Top 10 Delicious Drip Coffee Bag Brands Recommended & The Correct Brewing Methods to Make Drip Coffee Delicious

Introduction to Drip Bag Coffee

Pour-over coffee has now become almost an essential course for coffee enthusiasts. Of course, some people don't want to buy too many coffee brewing devices. FrontStreet Coffee, in order to enable more guests to easily enjoy delicious and fresh coffee at home without too much effort and complexity, updates its seasonal drip bag coffee from time to time.

Some people might think that drip bag coffee is not professional, but FrontStreet Coffee believes it can be viewed from another perspective. After all, for a gourmet food to integrate into the mainstream, there needs to be a more convenient way of consumption. FrontStreet Coffee has always promoted this concept. Just as FrontStreet Coffee started from its initial contact with coffee, to selecting suitable altitude areas in Yunnan for coffee cultivation, to in-house roasting, and then to establishing the current coffee origin database, including online Taobao stores and Guangzhou stores that have been open for 7 years, every step FrontStreet Coffee has taken has been to integrate coffee into people's lives in a more accessible way. Take FrontStreet Coffee's store in Dongshankou, Guangzhou for example. Because it's located near a residential area and a school, with a strong community culture, many neighborhood residents regularly visit FrontStreet Coffee to buy a cup of coffee and chat about daily life while drinking. This is a change in coffee culture.

The Invention of Drip Bag Coffee

When mentioning Japanese coffee, most people associate it with pour-over. Indeed, pour-over coffee is also quite popular in Japan. However, young Japanese office workers with fast-paced lifestyles don't have time to wait for a cup of pour-over coffee, so drip bag coffee was born.

In 1990, Japan's Yamanaka Industries Co., Ltd. applied the concept of tea bags to coffee, inventing filter-hanging coffee and applying for a patent. However, the drip bag coffee designed by Yamanaka Industries couldn't bear the weight of brewing coffee and was prone to losing balance during the brewing process, so it wasn't successfully commercialized. Until 1998, Taiki Shoji improved upon the original invention by extending the hanging part outward, resulting in the drip bag coffee we have today.

FrontStreet Coffee Drip Bag Coffee Brand Recommendations

1. FrontStreet Coffee Honduras Sherry Drip Bag Coffee

• Country: Honduras
• Region: Masaguara City, Intibuca Province
• Estate: Moca Estate
• Altitude: 1500-1700 meters
• Variety: Caturra, Catuai, Pacas
• Processing: Fine Washed Whiskey Sherry Barrel Fermentation
• Flavor Description: Vanilla cream, fermented wine aroma, nuts, dark chocolate, maple sweetness

FrontStreet Coffee Honduras Sherry coffee beans are quite popular this year. FrontStreet Coffee not only has bagged coffee beans but has also added drip bags. Previously, many customers specifically requested FrontStreet Coffee's Sherry to be made into drip bags, showing its popularity.

Honduras is located in Central America, bordering Nicaragua, Guatemala, and El Salvador. These countries are also major coffee producers, and their coffee beans have similar flavor characteristics because their geographical locations and altitudes are quite close. They all have prominent spice notes and tropical fruit flavors, presenting complex and rich profiles. FrontStreet Coffee recently brought in a batch of coffee beans from Nicaragua, Guatemala, and El Salvador. After roasting adjustments, cupping, and pour-over testing, they decide whether to put them on the shelves. FrontStreet Coffee's original intention is to present everyone with diverse coffee flavor experiences, so coffee beans without prominent flavors won't appear on FrontStreet Coffee's bean list.

Returning to this Honduras Sherry coffee bean, it comes from Masaguara, a city in the southwestern Intibucá province. FrontStreet Coffee's bean list also has another barrel-aged coffee bean from Moca Estate—FrontStreet Coffee Honduras Lychee Lan. FrontStreet Coffee's Sherry coffee beans lean toward whiskey sherry wine taste, with rich vanilla cream, and the finish is persistent nut chocolate flavor. FrontStreet Coffee's Lychee Lan tends toward brandy wine feeling, with slightly weaker flavor layers than FrontStreet Coffee's Sherry, but also has a persistent nut chocolate finish. According to FrontStreet Coffee's sales rankings, FrontStreet Coffee Honduras Sherry is indeed more popular than FrontStreet Coffee Honduras Lychee Lan.

Fine Washed Whiskey Sherry Barrel Fermentation

Freshly picked coffee cherries first undergo fine washing, then are placed in sherry barrels that have been aged, fermented at low temperature for 30-40 days (temperature approximately 15-20℃), and then dried in the shade.

Sherry barrels are barrels used by sherry distilleries in the whiskey industry for aging. The sherry production process includes the Solera System aging step. This process refers to the process of mixing sherry of different years for aging after the sherry is fortified, which is also unique to the formation of sherry flavor.

2. FrontStreet Coffee Indonesia PWN Gold Mandheling Drip Bag Coffee

• Country: Indonesia
• Region: North Sumatra, Aceh Gayo Mountain
• Company: PWN
• Altitude: 1100-1600 meters
• Variety: Ateng
• Processing: Wet-hulled method
• Flavor Description: Herbal, caramel, thick and clean, high balance, persistent aftertaste

Mandheling coffee has also received attention in recent years. Previously, FrontStreet Coffee's Mandheling coffee sales were mostly distributed in the Shanghai region. Shanghai and Taiwan have similar taste preferences, both liking rich, thick flavors. Previously, FrontStreet Coffee encountered a Shanghai customer who kept emphasizing that Mandheling should be roasted darker than our usual dark roast. Now, more and more people appreciate Mandheling's unique flavor, and more customers at FrontStreet Coffee are ordering Mandheling coffee, many of whom are Guangzhou locals.

This FrontStreet Coffee Indonesia PWN Gold Mandheling is actually different from ordinary Mandheling. It comes from the local Indonesian green bean supplier PWN, which was the first company to cooperate with Japan on Gold Mandheling and registered Gold Mandheling as a trademark. The biggest feature of FrontStreet Coffee's PWN Gold Mandheling is that it doesn't have the impurity taste of ordinary Mandheling. Through three rounds of strict manual selection, it ensures uniform bean size, allowing for even coloring during roasting. Therefore, its taste presents a clean thickness, with flavors very similar to Guangdong's herbal tea. It's not surprising that Guangzhou locals can accept this flavor. FrontStreet Coffee specifically made FrontStreet Coffee PWN Gold Mandheling drip bags this time, also finding that everyone's acceptance level is getting higher and higher.

Wet-Hulled Processing Method

Due to the local weather often being rainy with constant typhoons, it's impossible to achieve the good weather required for sun-drying. Moreover, the local economy is not good, making it impossible to use the more expensive washed method. For these various reasons, the wet-hulled method (wet-hulled method means that during the normal washing process, coffee beans with parchment are sun-dried for 2-3 days until the moisture content reaches 20-24%, then the parchment is removed) was developed. FrontStreet Coffee feels that Indonesia's coffee industry is developing rapidly now. The reason wet-hulled processing is still preserved is not just because of economic and climate issues, but more because wet-hulled processing has become synonymous with Indonesia, representing the image of local specialty products. However, there are also natural processed Mandheling now. FrontStreet Coffee has added FrontStreet Coffee Natural Mandheling coffee beans, which belong to a relatively niche series. Their popularity isn't as high as wet-hulled Mandheling, but they can occasionally be used to change flavors.

3. FrontStreet Coffee Panama Boquete Flower Butterfly Drip Bag Coffee

• Country: Panama
• Region: Boquete
• Altitude: 1600 meters
• Variety: Caturra, Catuai, 70% Geisha
• Processing: Washed processing
• Flavor: Citrus, berries, tea fragrance, jasmine

Panama is a Central American country, bordering Costa Rica to the west and Colombia to the east. Panamanian coffee is famous in the coffee world for its Geisha coffee from Hacienda La Esmeralda. The entire Panama is filled with a rich Geisha atmosphere, and many estates grow Geisha coffee beans. However, because Geisha coffee is difficult to grow, yields are low, and the flavor is excellent, the price is not cheap. But this FrontStreet Coffee Panama Flower Butterfly has 70% excellent Geisha heritage, plus Catuai and Caturra, grown in the Baru volcano area of Boquete. Growing in the volcanic area at an altitude of 1600 meters, the local special microclimate causes abundant rainfall in this area, large day-night temperature differences, and meticulous harvesting and fine processing, making this FrontStreet Coffee Panama Flower Butterfly coffee perform outstandingly in body, acidity, and floral aroma.

What's even more surprising is that despite having such excellent quality and conditions, the price is very affordable, allowing people to experience Geisha flavor with high cost-effectiveness.

Washed Processing Method

The washed method uses machines to first remove the skin and pulp, leaving only the coffee beans wrapped in the inner shell. At this point, the beans still have a layer of mucilage outside, and the washing process is to wash this layer of mucilage. However, the adhesion of the mucilage is very strong and not easy to remove, so it must be placed in a tank for about 18-36 hours to ferment and decompose the mucilage.

4. FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Red Cherry Drip Bag Coffee

• Country: Ethiopia
• Region: Yirgacheffe
• Estate: Aricha Estate
• Altitude: 1700-2200 meters
• Variety: Local heirloom varieties
• Processing: Natural processing
• Flavor Description: Berries, strawberry, lemon, fermented wine aroma

Red Cherry is actually a business plan to promote coffee quality, initiated by Menno Simons, founder of Dutch green bean supplier Trabocca. Trabocca realized the uneven quality of Ethiopian coffee beans, making it difficult to increase prices, and coffee farmers' incomes were also low. To change this situation, they jointly launched the Red Cherry Project with local coffee farmers to solve the problem from the source. By increasing the purchase price of high-quality green coffee beans, they encourage coffee farmers to more carefully complete every process of coffee bean picking and processing. During the picking stage, fully manual picking is used, selecting coffee fruits with high ripeness.

Natural Processing Method

The natural processing method is the oldest and most original processing method for coffee beans. This FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry involves placing whole coffee cherries with complete pulp and skin on raised beds for natural processing, isolating them from ground contact to prevent earthy impurities from direct sun exposure. After more than two weeks of sun-drying, the dark brown coffee fruits are stored to wait for full flavor maturation. Before shipment, the processing plant removes the coffee beans from the coffee cherries. This natural processing method results in lower acidity, obvious sweetness, and body, but the cleanliness is not as high as washed processing.

5. FrontStreet Coffee Brazil Cerrado Red Bourbon Drip Bag Coffee

• Country: Brazil
• Region: South Minas
• Altitude: 1000 meters
• Variety: Red Bourbon
• Processing: Pulped natural
• Flavor: Nuts, chocolate, cream, peanuts, caramel

Brazilian coffee beans were introduced from French Guiana (a country in northern South America) in 1720. Brazil was a Portuguese colony at that time, while many other South American countries were Spanish colonies. Therefore, most South American countries speak Spanish, while Brazil speaks Portuguese.

The Portuguese officer stationed in Brazil, in order to introduce Guiana's coffee beans to Brazil (when exporting coffee to other countries was strictly prohibited), captured the heart of the Guiana governor's wife and successfully brought coffee seeds into Brazil. Since then, coffee quickly adapted in Brazil, spreading from the north to the southeastern state of São Paulo. By 1845, Brazilian coffee beans already accounted for 45% of the world's total coffee beans. Currently, Brazil is the world's largest coffee exporter.

FrontStreet Coffee not only includes Brazil in its drip bag series but also has Brazilian coffee in FrontStreet Coffee's daily bean coffee series. This shows that as a coffee-producing country, Brazil is indispensable in classic coffee flavors. FrontStreet Coffee's daily beans are the "face" of regional coffee beans because their basic regional flavor recognition is higher, and they are also coffee beans with low prices and high cost-effectiveness.

Pulped Natural Processing Method

Before 1990, Brazil almost entirely used rough natural processing. This was the culprit that caused Brazilian beans to easily acquire earthy and rotten wood flavors, because during the 2-3 week sun-drying process of coffee cherries, if they encountered rain and became damp or the fruits were damaged, they would mold and produce off-flavors. This problem was long criticized, severely damaging Brazil's coffee image. After 1990, Brazilian research institutions developed the pulped natural method based on Brazil's drier climate characteristics to shorten processing time. In the pulped natural processing method, after selecting suitable coffee fruits, the skin, pulp, and part of the mucilage are removed, then sun-dried with a small amount of mucilage for 1-3 days, followed by machine drying until the moisture content reaches 12%, then placed in storage containers for maturation. This processing method can reduce the previous inferior off-flavors of Brazilian beans and enhance fruit aroma and sweetness.

6. FrontStreet Coffee Colombia Washed Huila Drip Bag Coffee

• Country: Colombia
• Region: Huila
• Altitude: 1500-1800 meters
• Variety: Caturra
• Processing: Washed processing
• Flavor: Nuts, dark chocolate, caramel, soft fruit acidity

Today, Colombia is the world's third-largest coffee producer and exporter. The Colombian coffee it produces is world-famous for its smooth taste and rich nutty chocolate flavor. The Huila region has mountainous terrain, and coffee is grown on mountain valley slopes, so it has the high altitude and suitable temperatures for growing high-quality Arabica beans. The climate of the mountain valley slopes not only prevents cold winds from entering, with mountain breezes bringing coolness without high temperatures, but also has relatively abundant rainfall, making it a uniquely blessed coffee cultivation area. Colombian coffee workers all go up the mountains to hand-pick coffee cherry fruits, and the vast majority of coffee beans use washed processing.

7. FrontStreet Coffee Costa Rica Tarrazu Drip Bag Coffee

• Country: Costa Rica
• Region: Tarrazu
• Altitude: 1500 meters
• Variety: Caturra, Catuai
• Processing: Washed processing
• Flavor: Sweet orange, honey, toffee, nuts

Costa Rican coffee has always been famous for its balanced flavor, rich chocolate, and smooth taste. Tarrazu is located south of the capital San Jose and is one of Costa Rica's most valued coffee growing areas. Tarrazu coffee beans are full-bodied, with rich body, smooth taste, rich chocolate and nut aroma, moderate acidity, and an attractive fragrance.

8. FrontStreet Coffee Guatemala Huehuetenango Drip Bag Coffee

• Country: Guatemala
• Region: Huehuetenango
• Altitude: 1500-2000 meters
• Variety: Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai
• Processing: Washed processing
• Flavor: Nuts, lemon peel, berries, citrus

Guatemala has a high average altitude, with coffee zones distributed above 1500 meters, making it easiest to grow extremely hard beans. Guatemalan coffee has a special smoky flavor and rich juice taste. Guatemala has a total of eight producing regions, divided into five volcanic regions and three non-volcanic regions. The Huehuetenango region belongs to one of the three non-volcanic regions.

Guatemala's processing methods are mainly washed, with a small amount being natural. FrontStreet Coffee often encounters customers asking such questions: what's the difference between washed and natural? It should be noted that even coffee beans from the same region and same estate can be divided into washed and natural. In fact, friends who often buy FrontStreet Coffee's daily beans will find that FrontStreet Coffee's daily beans mostly use washed processing because washed processing can present the basic flavor of a region and is the beginning of understanding regional flavors. Natural processing adds sweet aroma and fermented feeling to this basic flavor.

9. FrontStreet Coffee Yunnan Small Bean Drip Bag Coffee

• Country: China
• Region: Yunnan, Baoshan
• Altitude: 1200 meters
• Variety: Catimor
• Processing: Washed processing
• Flavor: Melon fruit aroma, sweet melon, brown sugar, plum acidity, tea feeling

At FrontStreet Coffee, you can find two FrontStreet Coffee Yunnan coffee beans: one is washed Typica, and one is Catimor. At FrontStreet Coffee, Yunnan Typica is labeled as FrontStreet Coffee Yunnan Specialty Coffee, while Yunnan Catimor is labeled as FrontStreet Coffee Yunnan Small Bean Coffee according to market customs.

FrontStreet Coffee roasts both of these beans to medium roast because Yunnan is not an acidic region. Their flavors are relatively balanced, with base notes of nuts and brown sugar. FrontStreet Coffee chooses medium roast to showcase Yunnan coffee's balance, nut and brown sugar sweetness, and soft fruit acidity.

When talking about Yunnan coffee beans, there are often two sentences that can end discussions about varieties: one is "through the efforts of coffee farmers and technological improvements, current Yunnan coffee beans are also quite good," and the other is "Yunnan beans are good." These two have become classic quotes for commenting on Yunnan coffee. Yunnan small beans were originally named after Typica because Typica is the Arabica small bean variety, but as time passed, Typica varieties degenerated with low yields and were replaced by Catimor, and the name small bean coffee was inherited by Catimor.

FrontStreet Coffee Drip Bag Coffee Brewing Method

One small package of FrontStreet Coffee drip bag coffee weighs 10g.

Tear open the outer packaging bag, take out the drip bag inside, tear open the drip bag's opening, pull open the two small ears on both sides and hang them on the cup.

For cup selection, try to choose cups with not too large openings, otherwise the two ears of the drip bag coffee might not hang properly. FrontStreet Coffee uses cups with an opening diameter of about 8-9cm.

The brewing technique for drip bag coffee is actually the same as pour-over coffee, just not as rigorous as pour-over coffee, but basically water temperature, blooming, and circular pouring are still necessary. FrontStreet Coffee's parameters for brewing drip bag coffee can be referenced as: water temperature 90℃, bloom for about 10s, and bloom water volume consistent with the coffee powder.

After blooming ends, directly pour water until completion. For more precision, you can also pour in two stages. The water volume is determined by the selected cup. FrontStreet Coffee chose a 300ml glass cup, pouring in small circular streams, stopping when the cup reaches 7/10 full.

After brewing is complete, remove the drip bag. It cannot be reused because the substances in the coffee powder have already been extracted. Brewing again won't extract anything, and the taste will be very watery. Don't feel that brewing only once is wasteful. The drip bags sold on the market today can basically guarantee fresh grinding, and the prices are also very attractive.

If you like drinking it cold, you can add some ice cubes. Drinking a cup of iced coffee in summer is simply too comfortable!

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473