For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow: Front Street Coffee (Frontsteet Coffee)

In an era where all kinds of coffee machines are blooming everywhere, pour-over coffee—with its simple equipment and emphasis on hand feel and technique—stands out as a refreshing return to simplicity. Spreading outward from Japan's pursuit of refined culture, it has captivated countless coffee connoisseurs and lifestyle enthusiasts.

Pour-over coffee, as the name suggests, is pouring hot water over coffee grounds and extracting the coffee through a filter paper and dripper. The entire brewing process takes about 2 minutes. Since the flow rate, direction, and temperature of the hot water are all controlled by the brewer, the flavor of the coffee is almost different every time. Although the equipment is simple, it places great demands on technique and experience.

　　[Pour-Over Coffee Equipment]

Grinder: Freshly ground coffee is the freshest. The particle size and uniformity of the coffee grounds are also key factors affecting the flavor of pour-over coffee. The suitable particle size for pour-over coffee is about the size of No. 2 granulated sugar. The more uniform the particles, the better the taste of the brewed coffee.

Grinder

Filter paper: Different drippers have their own suitable filter papers. Filter paper can absorb some of the miscellaneous flavors and oils in the coffee. Unbleached filter paper may have some papery taste, so the filter paper needs to be rinsed before brewing. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) uses the acid-washed bleached filter paper produced by Kono shown in the picture below; whether or not you rinse the filter paper makes little difference.

Gooseneck kettle: There are various sizes and materials of pour-over kettles on the market, and you can choose according to your needs. What affects the brewing result more is the size of the spout, because it relates to the flow of water. For beginners, a fine-spout kettle (as shown below) is generally recommended, as it is easier to control. In addition, each kind of pour-over kettle is suitable for a different heating method (induction cooker or gas stove), so pay special attention when purchasing.

Dripper: Drippers also vary in size and material, and are mainly divided into three shapes: fan-shaped, cone-shaped, and wave-shaped. The size of the hole at the bottom of the dripper affects the flow rate of the extracted coffee, and further affects the coffee's flavor.

The fan-shaped dripper has a small hole and a slow flow rate, giving a fuller body; the cone-shaped dripper has a large hole and a fast flow rate, giving a lighter body; the wave-shaped dripper has a flat bottom and is paired with a special wave-shaped filter paper, producing the most even-tasting coffee.

Server and coffee cup: Used to hold the filtered coffee. It is best to preheat them first to maintain the coffee's temperature.

Auxiliary equipment: An electronic scale, thermometer, and timer can make the coffee brewing process more precise.

　　[Characteristics of Pour-Over Coffee]

Fast and efficient extraction: Compared with other coffee brewing methods, pour-over coffee continuously has fresh hot water passing through the coffee grounds during the extraction process, so the extraction speed is faster and more substances can be extracted from the surface of the coffee. But because of the speed, poor control may lead to over-extraction. This is like frying fish in a frying pan over high heat—the fish has a large heated surface area, but poor control may burn it.

Many influencing factors: Although it is only a process of a few short minutes, factors including the water flow rate, water temperature, coffee ground particle size, dripper shape, and so on all affect the final flavor of the coffee. Thorough research and preparation are needed before brewing.

Diverse coffee flavors: Coffee brewed under different conditions has different flavors, and different types of beans are suited to different conditions. Here Front Street briefly lists a few types of coffee suitable for the vast majority of people, for everyone to choose from: For those who like floral flavors, Front Street Panama Geisha coffee is recommended—this is the world's most expensive coffee之一; for those who like fresh coffee with a sour taste, Front Street Flower Queen coffee is recommended—it drinks with notes like black tea and berries;

For those who like balanced flavors, that is, coffee that is neither sour nor bitter, Front Street Brazil Cerrado, Front Street Strawberry Candy, and Front Street Mozart are recommended; finally, for those who love a solid, full-bodied taste, it is suggested to buy the highest-grade Front Street Golden Mandheling coffee. This bean has undergone multiple rounds of hand sorting, which minimizes the defect rate of the coffee beans, thereby making the coffee aroma clearer and the sweet aftertaste better. All the above drip bag coffees can be purchased and ordered at Front Street stores and the Front Street Tmall flagship store.

Seeing this, you may feel that pour-over coffee is complicated and particular about technique, and seems not so easy to get the hang of. That's right—pour-over coffee is certainly harder than brewing coffee with a coffee machine, but Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) believes that pour-over coffee is like buying flour and kneading dough yourself: every detail can be controlled by you, and the coffee you finally brew naturally has a unique flavor. Moreover, by adjusting each variable, you can try all kinds of possible tastes of coffee—this is the charm of pour-over coffee!

　　Simple Pour-Over — Drip Bag Coffee

A mini version of the pour-over method: convenient, quick, and inexpensive. Although the aroma and flavor it can express are not as rich as pour-over coffee, it can maintain a certain coffee flavor, making it an ideal choice when you want a cup of single-origin coffee during a busy time.

[Drip Bag Coffee Brewing Method]

Taking Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)'s drip bag coffee as an example, the coffee powder weighs 10g.

Tear open the outer packaging bag, take out the drip bag inside, tear open the opening of the drip bag, and pull open the two little ears on both sides to rest them on the cup.

Try to choose a cup with a rim that is not too large, otherwise the two ears of the drip bag coffee may not hang properly. The cup used by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) has a rim diameter of about 8-9cm.

The brewing method for drip bag coffee is actually the same as for pour-over coffee, except that it is not as rigorous as pour-over coffee. But basically water temperature, blooming, and circular pouring are still needed. The parameters for Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) brewing drip bag coffee can be referenced as follows: water temperature 90°C, blooming for about 10s, and the amount of water for blooming can be the same as the amount of coffee powder.

After blooming ends, pour water directly until finished. If you want to be more particular, you can also pour in two stages. The amount of water poured is determined by the cup you choose. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) chose a 300ml glass cup, pouring in a small stream in a circular motion, and stopping when the water reaches the 7th part of the cup.

After brewing is complete, remove the drip bag. Once brewed, it cannot be used again, because the substances in the coffee powder have already been extracted; brewing it again would leave nothing much to extract, and the taste would be very watery. Don't feel that brewing it only once is wasteful—the drip bags sold on the market now basically guarantee fresh grinding, and the price is also very nice.

If you like it iced, you can add some ice cubes, and you can add milk too!

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