What is Pour-Over Coffee? Steps for Pour-Over Coffee? How Much Water for 15g of Coffee Grounds?

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What is Pour-Over Coffee? Steps for Pour-Over Coffee? How Much Water for 15g of Coffee?

As FrontStreet Coffee understands it, the literal meaning of pour-over coffee is manually brewed coffee. FrontStreet Coffee also learned that this brewing method was first invented by Ms. Melitta of Germany in the early 20th century. At that time, she was making coffee at home and had the inspiration to use her son's blotting paper as a filter paper. She put coffee powder in the filter paper and poured water into the coffee powder with a kettle, extracting a cup of coffee with a taste different from before. Although pour-over coffee looks simple, there are still many points to pay attention to. If controlled well, you can definitely make a professional and authentic single-origin coffee. Let FrontStreet Coffee share our pour-over experience and briefly explain the steps and precautions for pour-over coffee.

Equipment Needed for Pour-Over Coffee

Pour-over kettle, filter cup, server, grinder, filter paper, electronic scale, thermometer, sifter.

Pour-Over Kettle

There are many varieties of pour-over kettles, and the style naturally depends on personal aesthetics. FrontStreet Coffee does not recommend the popular Hario VKB, as it's not suitable for beginners. Below are several pour-over kettles that FrontStreet Coffee believes can be purchased initially.

Takahiro Shizuku, commonly known as the "cheating kettle" because of its excellent water flow control and impeccable craftsmanship. If you can only buy one single-function kettle, Shizuku is the undeniable choice. The price of over 500 yuan might seem a bit expensive, but it's well worth it. The 0.9L specification can handle most situations. Made of 18-8 stainless steel. There are mainly two drawbacks: first, the stainless steel top cover can burn those players who habitually hold the top cover with their other hand; second, it cannot be equipped with a flow restrictor.

Narrow-spout kettle (inner diameter 6mm or more), represented by Bonavita temperature-controlled pour-over kettle, which FrontStreet Coffee has in our store. British imported Strix temperature control system precisely controls water temperature with a positive and negative temperature difference of 1 degree Celsius. Professional gooseneck-style narrow spout design more effectively controls water flow speed, flow rate, and direction. The base has temperature adjustment, heat preservation, and memory functions. High-quality kettle craftsmanship, plastic top cover, can be equipped with a throttle valve, and water flow control is also better than VKB. With this kettle in hand, you need nothing else, making it an excellent choice for small cafes.

Kalita crane-beak kettle. Kalita is an old-established equipment manufacturer, adhering to the consistent Japanese characteristics: fine craftsmanship and artistic-level workmanship. Although this crane-beak kettle still has some gaps compared to some top products, if you don't have experience with other artistic products, using it is undoubtedly a pleasure. The handle is extremely comfortable, and the upper and lower handles make the kettle body very stable. The crane-beak is also an advanced style with more variations and more interest. The perfect combination of wood and stainless steel. It pairs very well with its own stainless steel filter cup. As for appearance, it depends on personal preference. FrontStreet Coffee also has this pour-over kettle in our store, bought purely for its aesthetics. For beginners just starting with pour-over, you can use a narrow-mouth kettle with an inner diameter of 5mm or less, such as the Kalita copper kettle 900.

HARIO "Hand Grenade" kettle, made of pure stainless steel with secondary matte polishing treatment, which can avoid small scratches from minor collisions or cleaning. The kettle body and lid are stainless steel, while the lid cap and handle are made of phenol-formaldehyde resin. The reason why Japan's Hario pour-over kettles are popular worldwide, in addition to their excellent craftsmanship and design, is because it's an all-purpose kettle with controllable water flow. Compared to various "divine kettles" with 5mm openings that can only use small water flow, this Hario kettle can also satisfy the popular immersion brewing method in Europe and America, and can also achieve small water flow for drip method through control.

Filter Cup

Hario V60 is the most popular, available in four materials: resin, glass, ceramic, and metal. V60 accommodates many variables in coffee making, mainly due to three design points:

1. 60-degree cone angle: This extends the time for water to flow through the coffee powder to the center.
2. A large filter hole: This allows us to control the flavor of coffee by changing the water flow speed.
3. Spiral ribs: These allow air to escape upward from all sides to maximize the expansion of coffee powder.

Kalita filter cup, made entirely of ceramic material. Ceramic coffee filter cups have better heat retention, uniform glaze, good color, and a retro-style three-hole trapezoidal shape with a single-sided cup ring and clear internal filter ridges. Coffee filtered through this filter cup is mellow and rich, suitable for coffee beans with weak acidity and high body.

The ribs of KONO filter cup do not extend from the bottom all the way to the top, but stop at less than half the height of the filter cup. This height design ensures that during the dripping process, the filter paper can adhere tightly to the filter cup wall after absorbing water. Once the exhaust space is restricted, air flow is also limited, which increases the water absorption time of coffee powder particles.

Cake filter cup, also called wave filter cup, has a flat bottom. The flat-bottom design allows water to flow at a uniform speed, which helps to increase the extraction rate. Additionally, there are only three small holes at the bottom, so the flow rate is relatively slow, which allows the coffee powder to be fully soaked, resulting in more balanced extracted coffee. Furthermore, it uses folded filter paper that doesn't directly adhere to the filter cup, creating the maximum extraction area. On one hand, this helps concentrate extraction, allowing hot water to drip down evenly and smoothly; on the other hand, it also slows down temperature loss.

Grinder

Good pour-over coffee requires a good grinder. There are three types of grinders on the market.

1. Ghost tooth grinder
2. Flat burr grinder
3. Conical burr grinder

Ghost tooth grinders grind coffee beans into particles by grinding, and the resulting coffee powder is mainly circular in shape, offering good balance and body in single-origin coffee flavor. Flat burr grinders produce mainly flaky particles, which can increase coffee concentration and extraction rate in a short time, and coffee aroma can be extracted quickly. Extraction time needs to be shortened; if extraction time is long, coffee easily has off-flavors and astringency. Suitable for short-time extraction. Conical burr grinders grind coffee by crushing, producing particles that are more block-like, resulting in smoother and more complex coffee flavors.

Common grinders on the market include Xiao Feiying grinders, Xiao Fuji grinders, Baratza Encore grinders, and Huijia grinders. FrontStreet Coffee uses the Baratza Encore grinder.

Thermometer

A thermometer is used to measure the water temperature for coffee. Thermometers on the market include Tiamo thermometers, Hero thermometers, and Cafede Kona thermometers.

Electronic Scale

An electronic scale allows us to better control the coffee-to-water ratio when brewing coffee, reducing unstable factors and increasing error tolerance. Electronic scales range from several hundred yuan to as low as tens of yuan. There are Yami electronic scales, Hero smart scales, and Timemore electronic scales.

Filter Paper

Filter paper comes in bleached and unbleached types. Bleached filter paper looks whiter, while unbleached filter paper appears light brown. The function of filter paper is to use extremely dense fibers to retain the ground coffee powder and filter the extracted coffee into the cup. When buying filter paper, you need to select the corresponding filter paper according to your filter cup. There are Japan Sanyo V60 filter papers, Hario filter papers, Kalita filter papers, and KONO filter papers.

Sifter

Mainly used to determine grind size. Each coffee bean has a different suitable grind size for pour-over. Through continuous experimentation, FrontStreet Coffee has determined that 80% passing through Chinese standard #20 sieve is the suitable grind size for pour-over.

Server

A server is actually optional. If you're drinking alone, you can skip the server and drip directly into a mug. For brewing multiple cups of coffee, a server is needed. With the help of the server's scale display and transparent material, you can more easily understand and control the extraction process, making the server more than just for serving coffee. FrontStreet Coffee recommends HARIO V60 Cloud Server and Kalita server.

Pour-Over Coffee Steps and Techniques

To brew a good pot of coffee, start with these four aspects: water temperature, grind size, coffee-to-water ratio, and brewing technique.

Water Temperature

The higher the water temperature, the stronger the extraction ability, resulting in bitter coffee with intense taste; low water temperature means weaker extraction ability, making coffee prone to sourness with mild and light taste. The pour-over temperature should be adjusted according to the coffee's roast level. For light to medium roasted beans, FrontStreet Coffee recommends 90-91°C; for medium-dark roasted beans, 85-87°C is recommended. FrontStreet Coffee basically adjusts within this range. Once a customer questioned this brewing temperature, so FrontStreet Coffee took Golden Mandheling coffee beans (dark roast) and brewed them with 90°C water temperature. The result was a taste that could almost "compete" with espresso.

Grind Size

Refers to the size of coffee particles. Grind size affects the contact time between coffee and water. If the coffee powder is finer, water can extract more substances in the same time, but with fine grind size, coffee is prone to over-extraction during the extraction process. Conversely, the coarser the coffee grind, the fewer substances extracted in the same time, but with coarser grind, coffee is prone to under-extraction. FrontStreet Coffee recommends using 80% passing through Chinese standard #20 sieve as the pour-over grind size. This was determined through multiple taste tests. It should be noted that different coffee beans have different grind sizes, so when the pour-over flavor seems off, you can check if the grind size is problematic.

Coffee-to-Water Ratio

The coffee-to-water ratio refers to the proportion of coffee powder to brewing water, affecting the concentration of coffee. It can be 1:10, 1:13, 1:15, or 1:16. FrontStreet Coffee recommends using a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, which is relatively moderate in terms of concentration or taste. Of course, everyone pursues different coffee tastes, so when brewing coffee, everyone can adjust their own coffee-to-water ratio according to their desired concentration.

Brewing Technique

There are various brewing techniques: three-stage pour, single pour, drip method, etc. FrontStreet Coffee recommends beginners use the three-stage pouring method to brew. This technique is suitable for light roast, light-medium, and medium roast coffee beans. The segmented extraction of three-stage pouring can clearly distinguish the front, middle, and back-end flavors of coffee, better ensuring the presentation of coffee flavor.

First Pour: Bloom (Helps with degassing)

Coffee beans undergo a series of chemical reactions and physical changes during the roasting process from green beans to roasted beans. After reaching a certain degree of roasting, coffee beans accumulate a large amount of gas (mostly carbon dioxide).

Generally, the fresher the coffee and the closer to roasting, the more bubbles usually appear during blooming. Dark roasted beans also release more gas during the blooming process than light roasted beans. FrontStreet Coffee's coffee beans are all freshly roasted, so we generally recommend customers let the beans rest for three days first, allowing the coffee beans to release carbon dioxide first. This avoids unstable and under-extracted problems during brewing.

After degassing during blooming, coffee particles can absorb water evenly, allowing for more uniform extraction later. Good blooming can allow coffee powder to quickly, fully, and evenly release gas while also allowing coffee powder to fully and quickly contact water, helping coffee powder to be evenly extracted.

Pay attention to the following four points during blooming:

1. Before pouring water for blooming, level the coffee powder first.
2. Pour water gently during blooming.
3. During the blooming process, minimize the extracted liquid that flows down; when too much extracted liquid appears in the lower pot, reduce the amount of water poured or pay attention to the grind size. (If too much water is used for blooming, causing a large amount of coffee liquid to drip down, the falling water doesn't stay but directly carries out substances from the outside of the coffee powder, and the off-flavors and astringency from the outer layer of the coffee powder begin to dissolve. This results in coffee that is both weak but has over-extracted off-flavors. If the blooming water volume is insufficient with no water dripping down, it means the coffee powder hasn't absorbed enough water, and some coffee hasn't fully degassed, causing under-extraction.) Based on this situation, FrontStreet Coffee conducted multiple blooming experiments and found that pouring twice the amount of coffee powder in water during blooming is more appropriate.
4. The blooming time is about 30 to 40 seconds. When the expansion of the coffee powder surface ends, you'll see the coffee surface shrink. At this time, blooming is complete, and you can start pouring water. (If the blooming time is too long, coffee easily develops bitterness and astringency; if the time is too short, soaking is insufficient, and coffee may have under-extraction or may not fully showcase its characteristics.) Generally, the end time of blooming varies for each bean, but FrontStreet Coffee found this is not conducive to beginners' operation. After all, beginners focus on standardization and ease of use. Therefore, while ensuring the coffee beans are still in a fresh roasted state, FrontStreet Coffee recommends a blooming time of 30 seconds. Of course, experienced individuals can adjust the time themselves.

Second Pour

The second pour starts from the center, injecting into the bottom of the powder layer with a small water column. To concentrate the penetrating force of the water column, the range of circular movement should be small, about the size of a one-yuan coin, and then move outward. From the second water addition, pay attention to the water volume, trying not to exceed the height of the powder layer. That is, when the water column approaches the filter paper, you can stop adding water.

Third Pour

As the originally thicker powder layer at the edge of the filter paper becomes heavier from absorbing water and slides down and becomes thinner as the water level drops, you can perform the third pour when the water level drops to half.

From the third water addition, observe the magnitude of the water level drop. Also start pouring water in circles from the center, with water volume not exceeding the powder layer height. At this time, you'll also observe that foam has filled the surface. The third pour needs to increase the tumbling of coffee particles, causing all deposited particles to tumble and dissolve soluble substances.

The tumbling particles will begin to static when water addition stops. At this time, rely on the flow rate caused by the dropping water level to create friction between coffee particles. Once water addition stops, coffee powder particles sink downward, causing blockage. Therefore, pay special attention to the rhythm of water addition. If there are too many interruptions in water flow, it's equivalent to letting coffee powder particles soak in water continuously, which will lead to astringency and off-flavors in the tail-end coffee extraction.

Example with FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Coffee

Brewing Recommendations

Filter cup: Hario V60

Water temperature: 90°C

Coffee amount: 15 grams

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

Grind size: 80% passing through Chinese standard #20 sieve

Brewing Technique

Segmented extraction

Use 30g of water for 30-second bloom, pour with small water flow in circles to 125g, then segment. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop pouring. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the filter cup. (Timing starts from bloom) Extraction time is 2 minutes.

Flavor Description

Distinct floral notes, bright lemon and citrus acidity, with some black tea sensation in the aftertaste.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473