Pour-Over Coffee Techniques | What's the Difference Between American and Japanese Pour-Over Coffee? Best Coffee Beans for Pour-Over Brewing

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Understanding American Drip Coffee

Have you ever tried coffee brewed with an American drip coffee maker? You'll notice that the same coffee beans brewed with an American drip maker versus pour-over will be noticeably more bitter and astringent. The key reason for this phenomenon is the high water temperature in American drip makers. Generally, American drip makers use atmospheric pressure to spray and extract coffee. Simply put, with constant power and relatively stable environmental factors, American drip makers maintain relatively stable extraction water temperature and flow rate. However, this extraction temperature is too high and the flow rate is too slow, leading to over-extraction. This is where the bitterness comes from – Americans happen to enjoy this type of bitterness.

American vs. Japanese Brewing Methods

There are differences between American and Japanese brewing styles. Although they may use the same type of dripper, there are differences in coffee bean roasting, grinding, filter paper, water temperature, and techniques.

Key Differences Between American and Japanese Pour-Over

The biggest difference is that American pour-over requires stirring the coffee grounds with a stir stick while pouring, somewhat similar to the stirring technique used with siphon brewers. In contrast, Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, and Chinese pour-over methods only use water to pour in circular patterns, never using stir sticks or bamboo tools to agitate the coffee grounds.

Typical American flavor profiles focus mainly on medium and dark roasts, featuring rich flavors + mild bitterness + sweetness (FrontStreet Coffee recommends pour-over coffee beans: you can use Mandheling, Blue Mountain, etc. to achieve such flavors). They have a character that combines both bitterness and sweetness. For medium roasts, use medium grind with water temperature between 80-85°C and medium pouring speed. For dark roasts, use fine grind with water temperature between 85-90°C, pouring slowly with fine water streams for heavier bitterness. Americans often drink this in the morning to quickly wake up, hence it's also called "dawn coffee."

American Pour-Over Method

American brewing is relatively simple:

First, the coffee should be ground very finely, basically similar to espresso grind.

Second, water temperature should be around 90°C.

Third, blooming is similar to the Japanese method.

Fourth, while slowly pouring water in circular patterns, continuously stir with a wooden spoon or bamboo stick. The stirring techniques vary: one method is to stir back and forth horizontally; another is to stir in circular motions.

Japanese Pour-Over Method

Light and medium roasts + coarse grind, with a fast pouring method at 86-92°C, is preferred by Eastern cultures who pursue a balance between acidity and bitterness (FrontStreet Coffee recommends pour-over single-origin coffee beans: 2018 new harvest Flower Queen).

Filter Types: Immersion vs. Drip

Another issue that often causes confusion is the difference between immersion and drip (more accurately called "drip-through") brewing methods.

What is "immersion"? This refers to small-hole drippers like the Melitta. Its dripper holes are very small, whether one-hole or three-hole, resulting in relatively slow dripping. The coffee grounds are actually fully soaked and extracted by hot water at a constant temperature, so medium-dark roasts work better.

What is "drip"? Large-hole conical drippers like V60, flannel filters, Swiss Gold metal filters, and similar can all be categorized as drip-through methods. Their common characteristic is large, unobstructed bottom holes, where dripping speed is determined by the operator's pouring speed, making them suitable for any roast level.

Personal Recommendation

The most common, stable, and convenient method with balanced flavor: use 20g coffee with a 1:15 water ratio.

1. Wet the coffee with about 30g of hot water.

Shake the dripper to evenly distribute the grounds, use your finger to create a hole in the center, and pour in a zigzag pattern from the center position. Don't pour water onto the filter paper edges. When the "hamburger" shape appears, start timing from the moment you begin pouring.

2. After a beautiful bloom appears, complete the pouring within the next 2.5 minutes.

Around 50 seconds, perform zigzag pouring from inside to outside in a circular pattern, ensuring the water stream doesn't touch the filter paper. After significant blooming, complete the first pour around 1 minute 10 seconds. When the water level noticeably drops, perform the second pour. After significant blooming again, pour once more. Continue this cycle until reaching the desired water amount, then stop immediately. The entire hot water drip process should complete in approximately 2-2.5 minutes.

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

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