Pour-Over Brewing Parameters for Brazilian Coffee Beans: A Tutorial on How to Properly Brew Brazilian Coffee

As the world's largest coffee exporting country, Brazil's coffee beans are loved by coffee enthusiasts worldwide. Consequently, many people brew FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian coffee at home using pour-over methods, including many newcomers to pour-over coffee who are unsure about various brewing techniques. In this article, FrontStreet Coffee will share how to properly brew FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian coffee beans using pour-over methods, along with recommended brewing parameters.

Understanding FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian Queen Estate Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee uses the Brazilian Queen Estate, which best represents the flavor profile of Brazilian coffee-growing regions, as an example. As everyone knows, coffee beans are agricultural products, so their flavors vary with regional geography and climate. Additionally, coffee bean varieties and processing methods also influence FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian coffee bean flavors to some extent. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee will also explain how the flavor characteristics of FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian Queen Estate are formed, which will help determine the optimal brewing parameters for this FrontStreet Coffee Brazilian coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee: FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian Queen Estate Coffee Beans

Country: Brazil

Region: São Paulo State (Queen Estate)

Altitude: 1400-1950m

Variety: Yellow Bourbon

Processing Method: Pulped Natural/Natural

Flavor: Nuts, cream, peanuts, fermented fruits, sugarcane

Brazilian Queen Estate Coffee Region in São Paulo State

As mentioned above, this Brazilian Queen Estate comes from the São Paulo State region in Brazil, one of Brazil's oldest coffee-growing states. The main sub-regions within this area are Santos and Mogiana.

The Queen Estate is located in the northern part of the Mogiana region in São Paulo State, Brazil. This estate is highly renowned in Brazil and owned by the Carvalho Dias family. The Carvalho Dias family owns four major estates that have won awards every year since the first Brazil Cup of Excellence competition in 1999, winning more than 12 times in 7 years. In 2004, they even secured the championship, 9th place, and 11th place.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian Queen Estate Coffee Variety

As mentioned above, FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian Queen Estate coffee beans are of the Yellow Bourbon variety. Yellow Bourbon is a variant of the Bourbon variety grown in Brazil, which produces yellow fruits due to its recessive genes. Yellow Bourbon coffee beans are inherently sweet, clean, well-balanced, and have tropical fruit aromas. According to FrontStreet Coffee, 200 of the estate's 280 acres are dedicated to growing Yellow Bourbon.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian Queen Estate Coffee Bean Processing Method

This FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian Queen Estate uses Brazil's unique pulped natural processing method. Because Brazil's local climate conditions are relatively dry, they created the distinctive pulped natural method to process green coffee beans. Pulped natural processing can control the fermentation degree of the coffee beans with mucilage after removing the skin and pulp. The pulped natural method doesn't include the "water tank fermentation, clean water rinsing" process of washed processing. Without this fermentation step, the coffee bean's flavor is completely different.

The above are the three major factors that FrontStreet Coffee has compiled regarding the formation of this coffee bean's flavor. So how can we brew out the flavors of this coffee bean?

How to Pour-Over Brew FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian Coffee Beans?

FrontStreet Coffee believes that to brew a good pot of coffee, you should focus on these four main aspects: water temperature, grind size, coffee-to-water ratio, and brewing technique.

1. Water Temperature

When FrontStreet Coffee pour-over brews coffee beans with different roast levels, we also choose different water temperatures. During roasting, the substances contained in coffee beans are lost as the roast level deepens. Therefore, for dark roast coffee beans, temperature is reduced to avoid extracting excessive undesirable flavors. For light to medium roast beans, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using water temperatures of 90-91°C, while for medium-dark roast FrontStreet Coffee's PWN Gold Mandheling, we recommend using water temperatures of 87-89°C.

For this FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian Queen Estate coffee bean, which primarily features nut and cream flavors, FrontStreet Coffee uses medium-dark roasting to highlight these characteristics. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee controls the brewing water temperature at 87-89°C.

2. Grind Size

Grind size refers to the size of coffee particles, as it affects the contact time between coffee and water. The finer the coffee grounds, the more substances water can extract in the same amount of time. However, with fine grinding, coffee is prone to over-extraction during the brewing process. Conversely, the coarser the coffee grind, the fewer substances water can extract in the same time, but coarser grinding can lead to under-extraction.

Since everyone's grinder is different, the parameters vary accordingly. Here, FrontStreet Coffee suggests purchasing a #20 cupping calibration sieve with 0.85mm aperture. We take 10g of coffee beans, adjust to an approximate grind size, grind into coffee powder, then pour it into the sieve for screening. Weigh the sifted coffee powder (make sure to sieve until no more coffee powder can pass through).

A pass rate of 80% (10g of powder yields 8g) is the most suitable grind size for light to medium roast coffee beans. A pass rate of 70%-75% (10g of powder yields 7-7.5g) is the most suitable grind size for medium-dark roast. If the pass rate exceeds the suitable range, appropriately adjust the grind to be coarser. If the pass rate doesn't reach the suitable range, appropriately adjust the grind to be finer.

3. Coffee-to-Water Ratio

This is FrontStreet Coffee's pour-over coffee water ratio extraction parameters based on SCAA Golden Cup extraction theory and taste differences:

【Bold Flavor】 1:10～1:11 (equivalent to Golden Cup standard 1:12.5～1:13.5)

【Medium Flavor】 1:12～1:13 (equivalent to Golden Cup standard 1:14.5～1:15.5)

【Light Flavor】 1:14～1:16 (equivalent to Golden Cup standard 1:16.5～1:18.5)

Coffee bean weight to brewing water ratio of 1:14.5～1:15.5 most easily achieves the golden range of 18%～22% extraction rate and 1.15%～1.35% concentration.

Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee suggests using the foolproof 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio when brewing this FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian Queen Estate coffee beans.

4. Brewing Technique

Finally, pour-over brewing techniques are also very important. Common techniques include three-stage pouring, single-stream pouring, and drip-by-drip pouring. Here, FrontStreet Coffee recommends beginners use the three-stage water pouring method to brew, as this technique is suitable for light roast, light to medium, and medium roast coffee beans. The segmented extraction of three-stage pouring can clearly distinguish the front, middle, and back-end flavors of coffee, better ensuring the flavor presentation.

After understanding the four pour-over elements above, FrontStreet Coffee will share the brewing data for this FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian coffee beans with everyone.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian Queen Estate Pour-Over Brewing Parameters

Dripper: KONO

Coffee Dose: 15g

Water Temperature: 90°C

Grind Size: Medium grind, 75% pass rate with #20 standard sieve

Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15

Brewing Method: Segmented extraction

Use 30g of water for 30-second bloom, then continue pouring in small circular motions to 125g for segmentation. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. Wait for the water level to drop and just before exposing the coffee bed, remove the filter (timing starts from bloom). V60 dripper extraction time is 2'00", while Kono dripper extraction time is slightly longer at 2'10".

FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian Queen Estate coffee bean flavor: Balanced mouthfeel, with almond and cocoa as the main notes highlighting sugarcane sweetness, making it a coffee with good body and full sweetness.

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style).

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee's private WeChat: kaixinguoguo0925

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473