What's the Right Grind Size for Siphon Coffee Beans? Which Beans Are Best for Siphon Brewing_ Siphon Coffee Bean Prices

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Siphon Coffee Grind Comparison: Coarser or Finer Than Pour-Over?

Because our shop had relatively few siphon brewer offerings, we hadn't delved deeply into brewing parameters. Actually, there are only a few factors: water temperature, grind size, coffee-to-water ratio, and brewing time. Recently, someone asked: when facing coffee beans you've never brewed with a siphon, how should you determine the grind size? The simplest approach would be to use pour-over coffee grind as a reference point for adjustment. But then the question arises: compared to pour-over coffee, should siphon coffee be ground coarser or finer?

Source of the Contradiction:

1. Because pour-over coffee uses cooling extraction while siphon coffee uses heating extraction, even with the same starting temperature, the average extraction water temperature for siphon coffee will be 2-3 degrees higher than pour-over. Therefore: to prevent over-extraction, should siphon coffee be ground coarser?

2. Because pour-over coffee extraction typically takes around 2 minutes, while siphon coffee extraction takes about 1 minute. Moreover, pour-over coffee uses filter extraction while siphon coffee uses immersion extraction, and in terms of extraction rate, pour-over coffee should be higher than siphon. Therefore: to prevent over-extraction, should siphon coffee be ground finer?

Ultimately, we decided to conduct an experiment to see what grind size would be more suitable for siphon coffee.

Siphon Brewing - Natural Process Sidamo Guji

Since our daily pour-over recommendation for Guji is BG:4M, we selected two parameters for comparison - one grind setting slightly coarser (1 level) and one slightly finer (1 level) than pour-over coffee.

For other parameters, we tried to use the same techniques to ensure objective comparison, such as coffee-to-water ratio, water temperature, brewing time, and stirring method.

Specific Brewing Record:

20.8g beans, 240g water, 90°C water temperature, adding coffee after water. Stir 5 times when adding coffee, stir 5 times when the 39-second bloom ends, stir 2 times when turning off heat at 60 seconds, then quickly cool and depressurize to accelerate siphon backflow.

Flavor Description Comparison:

Experimental Group ①: Nuts, lemon acidity, citrus, peach honey, dark chocolate in the aftertaste, noticeable bitterness, relatively prominent oiliness, slightly bitter and astringent mouthfeel; after cooling slightly, the acidity becomes more pronounced, aroma more distinct, overall more intense but still slightly bitter.

Experimental Group ②: Fruity acidity, grapefruit, citrus, relatively prominent aroma, lighter oiliness, relatively thin mouthfeel, less bitterness, astringent and sour mouthfeel, overall lighter but with balanced sweetness.

Voting Result: Experimental Group ② had a slight advantage.

Brewing Analysis:

Excluding the influence of technique and parameter combinations, indeed, with finer grinding, siphon coffee flavors are more complete, with better body, and various front, middle, and after flavors bloom vibrantly, but there's a somewhat suppressed feeling, and bitterness tends to emerge more easily - after all, it undergoes three stirs and brewing with not-low water temperature. With coarser grinding, flavors may have some defects, overall relatively thin and light, with mouthfeel somewhat similar to pour-over coffee, but the overall layered structure is expressed, making it more acceptable to drink. The key is the high fault tolerance - it won't easily "die"! This is especially suitable for those unfamiliar with siphon operation or who don't understand the bean characteristics.

Comparison Conclusion:

Although this is just a comparison between two siphon coffee groups, through simple comparison, we can still conclude: when the overall brewing approach is unclear and there's no relevant brewing experience or data for reference, slightly coarser grinding is more suitable for everyone - because of the high fault tolerance. Even if you're flustered and busy, at least you won't brew a cup of siphon coffee that's too strong, bitter, and full of scorching flavors due to excessive brewing time. And isn't this precisely the "wall" that beginners most easily hit when playing with siphons?

Recommended Siphon Coffee Bean Brands

FrontStreet Coffee's fresh-roasted single-origin siphon coffee beans - such as Yirgacheffe and Mandheling coffee - offer full guarantees in both brand and quality, suitable for various brewing methods. More importantly, they offer extremely high cost performance: a half-pound (227g) bag costs only around 70-90 yuan. Calculating based on 200ml per cup of single-origin coffee with a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, one bag can make 15 cups of specialty coffee, with each cup costing only 5-6 yuan. Compared to cafe prices that often reach dozens of yuan per cup, this represents excellent value.

FrontStreet Coffee: A Guangzhou-based roastery with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find various famous and lesser-known beans, while also providing online store 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