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Pour-Over Coffee Technique Sharing | Kalita Wave Cake Cup Brewing Light Roast Natural Geisha Coffee Beans

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional coffee knowledge exchange For more coffee bean information please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account cafe_style ) Usually at the bar counter we encounter various customers Among these customers a considerable portion are not accustomed to the acidity of coffee while typically coffee with strong acidity are those roasted lighter and indeed some lightly roasted coffees have acidity that

Professional Coffee Knowledge Exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style).

In daily work at the counter, I encounter various types of customers. Among them, a considerable portion are not accustomed to the acidity of coffee. Typically, coffees with strong acidity are those roasted lighter, and indeed, some lightly roasted coffees have acidity that can be difficult to accept. Therefore, customers naturally form the impression that the lighter the coffee roast, the more acidic the coffee will be.

At very light and light roast levels, since coffee beans retain more sucrose and the total amount of organic acids isn't as high, they actually taste like gentle acidity with a very natural sweetness. Geisha green beans contain higher sugar content, and if these green beans are roasted to this stage, they can even have strong sweet flavors when brewed.

Today, I'll use light-roasted Geisha + a Wave dripper combination to explain how to brew light-roasted beans to extract their sweetness.

Light-roasted Geisha coffee beans and brewing equipment

Equipment Introduction

Pour-over kettle: Kalita copper kettle, gooseneck spout

Beans: FrontStreet Coffee sun-dried Janson Geisha, light roast

Dripper: The Kalita Wave coffee dripper comes in two sizes: #155 and #185. The #155 is smaller and suitable for brewing one cup of coffee, while #185 is larger and suitable for 2-4 servings. Kalita Wave coffee drippers are available in glass and stainless steel materials, and for #185, there's also a ceramic version.

The difference between Kalita Wave and the familiar Hario V60 is that the bottom is flat. The flat-bottom design allows for more complete extraction. Looking closely at the Kalita stainless steel dripper, you'll see three small holes on the flat bottom.

#155 size

You need to purchase special Wave dripper filter paper. Kalita filter paper is recommended, but Bonavita Wave dripper filter paper is suggested as it's thicker than Kalita's and features special deepened side guide channels.

Wave dripper filter paper with deepened side channels

Light-roasted coffee beans have compounds that are extremely difficult to extract, so a relatively fine grind is often used. If using a V60, it should be even finer than shown in the picture below. This increases the water contact area of the coffee grounds and improves extraction rate. Using a Wave dripper is actually an immersion extraction process, similar to the Kalita trapezoid dripper. Next, FrontStreet Coffee provides pour-over recommendations:

Fine grind for light-roasted coffee beans

First: Lower Temperature

Geisha beans are recommended to be brewed with water temperature of 87°C. Lowering the water temperature can slow down the extraction rate and reduce the extraction of bitter compounds.

Second: Gentle Flow (Water flow should be gentle)

Gentle water pouring reduces the impact of water flow on the coffee bed. Control the water level in the dripper. After the bloom, pour water slowly from a low height, allowing the coffee grounds in the dripper to be soaked as if in immersion. This can slow down the extraction rhythm and easily produce coffee with a smooth mouthfeel and solid flavor.

Third: Slow (Slow circular motion)

Slowly pour water from inside to outside and then from outside to inside on the coffee bed. Too fast circular motion will increase the stirring effect of water flow on the coffee, easily making medium-dark roasted beans more bitter. Minimize stirring of the coffee bed and try to let the coffee flavor extract through immersion. This can effectively control bitterness and astringency.

Slow, steady, continuous pouring: Use a fine, long stream of water in circular motions, pouring gently to ensure even extraction. Very slowly. The Kalita drains slower than Kono cone-shaped drippers and V60 drippers. You can also appropriately use a stir stick for stirring. Usually, during the bloom stage, perform one cross-stir to allow water to fully contact the coffee grounds and increase the release of aromatic compounds.

Fourth: For light roast, use coffee-to-water ratio of 1:13-1:14

That is, 18g of coffee grounds with 250ml of water. This ratio is moderate and won't produce overly watery, thin coffee.

Coffee scale showing 18g beans and 250ml water ratio

Specific parameters: Using hot water from the pour-over kettle, pour in clockwise circles centered on the middle of the dripper. Start timing when brewing begins. Within 15 seconds, brew the coffee to about 40g, then stop pouring. When the time reaches 1 minute and 6 seconds, pour for the second time. During the second pour, like the first time, pour in clockwise circles centered on the middle of the dripper. The water flow should not hit the area where coffee grounds meet the filter paper to avoid channeling effects. When pouring to the outermost circle of coffee grounds, leave a margin, then pour circle by circle toward the center. Within 3 minutes, brew the coffee to 250g. Manual pour-over coffee is complete.

Completed pour-over coffee brewing process

Key Points

During blooming, the pouring force should not be too strong - be gentle and avoid touching the filter paper edges.

The amount of water used during blooming should be about 10% of the total water volume. For brewing 300ml of coffee, the blooming water needed is about 30ml. Or based on the amount of coffee grounds: if using 15g of grounds, a bloom ratio of 1:2 means you can pour 30g of water; if using 20g of grounds, a bloom ratio of 1:2 means you can pour 40g of water.

During the blooming process, the extracted liquid that flows down should be as little as possible. When too much extracted liquid appears in the lower pot, you should reduce the amount of pouring water or pay attention to the grind size.