Pour-over Coffee Fundamentals: Why Single-Origin Beans Are Essential for Pour-over Brewing

Professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information. Please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style).

People have different reasons for getting into coffee. Most of us probably start with physical needs—maybe we need a cup of coffee to wake up our brains in the morning, or to boost our energy during afternoon meetings. However, when our desire for coffee transcends pure physical needs and becomes more metaphysical, we want more than just caffeine; we want every sip to be delightful.

So, when we want to make a cup of coffee, we select coffee beans, decide on the grind setting, choose a filter cup, maintain a calm mood and pour water steadily, observing the interaction between grounds and water. From the initial bloom to the turbulent stirring, until the last drop of coffee filters through—these few minutes are why we want to share pour-over coffee with everyone.

Before Brewing:

A. About Pour-Over Coffee Beans

In the coffee bean descriptions provided by roasters, one key aspect to pay attention to is the roast level.

Light roast means the coffee's flavor profile tends toward floral and fruity notes, with noticeable acidity that can easily lead to under-extraction, resulting in grassy flavors; medium roast means the coffee's flavor gradually transitions from acidic to bitter, with caramel and nutty flavors as signature characteristics; dark roast appeals more to those who enjoy bitterness, with reduced acidity but prominent flavors like dark chocolate, roasted nuts, and smoky notes, plus high body, though it's prone to over-extraction, allowing rubbery and woody flavors to dominate.

Although pour-over coffee typically uses single-origin beans, who says you can't use blends? Pour-over with espresso blends will ultimately taste more like a regular Americano you'd typically drink.

The freshness of coffee beans is also very important. Generally, for brewing, you'd choose coffee beans within 5 to 30 days after the roasting date. The optimal tasting period for coffee beans is 5 to 15 days after roasting.

B. About Equipment

For pour-over coffee, the main equipment includes: grinder, gooseneck kettle, filter cup, filter paper, thermometer, and scale.

Grinder: In my opinion, unless you're an enthusiast, a grinder under a thousand is sufficient to meet most home brewing needs.

Regarding grinder differences, you just need to understand the characteristics of different burr types: flat burr grinders produce flake-like coffee particles with larger surface area for water contact, allowing quick extraction of flavors and aromas; conical burr grinders produce uniform coffee grounds but have lower extraction rates, requiring longer extraction times; ghost tooth grinders are widely accepted because they produce fewer fine particles, resulting in clean and full-bodied coffee.

Gooseneck kettle: A good kettle is one that allows you to control water flow steadily during brewing.

Filter cup: Different filter cups present different flavor profiles. Beginners can start practicing with wave filters before advancing to conical filters. Wave filters have high error tolerance and produce coffee with balanced acidity and bitterness while maintaining good body.

Filter paper: To avoid pulp taste, it's recommended to use bleached filter paper.

Scale: Used to better control the coffee-to-water ratio. If it doesn't have a timer function, your phone's timer works just as well.

During Brewing:

A. About Brewing

The strength of coffee has much to do with the water-to-coffee ratio; the presentation of coffee flavors is closely related to grind size and time; the balanced extraction of acidity, bitterness, and sweetness depends on temperature control.

So, if you prefer a stronger taste, you can use a 1:14-1:15 coffee-to-water ratio; for lighter tastes, or for dark roast coffee beans, you can choose a 1:16-1:18 ratio.

Different coffee beans have different recommended extraction parameters. You should refer to the roaster's recommendations and adjust according to your taste. When adjusting, change only one parameter at a time. Of course, you can also read our previously published articles.

B. About Water Flow

Besides parameters, another important aspect everyone cares about is water flow control. When first learning, the water flow doesn't need to be too fine. Because fine water flow extends extraction time, and overly long extraction time leads to over-extraction; but too coarse water flow will directly break through the coffee grounds, with water passing directly through the filter paper, causing under-extraction.

Water flow control emphasizes the consistency of the flow from beginning to end. When pouring, generally control the water flow to first hit the center of the coffee grounds, then pour in concentric circles outward. The water flow should not alternate between coarse and fine, as this will cause uneven extraction.

After Brewing:

A. About Vessels

Some people prefer porcelain, others like glass cups, and some love using stainless steel mugs. Regardless of the material, the cup must first be clean, and second, it's best not to use cups that produce odors when heated. Some cups with strong design sense and unique shapes can add much ritual to daily life.

However, before pouring coffee, it's recommended to warm the cup with hot water first. The hot water used for warming the cup can be used to clean the filter cup and server. But if you don't use a server and place the filter cup directly on the cup, then when rinsing the filter paper, you might as well use more hot water to warm the cup.

B. About Tasting

The final step, and also the most enjoyable one!

Smell the Aroma

Gently swirl the cup and smell the coffee's aroma. Sometimes you'll detect floral notes with tropical fruit scents; sometimes coffee carries rich nutty, spicy, and chocolate aromas. Of course, you might also smell grassy and vegetable aromas, which means your coffee is somewhat under-extracted; conversely, when you detect charcoal, leather, or burnt aromas, it might be over-extracted; but if you smell old newspaper and musty odors, the coffee might contain moldy beans.

Taste the Flavor

In coffee, acidity isn't a bad thing; it's the fruity acidity with apple and lemon notes that stimulates saliva secretion and creates a juicy sensation. But if you taste sharp, unbearable acidity, you can adjust parameters accordingly to correct the taste.

The caramelization and Maillard reactions during coffee roasting not only bring bitterness to coffee but also produce sweet aromas. We usually feel the sweetness of sucrose, caramel, or brown sugar in the middle and finish of tasting, making a cup of coffee taste full-bodied and layered. Bitterness is coffee's biggest characteristic—sometimes you'll notice bitter almond flavors, sometimes like dark chocolate, and sometimes so subtle it's like the malt flavor in beer.

Savor the Aftertaste

Even after finishing a sip of coffee, there are still details worth appreciating, with the tongue often feeling lingering aromas. Premium Ethiopian heirloom varieties like Guji often leave rose and strawberry aftertastes; high-body coffee beans also leave creamy and caramel aftertastes. Sometimes, after drinking coffee, the tongue feels a strong sweet sensation.

We often wonder why we can't taste so many flavors. Actually, sometimes coffee flavors are strong, and sometimes very subtle. This is when a foodie's level is tested. The more things you eat and the more flavors you remember, the more coffee flavors you'll detect in tasting.

In life, coffee is something for leisure, and pour-over is also a relaxed and pleasant thing. We don't need too many dogmas to constrain us—just make a cup of coffee that you think tastes good.

Pour-Over Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's roasted single-origin pour-over coffee beans have full guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, they offer extremely high value—half-pound (227g) bags average around 80-90 yuan. Calculating at 15g per cup, one bag makes 15 cups, with each cup costing only about 6 yuan. Compared to café prices of dozens of yuan per cup, this offers exceptional value.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find both famous and lesser-known beans. They also provide online shop services. 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