The Relationship Between Pour-Over Coffee Grind Size and Extraction Time - What Mesh Size Should Your Coffee Sieve Have?

Understanding Coffee Grind Size and Extraction Time for Pour-Over Coffee

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To brew a delicious cup of coffee using pour-over extraction methods, understanding certain parameters is crucial. Different flavored coffee beans require different filter cups and grind consistencies. In this article, FrontStreet Coffee will primarily explain the relationship between pour-over coffee grind size and extraction time, as well as how to determine the appropriate grind size for pour-over coffee.

The Relationship Between Grind Size and Extraction Time

The consistency of coffee grind significantly affects the extraction of coffee concentration. For example, the coarser the coffee is ground, the larger the gaps between coffee particles, which naturally results in faster water flow, shorter extraction time, and lower extraction rate.

Conversely, if the coffee grind is too fine, the extraction rate becomes higher, increasing coffee concentration but resulting in bitter and astringent flavors.

Additionally, light roast coffee beans have a harder texture and are less likely to release soluble substances, so they are suitable for finer grinds. Dark roast coffee beans, however, are better suited to coarser grinds, as too fine a grind can easily produce bitter flavors.

Common Coffee Grind Sizes

According to FrontStreet Coffee's research, coffee grinders on the market can be roughly classified into three categories based on grinding range: one type is designed for espresso grinding range, another type cannot handle espresso but can handle most other grinding degrees, and the final type has a grinding range suitable for all coffee brewing methods.

Based on recommended grind sizes for coffee grinders, we can identify several common grind consistencies. The finest grind is used for Turkish coffee preparation, followed by espresso, then medium-coarse pour-over and drip coffee, slightly coarser for siphon brewing, and finally the coarsest grind is used for French press preparation.

Espresso requires a relatively fine grind, which stems from the espresso preparation process and its intended use. Espresso production requires very short extraction times, typically between 20 to 30 seconds. Additionally, espresso is primarily used as the base for most Italian-style coffee drinks, requiring extraction of sufficient coffee substances to support water or milk dilution. Therefore, compared to other brewing methods, the grind size for espresso is considerably finer.

Pour-over coffee brewing methods have relatively moderate extraction times among various brewing techniques, averaging around 2 minutes, though 1 to 3 minutes is also acceptable. Most single-serve pour-over coffee brewing recipes average around 2 minutes extraction time. Compared to espresso, pour-over coffee doesn't require as fine a grind to avoid over-extraction, so the grind size falls in the medium-coarse range.

French press coffee extraction takes 4 minutes or longer, exceeding pour-over coffee extraction time. Therefore, French press coffee typically uses the coarsest grind size to avoid over-extraction from prolonged extraction periods.

How to Determine Medium-Coarse Grind for Pour-Over Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee wants to emphasize that different grinder models have different standards for expressing grind settings, so we need to use pour-over coffee grind sieves to help determine the appropriate consistency.

FrontStreet Coffee recommends using a standard 0.85mm sieve. This sieve has 0.85mm diameter holes through which coffee particles smaller than this size will pass. When using this sieve, we weigh 10 grams of coffee beans for grinding, place the ground coffee in the upper layer of the sieve, and through repeated shaking, coffee particles smaller than 0.85mm will be sifted into the lower layer. We then weigh the coffee powder in the lower layer, and by comparing this weight to the original 10 grams, we can determine the pass-through rate for that grind size.

FrontStreet Coffee has determined that the sieve pass-through rate should be around 80%, meaning 10 grams of coffee beans should yield approximately 8 grams of sifted coffee powder. This conclusion was reached through multiple sifting and brewing tests conducted by FrontStreet Coffee, so this is not an absolute standard. Everyone has their own understanding of pour-over coffee, and once you understand the interrelationships between various factors in the parameters, different parameter combinations are possible. However, if you're still a beginner or haven't determined the appropriate grind size for a particular coffee bean, FrontStreet Coffee suggests using this 80% sieve pass-through grind size as a starting point for learning and experimentation.

Conclusion

The above is FrontStreet Coffee's summary of the relationship between pour-over grind size and extraction time, as well as the answer to what mesh size pour-over coffee sieves should be. We hope this helps coffee enthusiasts who want to brew their own pour-over coffee or are unsure how to begin the pour-over coffee process.

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