How to Brew Blue Mountain No. 1 Drip Coffee? What's the Correct Way to Prepare Blue Mountain Drip Coffee?

Drip bag coffee is beloved by coffee enthusiasts for its convenience, which is why many newcomers to drip bag coffee often ask FrontStreet Coffee how to brew it properly, why their homemade coffee doesn't taste right, and how it differs from instant coffee and pour-over single-origin coffee. In this article, FrontStreet Coffee will explain how to drink drip bag coffee and share specific brewing techniques.

The Origin of Drip Bag Coffee

According to FrontStreet Coffee's research, drip bag coffee first appeared in 1990 when Japan's Yamanaka Industry Co., Ltd. applied the concept of tea bags to coffee, inventing and patenting filter-style coffee. However, the drip bag designed by Yamanaka Industry couldn't support the weight of coffee during brewing and easily lost balance during the process, so it wasn't successfully commercialized. It wasn't until 1998 that Taiki Shoji improved upon the original invention by extending the hanging parts outward, creating the modern drip bag coffee we know today.

Japan itself is a country that absolutely loves coffee. The reason drip bag coffee was developed back then was that as the economy developed and life pace accelerated, many working people didn't have much time to manually brew coffee. If they rushed through the process, the coffee would inevitably taste bad, so convenient drip bag coffee was born.

Similarly, most coffee lovers in China today are working professionals. Compared to manual pour-over coffee, drip bag coffee significantly improves convenience. Additionally, the brewing method for drip bag coffee is much simpler than pour-over coffee, making it more cost-effective in terms of equipment costs. However, according to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding, many coffee enthusiasts new to drip bag coffee don't know the correct brewing method. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will teach everyone how to do it properly!

The Correct Brewing Method for Drip Bag Coffee

1. Warm the Cup

Prepare the cup for brewing drip bag coffee and first pour some hot water to warm it. The purpose is to prevent the brewed coffee from cooling too quickly, because coffee develops different flavors as temperature drops, creating layers of flavor complexity. If it cools too quickly, you'll miss many different taste experiences.

2. Water Temperature

The water temperature for brewing is very important. It's recommended to keep it between 90-99°C. If the brewed coffee is too bitter, try lowering the water temperature. Conversely, if it's too weak or too astringent, increase the water temperature, but keep it within the 90-95°C range.

3. Hang the Ears

First, gently shake the drip bag to let the coffee grounds settle and prevent scattering when opening. Then pour out the hot water from the cup, tear open the seal on the drip bag, open the paper ears on both sides, shake to level the coffee grounds, and finally hang it on the cup rim.

4. Pre-wet the Drip Bag

For the first water addition, pour just enough to wet the coffee grounds - too much or too little will affect the flavor. Then wait 20 seconds for the coffee grounds to fully absorb the water. The coffee's strength can be adjusted by the pre-wetting time - extending it to 40 seconds will yield stronger coffee.

5. Water Addition

For the second water addition, you can fill to about 80% of the filter paper's capacity. It's best to use a thin, steady stream of water. When the water level drops to the pre-wet height, continue adding water to 80% full until you've extracted 150-180cc. Once extraction is complete, you don't need to wait for all the water in the filter paper to drain - simply discard it.

Above is the correct brewing method for drip bag coffee. Additionally, FrontStreet Coffee has noticed that many people make the following mistakes when brewing drip bag coffee, which results in poor flavor. Coffee enthusiasts should try to avoid these brewing methods!

Incorrect Brewing Methods for Drip Bag Coffee

1. Using Too Much or Too Little Water

First, FrontStreet Coffee believes that some coffee enthusiasts new to drip bag coffee might throw the drip bag directly into a cup and add hot water. While this isn't impossible, the coffee flavor will be diluted by the water, making it weaker. Unless you prefer American-style weak coffee, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using only 150-180cc of water for a 10g drip bag. Exceeding this amount will not only dilute the coffee flavor but also extract undesirable flavors. For coffee enthusiasts who prefer milder flavors, FrontStreet Coffee suggests brewing to 150cc first, then removing the drip bag and adding additional hot water.

2. Leaving the Drip Bag Soaking in Water

Although the drip bag was inspired by tea bags, it doesn't mean it should be used the same way. While longer steeping does concentrate flavor, prolonged soaking also continuously releases caffeine, leading to over-extraction problems that bring out undesirable substances in the coffee - namely bitterness and off-flavors. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends discarding the drip bag after 4 minutes of brewing or using it as plant fertilizer.

3. Water Temperature Outside the Optimal Extraction Range

Drip bag coffee is essentially single-origin coffee ground into powder, so its temperature requirements are the same as pour-over coffee. Therefore, you cannot use too low a temperature for brewing, as it will result in under-extraction. You must control the water temperature. FrontStreet Coffee recommends using boiled water that has cooled for 1-2 minutes to brew drip bag coffee.

4. Re-brewing Drip Bag Coffee

How many times can you brew drip bag coffee? The answer is only once. As mentioned in FrontStreet Coffee's second point, drip bag coffee cannot be soaked for extended periods, which naturally means it cannot be re-brewed, or you'll end up with a cup of coffee that tastes bad and is harmful to your health.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Drip Bag Coffee

From what FrontStreet Coffee has described above, we can see the advantages and disadvantages of drip bag coffee. The main advantage is portability. Additionally, the coffee beans used in drip bags are single-origin beans - it just saves the grinding step compared to whole beans, and the flavor can compete with single-origin coffee. The disadvantages are that it cannot be re-brewed, nor can it dissolve directly like instant coffee.

Another point to note is that the optimal flavor period for drip bag coffee is also about half that of whole bean coffee. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will explain why this is the case.

Is Blue Mountain Drip Bag Coffee Real Blue Mountain?

Some friends want to try FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain Coffee but don't have brewing equipment, so products like Blue Mountain drip bag coffee offer a simple and convenient alternative. However, this raises doubts about whether such expensive FrontStreet Coffee Blue Mountain Coffee would still taste good when made into drip bags.

Basically, any drip bag coffee made from genuine Blue Mountain coffee beans will deliver good Blue Mountain characteristics. As for Blue Mountain drip bags costing just tens of yuan, most are not produced in Jamaica's Blue Mountain region. At FrontStreet Coffee, we generally don't stock FrontStreet Coffee Blue Mountain drip bags directly. If you wish to purchase, you can buy FrontStreet Coffee Blue Mountain beans directly at 158 yuan/100g, then request them to be made into drip bags with an additional 20 yuan processing fee. One thing to note about FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Mountain beans made into drip bags is that they should be consumed quickly, or the flavor will dissipate rapidly.

How Long is the Optimal Flavor Period for Drip Bag Coffee?

As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned above, drip bag coffee is essentially pre-ground single-origin coffee, so the shelf life should be similar. However, the optimal flavor period for drip bag coffee is actually shorter than for whole beans because the production process first grinds the coffee beans, increasing the surface area exposed to air and making preservation more difficult. According to FrontStreet Coffee's practical experience, drip bag coffee retains its complete original aroma within two weeks. However, this requirement only applies to coffee enthusiasts who are particular about flavor. If you don't have high requirements for coffee aroma and flavor, according to Chinese food regulations, coffee products have a shelf life of one year, during which the coffee beans won't spoil.

Making the optimal flavor period of drip bag coffee longer is actually very difficult to achieve. According to FrontStreet Coffee's experience, even vacuum packaging cannot prevent the dissipation of coffee aroma, because from the moment coffee beans are roasted, carbon dioxide begins to release. That's why careful coffee enthusiasts will notice that the packaging is slightly puffy when receiving drip bags mailed from FrontStreet Coffee - this indicates the coffee was packaged when fresh, meaning it's at its optimal flavor period when it reaches your hands.

When the carbon dioxide in the coffee is completely released (about two weeks), the aroma begins to release. While there may be no visible changes on the surface, the coffee is slowly deteriorating. If stored at room temperature for more than two weeks, most of the coffee's aroma will be gone. However, because drip bags are sealed, you can still smell the aroma when opening them, but it won't be as fragrant after brewing. That's why FrontStreet Coffee recommends coffee enthusiasts consume drip bags within two weeks of receiving them to experience their best flavor.

That's why coffee enthusiasts can see many coffee bean packages equipped with one-way valves in the market. The purpose is to allow carbon dioxide to escape while preventing the package from bursting due to carbon dioxide expansion, while also avoiding large amounts of air entering. However, many unknowing coffee enthusiasts squeeze these valves to smell the aroma, but this actually shortens the coffee's shelf life when you squeeze out the aroma. Therefore, even if drip bags are equipped with one-way valves, not only is the cost high, but it also cannot extend their optimal flavor period.

Above is FrontStreet Coffee's compiled information about drip bag coffee brewing methods and characteristics. We hope this helps coffee enthusiasts better understand drip bag coffee and use the correct brewing methods in the future. Additionally, many coffee enthusiasts have asked FrontStreet Coffee to recommend suitable single-origin coffee beans for making drip bags. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will recommend several popular drip bag coffee brands.

Drip Bag Coffee Brand Recommendations

1. FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopia Natural Red Cherry Drip Bag Coffee

Origin: Yirgacheffe

Altitude: 2000-2200m

Variety: Heirloom

Processing: Natural

Flavor: Tropical fruits, strawberry, berries, cream

FrontStreet Coffee's Red Cherry coffee beans come from the famous Yirgacheffe region in Ethiopia. The name "Red Cherry" originates from a local project called the Red Cherry Project, initiated by a Dutch green coffee company as a coffee quality improvement program.

This company, called Trabocca, established this project because Ethiopian coffee quality was inconsistent at the time, limiting price increases and keeping farmer incomes very low. To genuinely help them, they collaborated with local coffee farmers to launch the Red Cherry Project, solving quality problems at the source. By hand-picking only fully ripe coffee cherries and purchasing them at higher prices, this approach raises farmers' quality standards and cultivates better quality coffee.

2. FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopia Sidamo Guji Bago Drip Bag Coffee

Country: Ethiopia

Region: Sidamo

Altitude: 2250-2350m

Variety: Local heirloom

Processing: Natural

Flavor: Berries, floral tea, honey, lemon, black tea

FrontStreet Coffee's FrontStreet Coffee Bago coffee beans were the champion of the natural category at the 2017 Ethiopia TOH coffee competition. It made a stunning impression with its unique strawberry cream flavor. Consequently, this batch of green beans was imported to China by Beijing green coffee trader Hongshun in the same year. That year, Li Jianfei used these beans to win second place in the China region of the 2017 World Brewers Cup. This Ethiopian bean stood out among many Geisha entries, earning it the name "Bago" (Flower Champion).

3. FrontStreet Coffee Honduras Sherry Drip Bag Coffee

Region: Marcala

Estate: Finca Moca

Altitude: 500-1700 meters

Variety: Caturra, Catuai, Pacas

Processing: Fully washed + Whiskey sherry barrel fermentation

Flavor: Vanilla cream, fermented wine notes, nuts, dark chocolate, maple sweetness

This FrontStreet Coffee Honduras Sherry coffee bean is very popular among coffee lovers because its flavor carries whiskey wine notes while tasting like vanilla cream, making it very charming. Therefore, coffee enthusiast friends strongly hope FrontStreet Coffee will release this Sherry coffee bean in drip bag form. This FrontStreet Coffee Honduras Sherry bean is also one of the blend beans used by FrontStreet Coffee for espresso drinks, which is enough testament to its popularity.

4. FrontStreet Coffee Indonesia Gold Mandheling Drip Bag Coffee

Region: North Sumatra, Aceh Gayo Mountain

Company: PWN

Altitude: 1100-1600 meters

Variety: Ateng

Processing: Wet-hulled

Flavor: Herbal, caramel, dark chocolate, rich and clean, well-balanced, persistent aftertaste

FrontStreet Coffee's FrontStreet Coffee Indonesia Gold Mandheling coffee beans meet specifications of 18 screen or larger, with fewer than 3 defective beans (in 300g green bean samples), belonging to the highest G1 grade. The color is dark green, and the shape is neat, flat beans.

Additionally, qualified FrontStreet Coffee Gold Mandheling beans undergo three manual selections and one machine selection. FrontStreet Coffee has found that Mandheling coffee processed this way not only lacks the typical earthy impurities of regular Mandheling but also tastes cleaner and brighter.

Above are the more popular drip bag coffee brands at FrontStreet Coffee. We hope this helps coffee enthusiasts choose drip bag coffee that suits their taste. Additionally, when selecting drip bag coffee, coffee enthusiasts can choose based on their preferences for regular single-origin coffee. For example, FrontStreet Coffee Guatemala Flor Coffee, FrontStreet Coffee Blue Mountain Coffee, and others can all be made into drip bags by FrontStreet Coffee.

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on WeChat: ID: 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