Pour-Over Coffee Single-Stream Technique: Step-by-Step Guide & Ratio Method - Detailed Explanation of Single vs. Triple Stream Differences

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The Art of Pour-Over Coffee: Single-Pour vs. Three-Pour Techniques

One of the great joys of pour-over coffee lies in using different brewing methods to interpret a cup of coffee. Everyone pays close attention to pour-over methods. Currently, the most widely spread pour-over techniques are the single-pour and three-pour methods. Let's explore the characteristics of each technique!

What is the Single-Pour Brewing Method?

The single-pour method is often the first pour-over technique people encounter when starting with hand-pour coffee. Its brewing theory is straightforward and easy to understand: after the first pour for blooming, the second pour completes the target water quantity all at once. It's important to note that single-pour doesn't mean pouring in one continuous stream. The entire brewing process includes two pours: the first bloom pour and the second proportional pour. Generally, a single continuous pour is expressed as "one-shot pouring."

Brewing Process

First, prepare everything (warm the filter cup and server, grind coffee, prepare water at the appropriate temperature), and add the coffee grounds. If we use 15 grams of coffee with a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, the target water quantity is 225 grams.

Begin the first pour while starting the timer. Pour 30 grams of hot water from the center outward in circles. The coffee grounds will absorb water and slowly expand, forming a puffed-up "coffee burger." Stop pouring when you reach 30 grams and wait for a 30-second bloom time. Starting at the 31st second on the scale, begin the second pour, moving from center to outward in a "mosquito coil" pattern. Keep the water flow steady and vertical, using a small flow rate (about 4g/s). The liquid level will rise steadily. As the foam on the coffee surface releases, it will spread across the entire coffee bed. The water stream should circle from the outermost edge toward the center. Stop pouring when you reach 225 grams. Once all the coffee has dripped into the server, remove the filter cup to complete extraction.

Characteristics of the Single-Pour Brewing Method

Highlighting Clean, Clear, and Stable Flavors

Coffee brewed with the single-pour method typically tends to be lighter, cleaner, and clearer (compared to multi-pour methods). Because single-pour involves minimal technique intervention, it can more intuitively and stably express the coffee's flavor compared to multi-pour methods.

Easy to Understand but Demanding of Pouring Fundamentals

This brewing method is the easiest for beginners to grasp theoretically, but pouring stability is crucial. Single-pour doesn't involve many techniques, but the key factor affecting a cup of coffee is the stability and flow rate of the water stream. Therefore, single-pour is very suitable for beginners to practice. If water flow control is poor, negative flavors will be more apparent than with other methods.

More Stringent Parameter Requirements

This is particularly evident in the grind size parameter. Too coarse coffee grounds can lead to under-extraction, while too fine grounds can cause prolonged immersion time resulting in over-extraction. Therefore, without the influence of technique factors, the precision required for grind size is stricter than with other methods.

What is the Three-Pour Brewing Method?

This is a relatively common brewing technique. Simply put, it divides the entire pouring process into three parts, including the first bloom pour. Taking FrontStreet Coffee's parameters for brewing Colombian Huilan Washed Caturra as an example: 15 grams of coffee grounds as standard, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, water temperature 88°C, medium-coarse grind, with 65% pass-through rate on a #20 standard sieve.

Brewing Process

First, prepare everything (warm the filter cup and server, grind coffee, prepare water at the appropriate temperature), and add the coffee grounds. Begin the first pour while starting the timer. Pour 30 grams of hot water from the center outward in circles. The coffee grounds will absorb water and slowly expand, forming a puffed-up "coffee burger."

Stop pouring when you reach 30 grams and wait for a 30-second bloom time. Starting at the 31st second on the scale, begin the second pour, moving from center to outward in circles. Keep the water flow steady and vertical. When the water stream impacts the coffee bed, foam will appear. This brewing segment allows the coffee foam to release and spread across the entire coffee bed surface. Raise the liquid level to the root of the ribs (referring to the filter paper ribs). This segment uses 100 grams of water.

When the liquid level drops to the 1/2 mark, begin the final pour. This segment also pours 95 grams from center to outward in a "mosquito coil" pattern. The original dark brown foam transforms into light yellow coffee foam. The liquid level returns to the same height as during the second pour. Once all the coffee has dripped into the server, remove the filter cup to complete extraction.

How to Determine When to Pour Again?

The three-pour method has two re-pouring time points: the second and third pours. The timing for the second pour is easy to master - typically 30 seconds after the bloom. The third pour is more challenging because there's no fixed time point. Generally, you pour again when the water level drops to 1/2 or 2/3.

When the water level drops to 1/2 or 2/3, there won't be too much water accumulated in the filter cup, nor will the coffee bed be exposed due to excessive water level drop, which would cause uneven extraction of upper and lower coffee grounds.

After the water level drops, the water stream can directly penetrate the accumulated water to agitate the lower coffee bed. If the water level is too high, the impact force of the water stream won't be sufficient, leading to over-extraction of the upper coffee bed while the lower coffee grounds remain under-extracted.

What are the Advantages of Three-Pour Extraction?

Enhanced Coffee Flavor

During extraction, it can more fully extract the flavor compounds from coffee, enhancing the layered complexity of the coffee.

Strong Versatility

It can effectively express the flavors of coffees from different origins and with different roast degrees;

For the brewer, if you notice the water level rising too quickly during the initial pour, you can adopt a segmented approach, extending the brewing time to let the water level drop before continuing brewing. This can avoid under-extraction caused by too-fast water flow.

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