to brew. You can choose according to your own preferences.

Pour-over coffee is one of the drip brewing methods. In fact, the drip method is quite common in offices and homes because it is usually relatively simple. Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world. "Coffee" includes all drinks made from roasted coffee beans, which of course also includes espresso and cold brew.

At present, the most common drip coffee brewing method is pour-over coffee. This kind of coffee can usually better reflect the subtle and refined flavors of coffee, so people often use the pour-over method to taste single-origin coffee, which is what everyone calls black coffee. Front Street Coffee believes that pour-over coffee is the best way to reflect the terroir of coffee. Unlike espresso, drip coffee has lower density and concentration, and no layers. Its taste is clean and its quality is consistent. This is because, without the influence of pressure, hot water can more fully absorb the coffee oils and aromatic substances, making the coffee taste softer.

The differences between drip coffee and pour-over coffee lie in the concept, brewing method, and taste. Drip coffee includes pour-over coffee, but is not limited to pour-over coffee, while pour-over coffee is one of the brewing methods within drip coffee. This is the difference in concept between the two; drip coffee is generally made with a machine, while pour-over coffee is brewed manually; in terms of taste, drip coffee has a more stable flavor, while the taste of pour-over coffee varies with the barista's technique.

So-called extraction is the process of grinding coffee beans into powder and then using water to extract the soluble substances from them. Common extraction methods include drip, espresso, immersion, and boiling.

Drip coffee: Under normal atmospheric pressure, hot water is allowed to pass through a layer of coffee grounds to extract the aromatic substances from the coffee grounds. Coffee made this way is also called pour-over coffee. Common pour-over tools include the Melitta dripper, Chemex, V60 dripper, and KONO cup.

Pour-over is a gentle and natural extraction method that can faithfully present the natural flavor profile of the coffee beans themselves. Because the filter paper traps the coffee's oils, the final brewed coffee is very clear in color, usually with a slight dark red tone. Pour-over coffee can be considered one of the most cost-effective private coffee brewing options. You do not need to spend a lot of money on a coffee machine, nor do you need to leave home. Pour-over allows you to experience the rich aromas of specialty coffee, and it is easy to control the brewing variables. But so many coffee brewing options will bring different flavor characteristics, which may focus on body and richness, or on a clean and clear taste.

Americans invented the electric drip brewer based on the principle of pour-over coffee, commonly known as the American coffee machine. Therefore, what an American coffee machine makes is not Americano, but drip coffee.

Espresso: Using an espresso machine, hot water is pressurized to 9 atmospheres and pushed through very finely ground coffee powder, instantly extracting the soluble components. The drink made this way is espresso or Espresso.

If the characteristic of drip coffee is clean and clear, then the characteristic of espresso is rich and intense. Moreover, after the lipids in the coffee beans are emulsified, they also produce a caramel-like aroma. In addition to being intense, another major feature of espresso is a thick layer of foam on the surface—crema. Crema is the result of the combined effect of carbon dioxide and pressure changes. The carbon dioxide in coffee beans dissolves in large amounts in water under the high pressure of an espresso machine, but once the coffee liquid returns to normal atmospheric pressure, it can no longer trap this carbon dioxide. Therefore, countless small bubbles emerge from the liquid and remain on the surface, making it look as if a layer of foam is floating on top. Crema is an important standard for judging whether coffee beans are fresh. This is because the longer the time since the roast date, the lower the carbon dioxide content in the coffee beans, and the less foam there is in the coffee liquid.

Immersion coffee: Unlike drip and espresso, in which water passes through coffee grounds, immersion equipment soaks coffee grounds and water together, thereby achieving a more consistent extraction. Coffee made this way retains more oils, and the taste is heavier and richer.

Boiled coffee: The equipment needs to be placed on a heat source and heated continuously. Representative tools are the Turkish coffee pot and the moka pot. Because the water temperature can easily spike, this type of tool often brews very strong and very bitter coffee.

Occasionally, some people also call coffee brewed with a moka pot espresso. But strictly speaking, this is just a brewing method that Italians like to use at home, rather than espresso in the true sense.

The above are several relatively common extraction methods. In addition, the portable and highly playful AeroPress and the highly visually appealing siphon are also widely popular extraction tools.

Depending on how water and coffee grounds come into contact and their particle size, coffee preparation is classified into five types: "boiling method," "pressure method," "gravity method," "filtration method," and "cold brew method."

Boiling method

The simplest method is to put coffee grounds in a cup, add hot water, and let it cool while the coffee grounds sink to the bottom. This is an old method, and it is still used in some places in Indonesia today. Be careful not to swallow the coffee grounds at the bottom of the cup. The advantage of this method is that it is simple, and the water temperature is just right. Turkish coffee is an early recipe and is still used in the Middle East, North Africa, East Africa, Turkey, Greece, and the Balkans. Ultra-fine coffee grounds are boiled with water in a small-mouthed container, usually seasoned with sugar and cardamom. The strong coffee served in the cup has foam on top and a layer of sediment below. "Cowboy coffee" is made by boiling coffee grounds and water directly in a pot and drinking it. The name implies a makeshift measure under rough conditions; however, some people prefer it. In Finland and Sweden, which have the highest coffee consumption per capita, they use traditional brewing methods.

Pressure

Espresso is made by forcing hot water at 80–96 degrees Celsius through a compacted puck of coffee grounds at 8–9 atmospheres of pressure, and usually a single shot is only 30 milliliters. It is the strongest among common coffees, yet it has a unique aroma and a touch of oil (Crema) floating on the surface. It can be drunk on its own; it can also be further made into many other drinks. Because brewing is fast, it is highly concentrated, and its caffeine content is low, this method is used in many chain coffee shops and flavored coffee drinks.

The moka pot, also called an "Italian coffee pot," is a stove-top device with a three-layer structure. Boiling water is heated in the bottom layer and then pushed by steam pressure through the coffee grounds in the middle layer into the upper layer. The resulting coffee concentration can be compared with espresso, except that it has no floating oil. However, if a pressure-reducing gasket is installed at the coffee outlet, golden crema can be extracted. The structure of a moka pot and a semi-automatic espresso machine is the same, but the way the water flows is reversed. After about 30–40 cc of coffee has flowed out, remove the pot from the heat source as soon as possible, then wipe the bottom of the pot with a cold towel (do not rinse with water)!

Gravity method

Drip coffee or pour-over coffee is made by placing coffee grounds on filter paper or a metal filter and pouring hot water from top to bottom. The concentration of the coffee depends on the water ratio and the coarseness of the coffee grounds, but it is generally lower than espresso.

Drip coffee makers were common in the United States before the 1970s. They are different from the moka pot mentioned above: hot water boils and enters the top layer, then passes downward through the coffee grounds and returns to the heating chamber; this cycle repeats several times. It is precisely because this method allows hot water to pass through the coffee grounds multiple times that this kind of coffee may taste relatively poor.

Filtration method

The French press is a tall, narrow glass cylinder equipped with a plunger with a filter. Hot water and coffee grounds steep in the cylinder for four to seven minutes, then the plunger filter presses the coffee grounds to the bottom, and the coffee on top can be poured out and drunk. This "full immersion method" is considered by many experts to be the ideal home method for brewing coffee, and its feature is that you can taste the full flavor of the coffee.

Cold brew method

Cold brew coffee, also called ice drip coffee, differs most from the other four methods above in that it does not use hot water, but instead uses ice water produced by the slow melting of ice cubes, which slowly drips through a filter containing coffee grounds. So it is very, very slow, and only then do you get a cup of cold brew coffee. Therefore, the cost is high, but the flavor is extremely special.

Drip coffee is a brewing method invented by a German, and the Melitta coffee pot filter papers sold everywhere in supermarkets are from the brand he founded back then. Simply put, the drip coffee method is to grind coffee beans, put them in a funnel, pour hot water on top, and due to gravity, the coffee flows out from the bottom. (If you travel in space, without gravity, doing this would be more troublesome.) In fact, most coffee machines on the market make coffee this way, only using electricity to heat the water. However, these electric coffee pots have one problem: the vast majority of products do not have enough power, and the heated water temperature is not the ideal brewing temperature, so the coffee often has a sour and astringent taste.

The ideal brewing water temperature for most coffee is between 88 and 92 degrees Celsius. Depending on the origin, variety, and roast level of the coffee beans, the best brewing temperature will vary, but it is basically within this range. If the water temperature is too low, the coffee will be under-extracted and sour and astringent. If the water temperature is too high, the coffee will be over-extracted and bitter.

For Front Street pour-over, the water temperature for medium-dark roasted coffee beans is 88 degrees Celsius, while for medium-light roasted coffee beans it is 91 degrees Celsius.

Now that you understand this principle, if you use an electric coffee pot and the pot's power is relatively low, you should try to choose coffee with low acidity and a darker roast for brewing.

Manual pour-over drip coffee is also very simple and costs very little. A good coffee grinder can grind coffee beans into relatively even powder, a kettle can boil water, and then you just need something that can filter the coffee grounds. There are many kinds of filters, some can use filter paper, and some do not. Filter paper is somewhat controversial. Some people think coffee filtered with paper tastes cleaner, while using a mesh filter often lets coffee grounds get into the cup, which is unpleasant. Some people think filter paper filters out the aromatic oils in coffee, and there is also the unpleasant papery taste. However, these taste disputes are purely a matter of personal preference.

The characteristic of the drip method is continuous extraction through continuous pouring. In addition to being affected by time, the size and height of the pour are also among the factors that affect the taste of the coffee.

Drip coffee was the coffee that people in most parts of the world outside the Arab region and the Balkans were accustomed to drinking before espresso became popular. This kind of coffee tastes much lighter than espresso, but for people new to drinking coffee, it may be easier to accept. Because making espresso is too complex, very few people so far can master it very well. So although espresso appears to be popular all over the world, to this day, more people still drink drip coffee. Especially at home and when individuals make coffee, drip coffee is also the most traditional and easiest coffee to make. And it has no layers, a clean taste, and consistent quality. This is because, without the influence of pressure, hot water can more fully absorb the coffee oils and aromatic substances, making the coffee taste softer.

Perhaps the lighter taste of drip coffee is easier for people new to coffee to accept, and it is also a common way to make coffee at home. Of course, the choice between these two kinds of coffee also depends on your personal preference. Some people like the silky taste of milk-based coffee, while others like the clean taste of drip coffee.

For example: the two cups Front Street uses most often for brewing are the V60 and the KONO cup.  

The V60 cup is very suitable for emphasizing the acidity and floral aroma of coffee. Although it uses filter paper, the V60 can still retain a considerable amount of coffee oils and preserve body. For example: Ethiopian coffee, Kenyan coffee, Panama Geisha coffee, and so on.

The KONO cup is very suitable for brewing medium-dark roasted coffee beans and can highlight the rich, smooth taste of the coffee beans. For example: Blue Mountain coffee, Mandheling coffee, Colombia Huila coffee, and so on.

Front Street coffee brewing suggestions:

No matter what kind of coffee you brew, the freshness of the coffee beans is very important. Front Street has always believed that the freshness of coffee beans has a great relationship with the flavor of the coffee, so the coffee beans shipped by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) are all within 5 days of roasting. Front Street's roasting purpose is "freshly roasted good coffee," so that every customer who places an order receives the freshest coffee when they get it. The resting period for coffee beans is about 4–7 days, so when customers receive it, it is exactly at its best flavor.

For friends who need ground coffee, Front Street warmly reminds you: if the coffee beans have been ground in advance, there is no need to rest them anymore, because during transportation, the pressure produced by carbon dioxide inside the package can also make the coffee flavor rounder, so you can brew a cup immediately after receiving the

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