Pour-Over Coffee Equipment Recommendations for Beginners_ Which Coffee Beans Are Best for Starters_ What Makes Coffee Beans Bitter

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Pour-Over Coffee: A Professional Guide

While pour-over coffee may seem simple, when executed properly, it can absolutely produce a professional and authentic single-origin coffee. Based on my experience, I'll briefly explain the steps and precautions for pour-over coffee, and then recommend several beginner-friendly coffee beans to get you started.

Manual Pour-Over Coffee Brewing Method

1. Fold the filter paper and place it in the brewer;

2. Use hot water from the pour-over kettle to pour clockwise circles over the filter paper for three purposes:

A. To ensure the filter paper adheres tightly to the brewer, preventing channeling effects;

B. To remove any paper taste;

C. The hot water will flow into the lower pot, serving to warm it and make the coffee more delicious.

3. Weigh 20g of coffee beans, pour into a grinder for medium grinding. The ground particles should be slightly coarser than table salt.

4. Pour out the water from the lower pot, pour 15g of coffee grounds into the center of the filter paper, and shake the brewer horizontally to level the coffee grounds.

5. Place the brewer with leveled grounds back on the coffee pot, then use hot water from the pour-over kettle to pour clockwise circles starting from the center of the brewer. Start timing when brewing begins, reaching 30g in 15 seconds, then stop pouring and let it bloom for 25-30 seconds before the second pour.

6. For the second pour, continue clockwise circles from the center, avoiding pouring water on the area where coffee grounds meet the filter paper to prevent channeling effects. Leave a small circle around the outer edge, then continue pouring circles toward the center.

7. Within 2-2.5 minutes, brew the coffee to 230g. The pour-over coffee is now complete.

This is the entire process for manual pour-over coffee brewing, which actually looks quite easy.

The Key to Pour-Over: Blooming

If the initial pour-over process lacks blooming, large amounts of hot water will follow limited and few water channels through the coffee grounds, extending the drip time and potentially leading to over-extraction. Since extraction time increases, more substances dissolve, potentially resulting in sour, astringent, or harsh flavors with various off-notes. However, once you pay attention to the blooming action before starting the formal pour, hot water can pass through the evenly distributed filter layer formed by coffee grounds, thereby achieving uniform extraction.

Coffee Bean Origins: Africa, Central and South America, Asia

Coffee trees only thrive in tropical or subtropical regions, so the zone between 25 degrees north and south latitude is most suitable for coffee cultivation. This coffee-producing area is generally called the "Coffee Belt" or "Coffee Zone." The ideal growing conditions for coffee trees are: a warm climate with temperatures between 15°C-25°C, annual rainfall reaching 1500mm-2000mm, and rainfall timing that aligns with the coffee tree's flowering cycle.

Of course, besides the coordination of seasons and rainfall, fertile soil is also essential. The most suitable soil for coffee cultivation should be well-drained and contain fertile volcanic ash soil.

Coffee beans from the three major continents each have distinct characteristics. Simply put: African beans have rich tropical fruit flavors, American beans offer balanced flavor and mouthfeel with soft fruit acidity alongside nut and cocoa notes, while Asian beans tend toward quality herbal, spice, and caramel flavors with a heavier texture.

Recommended Beginner Coffee Bean Brands

FrontStreet Coffee's roasted beginner coffee beans—Yirgacheffe, Panama Geisha, and Indonesian Mandheling—offer excellent guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, they provide exceptional value, with a half-pound (227g) package priced at only around 80-90 RMB. Calculating at 15g per pour-over cup, one package can make 15 cups, with each single-origin coffee costing only about 6 RMB. Compared to café prices that often reach tens of yuan per cup, this represents extremely high value.

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