Common Pour-Over Coffee Mistakes_ Best Coffee Beans for Pour-Over Coffee_ Types of Pour-Over Coffee Beans

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Many people wonder why they still can't brew a delicious cup of pour-over coffee despite following the steps exactly. Today, let's uncover common mistakes in pour-over coffee from the perspectives of coffee beans and water quality!

Common Mistakes in Pour-Over Coffee

1. Coffee Beans

Mistake 1: Grind Size

A good quality grinder ensures uniform coffee particle size. If the coffee grounds are uneven with too many fine particles, the resulting coffee will lack purity in flavor.

So what is the ideal grind size for pour-over coffee?

The answer: medium grind, similar to sugar granules. If the coffee is ground too coarse, hot water flows through too quickly, making it difficult to extract the aromatic compounds. If ground too fine, the filter can become clogged, leading to over-extraction and resulting in bitter, astringent flavors.

Mistake 2: Freshness

Many people choose pre-ground coffee for convenience or grind large batches at once and store them in the refrigerator. In reality, "freshly ground" is the first requirement for good coffee, as it ensures optimal flavor.

Once coffee is ground, the oxidation process accelerates, and aroma begins to dissipate within 40 seconds. If the coffee grounds lose significant aroma, the coffee's natural flavors will disappear accordingly.

Mistake 3: Distribution

After adding coffee grounds to the dripper, they should be gently shaken to create an even bed. This step is often overlooked or done too aggressively. The evenness of the coffee bed determines the uniformity of blooming and extraction during pour-over, directly affecting the final taste.

2. Water

Mistake 1: Water Quality

If you're particular about flavor, don't overlook the water used for brewing coffee. Since pour-over coffee is 98% water, the total dissolved solids (TDS) should ideally be between 100-250ppm. We don't recommend using pure water for coffee, as it often produces flat-tasting coffee lacking complexity. However, avoid using unknown brand mineral water or bulk water, as any off-flavors in the water will be amplified in the coffee.

Mistake 2: Water Temperature

Water temperature is another crucial factor affecting coffee flavor. Too high a temperature intensifies bitterness, while too low enhances acidity. Recommendation: dark roast coffee beans are suitable for 80-85°C, while medium-light roast beans are best extracted at around 90°C.

Mistake 3: Water Flow

The key to fully releasing coffee's aroma and complexity lies in the pouring technique. Common mistakes include:

A. Pouring stream too large or at too steep an angle, which causes water to carve channels through the coffee bed and flow directly through the filter paper, resulting in under-extraction.

B. Pouring from too high a height, which disrupts the coffee bed structure and introduces air bubbles, leading to uneven extraction. It also increases water surface contact with air, affecting temperature. Therefore, the pouring stream should be as close to the coffee as possible.

C. Inconsistent water flow - alternating between strong streams and intermittent dripping - causes uneven extraction across different areas of the coffee bed, affecting the overall taste.

Mistake 4: Water Amount

Since individual preferences for strength vary, the ideal extraction concentration ranges from 1.15% to 1.35%, with a water-to-coffee ratio of approximately 1:13 to 1:15. Some people use very little water to pursue intensity, but this often results in an undrinkable cup. Conversely, others try to extract more flavors by using more water, not realizing that extraction becomes increasingly weak towards the end, resulting in insufficient concentration.

Have you identified your own mistakes in these areas? To make a great cup of coffee, every aspect requires precise control! Consistent practice is also essential.

3. How to Control Pour Rate in Pour-Over Coffee?

When brewing pour-over coffee, start with the blooming phase, which lasts about 15-30 seconds. This allows the coffee grounds to absorb water. Fully saturated grounds will expand and release additional aromas. The longer the bloom, the more concentrated the coffee flavor. Typically, the blooming water amount should be twice the weight of the coffee grounds. For example, with 30g of coffee grounds, pour about 60cc of water to ensure complete saturation.

After blooming, begin the main pour. We recommend beginners use a narrow-spout gooseneck kettle to control water flow and avoid failure. At the beginning of pouring, coffee extracts easily. If using a regular kettle, start with a gentle flow and increase towards the end to avoid extracting excessive bitterness. The ideal total pouring time is 1.5 to 2.5 minutes. If you prefer a richer flavor, slow down the pour rate. "Extract flavor, but don't overdo it."

4. How to Master Pour Direction and Speed?

Start pouring from the center and move in clockwise circles, being careful not to hit the filter paper.

Additionally, there's a technique called "interrupting the pour" during brewing - pausing the pouring process. This technique prevents the pour-over coffee from becoming too strong or too weak. For example, when brewing 360cc of water, you can pause at 180cc, wait for the water level in the coffee bed to drop, then continue pouring. This adjusts the pour-over coffee's flavor, making it more concentrated. Also, when the water stream is too strong, you should pause to avoid weak flavors. Through this interruption technique, you can change the pour-over coffee's taste and adjust extraction rhythm. It's recommended to pause once or twice.

These may sound like simple, obvious steps, but there are thousands of ways to execute them. Even the simple act of pouring in circles can be done clockwise or counter-clockwise, in large or small circles, in cross patterns, or drawing "M" shapes. Whether you're drawing symbols or playing "Snake Game," the goal is to extract flavor from every coffee particle. To use an analogy, the coffee grounds in the dripper are like tea bags in a bathtub. We use the faucet to pour water, hoping every tea bag will release its flavor evenly. To achieve this, you must wet all tea bags simultaneously. This is the goal of the first pour (or the "bloom" without interruption).

However, if you look at the dripper under a microscope, you'll find that coffee particles vary in size. Like tea bags in a bathtub, some are as large as dumplings, while others are as fine as ravioli. Even when extraction starts from the same point, by the time the large particles have released enough flavor, the fine ones will be over-extracted. To avoid this phenomenon, besides using a high-quality grinder, the only solution is to use water flow to encourage larger coffee particles to release their flavor quickly before the fine particles become over-extracted.

Therefore, starting from the second pour, the impact force becomes very important.

Pour-Over Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's roasted single-origin pour-over coffee beans offer excellent guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, they provide exceptional value - a half-pound (227g) package averages around 80-90 RMB. Calculating at 15g per cup, one package can make 15 cups, with each cup costing only about 6 RMB. Compared to café prices that often run dozens of RMB per cup, this represents outstanding value.

FrontStreet Coffee: A Guangzhou-based roastery with a small shop but diverse bean selection, offering both famous and lesser-known varieties. Online services are also available. https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473