How to Grind Coffee Beans for Drip Coffee - Perfect Grind Size & Brewing Guide

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Drip Coffee Simply Explained

Essentially, it involves placing coffee grounds in filter paper and slowly pouring hot water over them, using gravity to filter and separate the coffee from the grounds.

It sounds simple, and indeed, it's quite simple to make. However, achieving excellence requires considerable knowledge and technique.

What Equipment Do You Need?

1. Filter cup
2. Filter paper
3. Pour-over kettle
4. Transparent glass server

◎ Filter Cup

Currently, there are various types and materials of filter cups available on the market. Previously, the most common were approximately cone-shaped cups with three holes at the bottom, commonly known as three-hole filter cups. Before the rise of specialty coffee, these three-hole filter cups represented the standard. Even the filter cups in American-style coffee machines feature the same design.

Later, single-hole cone-shaped filter cups and round, flat-bottomed filter cups emerged. In recent years, cone-shaped filter drippers with smaller cone angles have appeared.

In terms of materials, they can be found in plastic, ceramic, and metal mesh. Recently, I even found equipment where both the filter cup and its internal filter are made entirely of ceramic. Truly fascinating!

◎ Filter Paper

Although called filter paper, the materials are not limited to paper. There are also flannel and metal mesh options. Different filtering materials can affect the coffee's taste profile.

Filter paper produces clean coffee, flannel creates full-bodied coffee, while metal mesh tends to allow fine particles through, resulting in a relatively coarse mouthfeel. However, some might say this approach most closely resembles cupping conditions.

◎ Pour-over Kettle

Previously, to control water flow, specially designed kettles with very long, thin spouts were used for brewing. We call these "gooseneck kettles." In terms of materials, they are mainly divided between stainless steel and copper. Their external designs also vary to accommodate different brewing techniques.

However, in recent years, Japanese enamel porcelain pour-over kettles have become popular. Their features include specially designed spouts for better water flow control and materials that maintain water temperature.

◎ Transparent Glass Server

This glass server is primarily placed below the filter cup to collect the brewed coffee. You might ask: "Why not just place a cup underneath?" I used to think the same way, and then I often ended up with coffee overflowing... So the transparent glass server is quite important!

It's even better if it has capacity markings! The selection principles are: it should securely support the filter cup, the opening shouldn't be too large or too small, and importantly, it must be "heat-resistant."

How to Brew Drip Coffee

1. Fold the sealed edge of the filter paper, place it in the filter cup, and position the filter cup on the glass server.
2. Pour some hot water over the filter paper to wet it and make it conform to the filter cup.
3. Pour coffee grounds into the filter paper and distribute them evenly.
4. Discard the hot water that filtered through in step 2.
5. Use your finger to poke a hole about one knuckle deep in the center of the grounds.
6. Starting from the hole, slowly pour hot water at approximately 88-92°C, spiraling from inside to outside, using just enough water to completely wet all the grounds.
7. Let it rest for 20-30 seconds (this is called the "bloom").
8. Continue pouring hot water slowly, spiraling from inside to outside, then from outside to inside, maintaining the water level at a consistent height.
9. Once enough coffee has been extracted, immediately remove the filter cup without waiting for all the coffee in the filter cup to finish dripping.
10. Pour the drip coffee into your favorite cup and enjoy it!

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse variety of beans, where you can find both famous and lesser-known beans, while also providing online store services.

https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Related recommendations: Can espresso blends be used for drip brewing? What are the differences between coffee beans for Americano and espresso?

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473