With the development of the third wave of specialty coffee, more and more people are paying attention to coffee, including how to make a cup of coffee. Front Street Coffee believes that if you want to make coffee at home, the simplest way is pour-over coffee. The equipment is not as large or expensive as espresso machines, and it is relatively quick to learn. As long as you practice the technique diligently, your results will become more and more consistent. Although many people say there are still many points to pay attention to with pour-over coffee, and from a professional perspective the threshold is indeed not low, Front Street Coffee believes that as long as you master the most basic requirements, if controlled well, you can absolutely make a professional and authentic single-origin coffee. Next, based on Front Street Coffee's pour-over experience, here is a brief explanation of the steps and precautions for pour-over coffee.

Equipment needed for pour-over coffee
Pour-over kettle, dripper, server, grinder, filter paper, electronic scale, thermometer, coffee sieve.

【Pour-over kettle】
There are many kinds of pour-over kettles, and the style just needs to suit your personal aesthetic. Front Street Coffee does not recommend the popular Hario VKB; it is not suitable for beginners. Below are a few pour-over kettles that Front Street Coffee thinks can be purchased in the early stages.

Takahiro Shizuku, commonly called the cheating kettle, because of its excellent water flow control and impeccable workmanship. If you can only buy one single-function kettle, Shizuku is the only choice. The price of over 500 seems a bit expensive, but it is very worth it, and the 0.9 L size can handle most situations. 18-8 stainless steel material. There are mainly two drawbacks: first, the stainless steel top lid will burn those users whose other hand habitually supports the lid; second, it cannot be fitted with a flow restrictor.

Fine-spout kettle (inner diameter above 6 mm), representative: Bonavita temperature-controlled pour-over kettle. Front Street Coffee has this pour-over kettle in its shop. Imported British Strix temperature control system, precise water temperature control, temperature difference of plus or minus 1 degree Celsius, professional gooseneck fine pointed spout design, more effective control of water flow speed, flow rate and direction. The base has temperature adjustment, heat preservation, and memory functions. High-quality kettle body workmanship, plastic top lid, can be fitted with a throttle valve, and water flow control is also better than the VKB. With one kettle in hand, you want nothing else; an excellent choice for small cafes.

Kalita crane-neck kettle. Kalita is a long-established equipment manufacturer, inheriting the consistent characteristics of Japanese craftsmanship: fine workmanship and artisanal quality. Of course, this crane-neck kettle still has a gap compared with some top-tier products, but for personal use, if you have no experience with other artisanal products, using it is undoubtedly a pleasure. The handle is extremely comfortable, and the upper and lower handle design makes the kettle body very stable. The crane neck is also an advanced style, with more variation and more fun. A perfect combination of wood and stainless steel. It pairs very well with its own stainless steel dripper. As for appearance, it depends on personal preference. Front Street Coffee also has this pour-over kettle in its shop, for no other reason than buying it for its looks. Beginners in pour-over can use a fine-spout kettle with an inner diameter of 5 mm or less, such as the Kalita copper kettle 900.

HARIO hand grenade, using a pure stainless steel kettle body with secondary matte polishing, can avoid small scratches from slight collisions or cleaning. The kettle body and lid are stainless steel, and the lid cap and handle are phenol formaldehyde resin. The reason Japanese Hario pour-over kettles are popular around the world, besides their excellent workmanship and design, is that it is an all-purpose kettle with controllable water flow. Compared with various divine kettles with 5 mm openings that can only brew with a small flow, this Hario kettle can also satisfy the immersion brewing method popular in Europe and America, and through control can also achieve the small water flow of the drip method.

【Dripper】
Hario V60 is the most common and popular, including four materials: resin, glass, ceramic, and metal. V60 accommodates many variables in coffee making, mainly in three design points:
1. A 60-degree cone shape: this extends the time for water to pass through the coffee grounds toward the center.
2. A large filter hole: this allows us to control the flavor of the coffee by changing the flow rate of the water.
3. Spiral ribs: this allows air to escape upward from all around, maximizing the expansion of the coffee grounds.

Kalita dripper, made entirely of ceramic. Ceramic coffee drippers have stronger heat retention, uniform glaze, and true color. The cup shape is a rather retro three-hole trapezoid, with a single-sided cup ring, and clear filter ribs inside the cup body. Coffee brewed through this dripper is mellow and aromatic, suitable for coffee beans with weak acidity and high body.

The ribs of the KONO dripper do not extend all the way from the bottom to the very top, but stop at less than half the height of the dripper. This height design is to ensure that during dripping, the filter paper can cling tightly to the dripper wall after absorbing water. Once the exhaust space is restricted, air flow is also restricted, and this increases the time for coffee particles to absorb water.

Cake dripper, also called wave dripper. The bottom of the dripper is flat. The flat-bottom design gives the water flow a uniform speed and helps improve the extraction rate. In addition, there are only three small holes at the bottom, so the flow rate is relatively slow, which allows the coffee grounds to be fully soaked and the brewed coffee to be more balanced. Combined with the use of folded filter paper, it does not directly adhere to the dripper, creating the largest extraction area. On one hand, this helps concentrated extraction, allowing hot water to drip evenly and smoothly; on the other hand, it also slows heat loss.

【Grinder】
Good pour-over coffee needs a good grinder. There are three types of grinders on the market.
1. Ghost tooth grinder
2. Flat burr grinder
3. Conical burr grinder

Ghost tooth grinders grind coffee beans into particles by grinding, and the resulting coffee powder is mostly round in shape. Single-origin coffee has a good balance and body in flavor. Flat burr grinders produce mostly flake-shaped particles, can quickly increase the concentration and extraction rate of the coffee liquid in a short time, and the coffee aroma can also be extracted in a short time. Extraction time needs to be shortened; if extraction time is long, the coffee easily has off-flavors and astringency. Suitable for short-time extraction. Conical burr grinders grind coffee into particles by crushing, and the resulting particles are more block-like. The coffee flavor is rounder and more complex.

Common grinders on the market include Little Eagle grinder, Little Fuji grinder, Baratza Encore grinder, and Welhome grinder. Front Street Coffee uses the Baratza Encore grinder.

【Thermometer】
A thermometer is used to measure the water temperature for coffee. Thermometers on the market include Tiamo thermometer, Hero thermometer, and Cafede Kona thermometer.

【Electronic scale】
An electronic scale allows us to better control the coffee-to-water ratio when brewing coffee, reduce unstable factors, and increase sufficient tolerance. Electronic scales can cost several hundred yuan each, or as little as several dozen yuan. There are Yami electronic scales, Hero smart scales, and Timemore electronic scales.

【Filter paper】
Filter paper comes in bleached and unbleached types. Bleached filter paper looks whiter, while unbleached filter paper looks closer to light brown. The function of filter paper is to use its extremely dense fibers to retain the ground coffee and filter the extracted coffee into the cup. When buying filter paper, choose the corresponding filter paper according to your own dripper. There are Japanese Sanyo V60 filter paper, Hario filter paper, Kalita filter paper, and Kono filter paper.

【Coffee sieve】
Mainly used to judge the grind size. Each coffee bean has a different suitable grind size for pour-over. Through continuous testing, Front Street Coffee determined that a grind size passing 80% through the Chinese standard No. 20 sieve is suitable for pour-over.

【Server】
The server is actually optional. If one person is drinking, you can skip the server and directly place a mug underneath to catch the drip. When brewing coffee for multiple people, a server is needed. With the scale markings and transparent material of the server, it is also easier to understand and control the extraction process, so the server is not just for sharing cups. Front Street Coffee recommends the HARIO V60 Cloud server and Kalita server.

Pour-over coffee steps and technique
To brew a good pot of coffee, start from these six aspects: water temperature, grind size, coffee-to-water ratio, water quality, coffee beans, and brewing technique.

【Water temperature】
The higher the water temperature, the stronger the extraction ability, the more bitter the coffee, and the stronger the taste; the lower the water temperature, the weaker the extraction ability, the easier the coffee is to become sour, and the taste is mild and light. The pour-over temperature should be adjusted according to the roast level of the coffee. Light-medium roasted beans are suggested at 90-91°C, and medium-dark roasted beans are suggested at 85-87°C. Front Street Coffee basically adjusts within this range. A customer once questioned this brewing temperature, so Front Street Coffee took Golden Mandheling coffee beans (dark roast) and brewed them with 90°C water. As a result, the taste was almost comparable to espresso.

【Grind size】
Refers to the size of the coffee particles. Grind size affects the contact time between coffee and water. If the coffee powder is 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 suggests using a grind size with 80% passing through the Chinese standard No. 20 sieve as the pour-over grind size. This was obtained through many taste tests. It should be noted that different coffee beans have different grind sizes, so when the pour-over flavor is not right, you can check whether there is a problem with the grind size.

Finely ground coffee will have higher concentration, higher extraction rate, and higher body (prone to over-extraction). 

Front Street Coffee coffee powder fine grind demonstration

Coarsely ground coffee has low concentration, low extraction rate, and low body (prone to under-extraction).

Front Street Coffee coffee powder coarse grind demonstration
 

Front Street Coffee suggests that the grind size for pour-over coffee is medium-fine (similar in size to granulated sugar).
 

 Front Street Coffee coffee powder medium-fine grind demonstration
 

【Coffee-to-water ratio】
The coffee-to-water ratio refers to the ratio of coffee grounds to brewing water, affecting the strength of the coffee. It can be 1:10, 1:13, 1:15, or 1:16. Front Street Coffee suggests using a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, which is relatively moderate in both concentration and taste. Of course, everyone pursues a different coffee taste. When brewing coffee, everyone can adjust their own coffee-to-water ratio according to the strength and taste they want.

【Water quality】
A good cup of coffee is of course inseparable from good water quality. In daily life, do not use tap water directly to brew coffee. It is recommended to use filtered water or purified water to brew coffee. Of course, mineral water is also fine. However, when each type of water is used with the same brewing parameters, the taste will also differ slightly. Front Street Coffee also conducted an experiment for this. (This experiment is not to prove which water quality is better for brewing coffee, but to show how different water qualities differ in extraction flavor, for everyone's reference.)

Water quality test results

Front Street Coffee used [Front Street Coffee Sidamo Huakui coffee beans] to demonstrate the results of this experiment:

Experimental results

Water quality directly affects the taste, aroma, consistency, and many other health elements of all coffee. The key influencing factor lies in the mineral composition in the water. Mineral ions such as calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium in water affect the thermodynamic extraction ability of coffee, thereby causing changes in coffee flavor.

【Fresh coffee beans】
Front Street Coffee believes that both single-origin beans and espresso beans can be used for pour-over coffee, but if you still want to taste the charm of pour-over coffee, it is better to choose single-origin beans with detailed bean information (origin, variety, processing method), so you can taste the flavor characteristics of a single origin. Front Street Coffee therefore launched a daily beans series, with the aim of letting everyone buy beans that can show the flavor of their corresponding origin at a relatively cheaper price, such as the citric acidity of Yirgacheffe, the herbal taste of Mandheling, and the nutty chocolate flavor of Brazil and Colombia. These are the basic flavors of the origins, and they can all be reflected in the daily beans. Also, when buying freshly roasted coffee beans, the flavor of roasted coffee beans will gradually weaken after roasting. When you receive freshly roasted beans, they need a resting period of 4-7 days, at which point the coffee flavor will be at its best. Therefore, the Front Street Coffee that everyone receives is generally beans within one week or three to four days, so that when you receive them you can immediately enjoy this coffee. After one month, the flavor of the beans will become much flatter, so it is recommended not to keep a bag of beans for too long. Drinking it within one month is best.

 Front Street Coffee coffee beans from major origins

【Brewing technique】
There are many kinds of brewing techniques: three-stage, one-cut, drip method, and so on. Front Street Coffee suggests that beginners use the three-stage pouring method to brew. This technique is suitable for light roast, medium-light roast, 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 can relatively ensure the presentation of the coffee's flavor.

First pour: blooming (helps release gas)
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 beans 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 coffee beans are all freshly roasted, so customers are generally advised to rest the beans for three days first, letting the coffee beans release carbon dioxide first, so that unstable and under-extracted problems can be avoided during brewing.

After the blooming releases gas, the coffee particles can absorb water evenly, which allows the later extraction to be uniform. A good bloom allows the coffee grounds to fully and evenly release gas quickly while also allowing the coffee grounds to fully and quickly contact water, helping the coffee grounds be evenly extracted.

During blooming, pay attention to the following four points:
1. Before pouring water for the bloom, first level the coffee grounds.

2. When blooming, pour water gently.

3. During blooming, the extracted liquid flowing down should be as little as possible; when too much extracted liquid appears in the server, reduce the amount of water poured, or pay attention to the grind size. (If there is too much water in the bloom and a large amount of coffee liquid drips down, the falling water does not stay but directly carries out substances from the outside of the coffee grounds. The off-flavors and astringency of the outer layer of the coffee grounds also begin to dissolve out. The coffee brewed this way is both weak and yet has over-extracted off-flavors. If the bloom water amount is insufficient and no water drops fall at all, then the coffee grounds have not absorbed enough water, some coffee has not released enough gas, and this will cause under-extraction.) Based on this situation, after many bloom experiments, Front Street Coffee found that pouring water at twice the amount of coffee grounds during blooming is relatively appropriate.

4. The blooming time is about 30 seconds to 40 seconds. When the expansion on the surface of the coffee grounds ends, you will see shrinkage on the coffee surface. This means the bloom is complete and you can begin pouring water. (In terms of time, if the blooming time is too long, the coffee is prone to bitterness and astringency; if the time is too short, the soaking is insufficient, and the coffee may be under-extracted or the coffee may not be fully presented.) Generally speaking, the end time of blooming will differ for each bean, but Front Street Coffee 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 suggests a blooming time of 30 seconds. Of course, experienced people can adjust the time themselves.

Second pour
The second pour starts from the center, injecting a small stream of water into the bottom of the coffee bed. In order for the penetrating force of the water stream to be concentrated, the circular movement range should be small, about the size of a one-yuan coin, and then spiral outward. From the start of the second pour, pay attention to the water amount and try not to exceed the height of the coffee bed. That is, when the water stream circles to near the filter paper, you can stop pouring.

Regarding the pouring issue, Front Street Coffee always tells customers that pouring should be gentle, that during the circular pouring the water stream should not break, that the flow should be well controlled and steady, and not one large and one small. Why is that? There are two main reasons: the size of the water flow affects the agitation of the coffee bed, and the water flow controls the extraction time.

1. The size of the water flow affects the agitation of the coffee bed

When you pour, the larger the water flow, the greater the degree to which the coffee grounds are agitated, and then the extraction time will be shortened; conversely, when the water flow is small, the degree of agitation of the coffee grounds is small, and then the extraction time will be lengthened.

When brewing with a large water flow, the coffee bed is agitated strongly, the water level in the dripper rises rapidly, as if the water is about to submerge the filter paper, and drainage accelerates, which easily makes the extraction time too short, leading to under-extraction, and the coffee flavor cannot be presented.

When using a small water flow, it is exactly the opposite. Although the water level is not high, an overly gentle small water flow makes the force of the stream unable to penetrate the coffee bed and can only stir the surface of the coffee grounds. Moreover, the extraction time is obviously prolonged, and the coffee is prone to bitterness and off-flavors, greatly affecting the coffee's taste.

2. Control extraction time through water flow

The longer the extraction time = the stronger the flavor, the higher the concentration, and the more obvious the sensations of acidity, sweetness, and bitterness

The shorter the extraction time = the softer the flavor, the lower the concentration, and the less obvious the sensations of acidity, sweetness, and bitterness
 

Third pour
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 halfway, you can proceed with the third pour.

From the start of the third pour, observe the extent to which the water level drops. Likewise, start pouring from the center in a circular motion, and the water amount should not exceed the height of the coffee bed. At this time you will also observe that the foam has already covered the entire surface. The third pour should increase the tumbling of the coffee particles, allowing all the settled particles to tumble and thereby dissolve soluble substances.

The rolling particles will begin to stop once pouring stops. At this point, the flow rate caused by the dropping water level is needed to create friction among the coffee particles. Therefore, once pouring stops, the coffee particles sink downward, causing blockage, 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 the whole time. In this way, it will cause the final stage of coffee extraction to produce astringency and off-flavors.

Taking [Front Street Coffee Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Coffee] as an example

Brewing parameters: Front Street Coffee suggests using a Hario V60 dripper, 90°C water temperature, 15 g coffee dose, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, grind size BG#5F (80% passing through the Chinese standard No. 20 sieve)

Brewing technique: Front Street Coffee uses segmented extraction, using 30 g of water for a 30-second bloom, then pouring in a small circular stream until 125 g for the stage break. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring until 225 g and stop pouring. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper. (Timing starts at the beginning of the bloom.) The extraction time is 2 minutes.

Flavor description: obvious floral aroma, bright lemon and citrus acidity, with some black tea tea-like character in the finish.

For more specialty coffee beans, please add the private WeChat Front Street Coffee, WeChat ID: kaixinguoguo0925
 

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