Beginner's Guide| Which Brand of Drip Coffee Bags is Best? Are Drip Coffee Bags Instant Coffee?

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Some say love is addictive, and my addiction is coffee.

It's been a while since I had a cup, so I opened a bag of drip coffee.

The coffee powder is light in color, showing red, but far from the red of mocha. Red powder represents acidity, so this coffee is slightly acidic. Not bitter, not astringent, no crema, easy to drink.

Alright, I'll stop talking and let me savor this cup of coffee.

12.

This cup of coffee, in one word: bitter!

As you can see from picture three, the coffee powder particles in this bag are quite coarse, and the flavor is strong—you can't smell it through the screen.

Actually, you can tell a little from the appearance—such black packaging is a symbol of bitterness.

From so many experiences brewing drip coffee, I've managed to figure out some patterns.

Bitter, astringent, no crema, has foam, hard to drink—three stars, not recommended.

13. (Black bag)

1.

Not too bitter, not very sour either, average aroma, not too heavy. But still very fragrant. Easy to drink, can be enjoyed without milk or sugar. Has crema.

Purely personal feelings, no hate please.

2.

Eager to drink, I only realized I forgot to take photos after opening it.

The aroma was particularly strong when opened, felt it was over-roasted.

The drip bag's "ears" are quite unique, hanging on the side, not opposite.

The taste is rather light when drinking, becomes very smooth with milk.

Not acidic.

3.

Yes, I had two cups today. So indulgent.

This one has a tobacco aroma when smelled, not acidic on entry, with a sweet aftertaste.

The brew is clear and refreshing, I quite like it.

Acceptable without milk or sugar.

4.

Today is Christmas Eve, wishing everyone peace and safety—

Rich aroma.

Not acidic, bitter aftertaste, rather light—maybe I didn't control it well and added too much water.

No crema, has foam.

Can be drunk plain.

5.

Here I am again—2015 is about to pass, having a cup of coffee to reflect on life—hahaha

Opening the package still fills the entire dorm with fragrance.

The tobacco flavor isn't strong.

Slightly acidic, almost negligible, slightly bitter on entry—if you're not used to it, remember to add a milk ball. After swallowing, there's a bitter taste in the throat that lingers.

Has foam, no crema.

6.

The last day of 2015, must have a cup of coffee to reminisce.

Rich aroma, slightly bitter, quite fragrant and mellow.

Compared to the coffees above, this bag is more acidic.

Becomes quite sour when cooled, so everyone should drink it while hot.

There's crema!

Another bag with crema, so happy.

Acceptable, recommend drinking it plain—

7.

It's 2016, wishing everyone a Happy New Year!!!

Looking at this drip bag's packaging, it looks so rich and mellow, doesn't it!

Opening the package, I knew this was a strong-flavored product.

Aroma hits you, slightly bitter, slightly bitter.

First pour had no crema, just dark.

Second pour, crema appeared. Third pour, full of crema. Just looking at it feels satisfying.

This drip bag's filter seems quite dense, drips rather slowly, which also gave me a good opportunity to take photos.

Couldn't wait to take a sip after filtering.

Just one feeling: explosively bitter!

So, for coffee beginners like me. This cup absolutely needs milk!

Added a milk ball, smooth, I like it.

Acidity: one star, bitterness: four and a half stars, richness: three and a half stars.

Hope everyone likes my sharing.

8. 2016-1-4 Fujita Coffee

The powder is iron-red, the powder is iron-red, the powder is iron-red!

First and third pours had almost no crema, crema only appeared on the second pour. A thick layer.

Originally thought it would be more acidic, but actually it was fine.

Savoring it carefully, there's actually a bit of lemon flavor. Not sure if I'm mistaken. Fruity aroma is quite rich.

Slightly bitter. Quite easy to drink.

Not bad.

9.2

As soon as I opened the package, I smelled a rich tobacco aroma and burnt fragrance.

The foam after filtering lasted for a long time.

That's not crema, just foam and grounds.

Took a sip—mellow and bitter, really bitter.

How bitter? Took a sip of coffee, took a bite of 92% dark chocolate, and felt the dark chocolate was actually sweet.

The surprising delight was, after letting the dark chocolate melt in my mouth, taking a sip of coffee felt extremely fragrant. The slight sweetness and smoothness of the dark chocolate perfectly offset the bitterness of the black coffee. What a perfect combination.

Royal 92% sea salt dark chocolate.

Not acidic, because it's so bitter you can't taste other flavors.

The grounds are so dark.

10.

The rich aroma—I don't want to elaborate again, really fragrant as soon as you open it. Are there others like me who love smelling coffee?

Mocha, powder color is iron-red, though not as red as Fujita red bag. Red coffee powder usually indicates acidity. So the taste leans acidic, so clever me added a milk ball.

Overall, has crema, leans acidic, not bitter, easy to drink, becomes smooth with milk ball.

How to Judge Drip Coffee Quality

Drip coffee is nothing more than coffee powder in a drip bag. How to judge quality? From a seller's perspective, I think this way—

1. Quality of beans

Origin of beans, grade, whether the roast degree can showcase the bean's characteristics. Another often overlooked issue is that drip coffee is ground into powder, unlike buying beans, so the standards for selecting defective beans depend on the seller's own integrity.

2. Freshness

After coffee is ground into powder, it deteriorates much faster than beans. Many imported drip bags, due to customs clearance and distribution cycles, are nearly expired by the time they reach you. If it's over 2 months, I think the flavor is greatly affected. Now many shops can roast after ordering, including us.

3. Packaging quality, especially the drip filter bag

This is also overlooked by many people. Drip coffee of the same weight costs basically double that of beans—why? Because packaging costs are high. Japanese and Taiwanese ones cost double domestic ones, but the filter bags are thicker, with much better filtering and barrier properties. Filtering effect is also an important part of drip extraction that's often overlooked. Additionally, for products where filter bags directly contact the mouth, ensuring food-grade ink and no odor, safety and sterility are basic requirements. And on this point, sorry to say, many fail to meet standards.

Finally, a small advertisement—I still have some confidence in my own products. People who pay attention to this question must be genuinely interested in drip coffee. If you want to try, most Japanese-style drip bags on the market currently have these three indicators: bitterness, acidity, richness. You can check the packaging labels before buying to avoid getting flavors you don't like.

Popular ones include Starbucks, UCC, AGF, Sumida River, etc. After trying them, they all feel quite similar. But due to my personal preference for that mellow feeling after coffee is brewed, I priority recommend FrontStreet Coffee's seasonal drip bags, about 4 yuan per bag.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473