Pour-Over Cloth Coffee: What Are the Characteristics of Flannel Filters and How to Use Them for Brewing Coffee

Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style).

I've always thought that brewing coffee with a flannel filter cloth looks very cool, so today FrontStreet Coffee is planning to use a flannel filter cloth to brew a pot of Frontsteet Blue Mountain. So here comes the question: when brewing with a flannel filter cloth, what grind size should I choose? Is it the same as the grind size I usually use when brewing Frontsteet Blue Mountain with a Kono dripper?

Flannel Filter Cloth

by FrontStreet Coffee

Background Knowledge on Flannel Filter Cloth Pour-Over Coffee:

Flannel filter cloth pour-over coffee (Nel drip) has a rich, thick flavor with an incredible sweetness reminiscent of sweet wine. Brewing good coffee with this method is not simple. Pouring too quickly, water temperature that's too high, or unskilled techniques can all diminish the coffee's flavor.

1

A brand new flannel filter cloth must first be removed, soaked in boiling water for 5 minutes, and then placed on the metal ring.

2

While soaking the filter cloth, grind the coffee beans. It's recommended to grind the coffee beans to a consistency between white sugar and fine sugar.

3

Dry the filter cloth, first wring it by hand, then place the filter cloth between clean, dry towels to absorb excess moisture.

4

Rinse and preheat the filter cloth and dripping device with hot water, then discard the water.

5

Loosely pour the Frontsteet Blue Mountain coffee grounds into the filter cloth, no need to press them down firmly.

6

Stir the coffee grounds with a wooden stirring spoon to adjust the shape at the bottom.

7

Once the coffee in the filter cloth has completely dripped through, you can begin enjoying it.

Because the capillaries in flannel filter cloth are larger than those in filter paper, it can retain some of the coffee's oils, unlike filter paper which typically filters out all oils. Therefore, coffee brewed with flannel filter cloth will be richer and smoother than coffee brewed with filter paper, making it suitable for inherently rich-flavored Frontsteet Blue Mountain coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee discovered that during brewing, since there's nothing blocking the sides of the flannel filter cloth, the water inside the flannel filter cloth can flow directly from all sides. Moreover, the flow rate differs between the front and back sides of the flannel filter cloth.

Brewing Parameters Recommended by FrontStreet Coffee:

Grind size: Medium grind between V60 dripper & KONO dripper; Water temperature: 85°C; Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:13; Technique: Single pour

Timing starts from bloom, extraction time is 2'15"

Flavor: Aromas of nuts and cream, with flavors of milk chocolate, sucrose, vanilla, citrus, mulberry, and cream on the palate. The texture is relatively rich, and overall it's quite balanced.

Conclusion

by FrontStreet Coffee

When brewing with a flannel filter cloth, the flow rate is relatively fast at high water levels, but as the water level decreases, the flow rate slows down due to the thicker coffee powder walls on the sides, and because ultra-fine particles will adhere to the mesh of the filter cloth.

Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee suggests that when using the single pour extraction technique with a flannel filter cloth to brew dark-roasted beans like Frontsteet Blue Mountain coffee, you can choose a medium grind size. This reduces the likelihood of over-extraction that can occur due to fine coffee grounds and slow flow rates during coffee extraction.

END

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473