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Difference in Flavor Between Pour-Over Coffee and Espresso Coffee - Which Tastes Better: Pour-Over or Americano

Published: 2026-01-28 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/28, For more professional coffee knowledge and coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style). Pour-over coffee tutorials _ pour-over coffee videos _ pour-over coffee techniques and ratios. The now increasingly popular pour-over coffee, compared to the familiar espresso coffee everyone knows, what are the differences between these two forms of coffee

Nowadays, pour-over coffee and espresso are the two most mainstream brewing methods, so coffee beans in the consumer market are developed almost exclusively around these two purposes. The extraction principles of pour-over and espresso differ; pour-over coffee belongs to atmospheric pressure drip filtration extraction, somewhat like brewing tea, with a relatively refreshing taste; while espresso belongs to pressurized extraction, using high pressure to force coffee substances out, resulting in very small cups of concentrated coffee. The raw materials used, namely coffee beans, and the adjustment of extraction parameters are also different.

What we call pour-over coffee involves first grinding coffee beans into powder, then pouring hot water to contact the coffee grounds to "dissolve" substances from the coffee. It actually uses a filter cup with filter paper or other tools to catch coffee grounds, preventing them from entering the server below, resulting in a cup of clear-tasting black coffee. To brew a cup of pour-over coffee, based on FrontStreet Coffee's brewing experience, besides quality coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee believes you need at least these essential tools: a pour-over kettle for water pouring, a filter cup and filter paper to catch coffee grounds, a server, a grinder to grind coffee beans, an electronic scale to record water volume and time, and a thermometer to measure water temperature.

Since drip coffee extraction takes longer, typically at least several minutes, Italians thought of using steam pressure to pass high-temperature, high-pressure water through coffee puck to speed up the original drip extraction rate. With continuous improvements and updates, this evolved into the semi-automatic/fully automatic espresso machines we commonly see today. When using an espresso machine, coffee beans are ground into powder, packed into a portafilter, and high pressure is used to push hot water through the coffee grounds, extracting a cup of rich-tasting espresso. Because of the higher concentration, we usually dilute it with water or milk for consumption. Common beverages like Americano, latte, and cappuccino are all made with espresso as the base.

Although it looks simple to operate, using an espresso machine for extraction requires soluble flavor substances in the coffee to release into hot water within just a few dozen seconds. The contact between coffee and water must be more thorough, and the grind must be very fine and uniform, which greatly tests the quality of coffee beans and the barista's skill. Many factors affect the flavor of an espresso, including coffee bean quality, roast level, grind size, espresso machine boiler pressure, water temperature, distribution and tamping pressure, dose amount, extraction time, and extracted liquid weight, among other factors and details. The four main factors used to adjust extraction in daily practice are dose, time, liquid weight, and grind size. Brewing parameters will vary subtly based on daily air humidity and coffee bean conditions, thus requiring adjustments up or down to achieve better extraction results.

Friends who have had coffee at FrontStreet Coffee's Dongshankou store should have seen FrontStreet Coffee's bean menu blackboard, with nearly fifty single-origin varieties divided into multiple different regions, all served by FrontStreet Coffee in pour-over or cold drip form, while FrontStreet Coffee only uses one house-roasted "Sunflower Warm Sunshine Blend" for making espresso. If light-roasted pour-over single-origin coffee beans are used to make espresso, with finer grinding and high pressure, the coffee taste will be very intense and concentrated, easily presenting negative bitterness, acidity, and astringency. Therefore, based on the two different forms of extraction - pour-over and espresso - FrontStreet Coffee suggests choosing corresponding coffee beans for extraction when making coffee.

For Coffee Beginners

Pour-over allows people to taste the most original aroma and flavor of black coffee. If you are a beginner who just started, FrontStreet Coffee suggests using cost-effective coffee beans for practice. First, it's easier to get to know major production regions through regional flavors, and it also avoids waste from operational mistakes.

FrontStreet Coffee's bean menu features a daily coffee series, so-called daily coffees that are delicious and affordable. FrontStreet Coffee has selected 7 classic origins, covering multiple representative regions, varieties, and natural processing methods, including Ethiopian washed Yirgacheffe, Guatemalan washed Huehuetenango, Colombian washed Huila, Brazilian semi-washed Cerrado, Costa Rican washed Tarrazú, Indonesian wet-hulled Lintong Mandheling, and Chinese Yunnan washed Baoshan. This allows everyone to taste regional flavor profiles at reasonable prices, thereby confirming their own coffee preferences. It's FrontStreet Coffee's very cost-effective coffee series.

Espresso Recommendations

Since espresso is extracted under fine grinding, high water temperature, and high pressure, the concentrated coffee gathers multiple flavors, with various flavor compounds impacting our tongue exponentially. Coffee, as an agricultural product, varies with climate, soil, and other changes. Even from the same place, each batch of coffee beans will have different flavors. Blended coffee beans use the method of complementing strengths and weaknesses to ensure each batch of coffee beans presents balanced and stable aroma and taste.

FrontStreet Coffee here recommends FrontStreet Coffee's house-roasted "Sunflower Warm Sunshine Blend Coffee Beans," composed of Ethiopian natural processed red cherry coffee beans (30%) + Honduras sherry barrel-aged coffee beans (70%). When made into espresso, the entry presents flavors of sherry, vanilla, and cream, paired with the tropical fruits and fermentation notes of red cherries, making the coffee in the cup rich and smooth. The aroma that emerges after swallowing is endlessly memorable. Whether it's an Americano diluted with water or a latte enhanced with milk, both present rich aroma and taste.

Brewing Methods

When making Americano, FrontStreet Coffee grinds coffee beans into powder, then extracts espresso according to a 1:2 coffee-to-liquid ratio, and dilutes it in water, meaning using 20g of coffee grounds to extract 40g of coffee liquid. Based on FrontStreet Coffee's multiple tests and adjustments, a 1:6 ratio of coffee liquid to water is most suitable for expressing the warm sunshine aroma, that is, pouring 40g of coffee liquid into 240g of 88°C hot water, and the hot Americano is ready.

If making iced Americano, FrontStreet Coffee replaces hot water with 120g of ice cubes and 120g of room temperature water, achieving the best taste before the ice melts. FrontStreet Coffee's iced Americano presents a refreshing and pleasant sweet and sour taste, making it easily acceptable even for friends who don't often drink coffee.