FrontStreet Coffee Pour-Over Coffee Basic Steps: Simple Brewing Methods for Premium Ground Coffee

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The Art of Pour-Over Coffee

Since the third wave of coffee, pour-over coffee has gradually entered our lives. With simple equipment and emphasis on manual technique, pour-over coffee is like a return to purity, originating from the pursuit of refinement in Japanese culture and captivating numerous coffee experts and lifestyle enthusiasts. What makes pour-over coffee so appealing? What's the key to a good cup of pour-over coffee? FrontStreet Coffee advocates for conservative brewing methods, ensuring the presentation of coffee flavors through accurate grinding, precise temperature, exact weight, and sufficient extraction within the correct time frame. The precise parameters mentioned by FrontStreet Coffee are based on SCA-provided parameters, combined with FrontStreet Coffee's practical application experience. Over-extraction refers to exceeding Golden Cup standards, while under-extraction refers to falling below Golden Cup standards. This brewing method provides a standard practice from FrontStreet Coffee, which can be adjusted according to personal preferences based on this benchmark.

Q: What is Pour-Over Coffee?

FrontStreet Coffee: "Pour-over coffee" refers to the process of brewing coffee at atmospheric pressure using a filter cup and filter paper to hold appropriately ground coffee beans. The brewer uses a stable pouring technique to introduce water of suitable temperature and volume over the coffee grounds to extract coffee liquid. Since grind size, water temperature, pouring method, and brewing time all affect coffee flavor extraction, this brewing method requires considerable technique and professional coffee knowledge.

Q: What is Golden Cup Extraction?

FrontStreet Coffee: The Golden Cup Extraction standards are most profoundly influenced by the SCA (SCAA and SCAE merged in 2017). Simply put, during the pour-over coffee process, controlling "concentration" between 1.15-1.45% and achieving an "extraction rate" of 18-22% is considered to be within the Golden Cup extraction range.

The most famous aspect of Golden Cup extraction standards is undoubtedly the Golden Cup extraction chart, where the horizontal axis represents coffee extraction rate, the vertical axis represents coffee concentration, and the diagonal lines represent coffee-to-water ratio (coffee amount/water amount).

Once you measure the coffee concentration, you can easily calculate the extraction rate.

Pour-Over Coffee Extraction Rate Formula:

Extraction Rate = Coffee Liquid Volume × Coffee Concentration / Coffee Grounds Amount

Golden Cup Standards from Different Countries

American Specialty Coffee Association (SCAA):
Extraction Rate [18%-22%] Concentration [1.15%-1.35%]

European Specialty Coffee Association (SCAE):
Extraction Rate [18%-22%] Concentration [1.2%-1.45%]

Norwegian Coffee Association (NCA):
Extraction Rate [18%-22%] Concentration [1.3%-1.55%]

Brazilian Coffee Association (ABIC):
Extraction Rate [18%-22%] Concentration [2%-2.4%]

As you can see, different countries have varying definitions of Golden Cup standards, with different national preferences for coffee concentration. However, what's universally recognized is that coffee extraction rates between 18%-22% produce the most delicious extracted coffee substances.

The Golden Cup standards have indeed made great contributions, setting a reference standard for specialty coffee and making coffee extraction more scientific. However, this is not the only approach. It's more like providing a reference benchmark for beginner coffee enthusiasts. Coffee that meets Golden Cup standards isn't necessarily good-tasting, and coffee that doesn't meet Golden Cup standards isn't necessarily bad-tasting. The key lies in understanding the relationship between proportion, concentration, and extraction rate in Golden Cup standards, rather than blindly pursuing those cold, hard numbers.

Q: What Do We Need to Prepare for Making Pour-Over Coffee?

FrontStreet Coffee:

1. Pour-Over Kettle: There are various sizes and materials of pour-over kettles available on the market; you can choose according to your needs. What most significantly affects brewing results is the spout size, as it relates to water flow. Beginners are generally recommended to use narrow-spout kettles for easier control. Additionally, different pour-over kettles are suitable for different heating methods (induction cookers or gas stoves), so pay special attention when purchasing.

2. Filter Cup: Filter cups also come in different sizes and materials, mainly divided into three shapes: fan-shaped, conical, and wave filter cups. The size of the filter hole at the bottom of the filter cup affects the flow rate of extracted coffee, thereby influencing coffee flavor. Fan-shaped filter cups have smaller holes, slower flow rates, and richer, fuller flavors; conical filter cups have larger holes, faster flow rates, and lighter, more delicate flavors; wave filter cups have flat bottoms paired with special wave filter papers, producing the most uniform coffee flavor. Particularly noteworthy are metal mesh filter cups, which don't require filter paper and can retain more coffee oils for stronger flavors, but some finer coffee particles might not be filtered out effectively.

3. Filter Paper: Filter paper comes in bleached and unbleached varieties. Bleached filter paper appears whiter, while unbleached filter paper looks closer to light brown. The purpose of filter paper is to use extremely dense fibers to retain ground coffee while filtering extracted coffee into the cup. When purchasing filter paper, select the corresponding type based on your filter cup.

4. Coffee Grinder: Good pour-over coffee requires a good coffee grinder. There are three types of coffee grinders on the market:

1) Ghost tooth grinder
2) Flat burr grinder
3) Conical burr grinder

5. Thermometer: A thermometer is used to measure coffee water temperature. Thermometers available on the market include Tiamo, Hero, and Cafede Kona thermometers.

6. Electronic Scale: An electronic scale allows us to better control the coffee-to-water ratio during brewing, reducing instability and increasing fault tolerance. Electronic scales range from dozens to hundreds of yuan, with options like Yami electronic scales, Hero smart scales, and Timemore electronic scales.

7. Sieve: Mainly used to determine grind size. Each coffee bean variety is suitable for different pour-over grind sizes. Through continuous experimentation, FrontStreet Coffee has determined that 80% passing through a Chinese standard #20 sieve serves as the standard pour-over grind size.

8. Server Carafe: If you're brewing for one person, you can skip the server carafe and brew directly into a mug. For brewing multiple cups, a server carafe is necessary. With its measurement markings and transparent material, the server carafe also helps you better understand and control the extraction process, making it more than just a serving vessel. FrontStreet Coffee recommends HARIO V60 Cloud Server Carafe and Kalita Server Carafe.

Q: What Are the Detailed Steps for Pour-Over Coffee?

FrontStreet Coffee: Brewing a good pot of coffee starts with four aspects: water temperature, grind size, coffee-to-water ratio, and brewing technique.

1. Water Temperature

Higher water temperature means stronger extraction power, resulting in more bitter coffee with intense flavors; lower water temperature means weaker extraction power, resulting in more acidic coffee with mild, delicate flavors. Pour-over temperature should be adjusted according to the coffee's roast level. For light to medium roast beans, 90-91°C is recommended; for medium to dark roast beans, 85-87°C is recommended. FrontStreet Coffee generally adjusts within this range. Once, a customer questioned this brewing temperature, so FrontStreet Coffee used the Golden Mandheling coffee bean (dark roast) brewed at 90°C water temperature, and the result was almost comparable to espresso.

2. Grind Size

Refers to the size of coffee particles and affects the contact time between coffee and water. The finer the coffee grounds, the more substances water can extract within the same time frame, but finer grinds are prone to over-extraction during the brewing process. Conversely, coarser coffee grounds result in less extracted substance within the same time frame, but coarser grinds are more prone to under-extraction. FrontStreet Coffee recommends using 80% passing through a Chinese standard #20 sieve as the pour-over grind size - this was determined through multiple taste tests. It's important to note that different coffee beans require different grind sizes, so when pour-over flavors seem off, you should check if the grind size is problematic.

3. Coffee-to-Water Ratio

The coffee-to-water ratio refers to the proportion of coffee grounds to brewing water and affects coffee concentration. Ratios can be 1:10, 1:13, 1:15, or 1:16. FrontStreet Coffee recommends using a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, which is moderate in both concentration and flavor. Of course, everyone pursues different coffee flavor profiles, so during extraction, you can adjust your coffee-to-water ratio according to your desired strength and taste.

Q: How to Make Good Pour-Over Coffee at Home? Any Suggestions for Brewing Techniques?

FrontStreet Coffee: There are various brewing techniques, including three-stage pouring, single-pour pouring, drip-style pouring, etc. FrontStreet Coffee recommends beginners use the three-stage pouring method for brewing, which is suitable for light roast, medium-light roast, and medium roast coffee beans. The segmented extraction approach of three-stage pouring can clearly distinguish the front, middle, and back-end flavors of coffee, better ensuring the presentation of coffee flavors.

First Pour: Bloom (helps release gas)

Coffee beans undergo a series of chemical reactions and physical changes during the roasting process from green beans to roasted beans. After reaching a certain degree of roasting, coffee beans accumulate large amounts of gas (mostly carbon dioxide).

Generally, the fresher the coffee and the closer to roasting date, the more bubbles will appear during blooming. Dark roast beans also release more gas during blooming than light roast beans. FrontStreet Coffee's coffee beans are all freshly roasted, so they generally recommend customers let the beans rest for three days first, allowing coffee beans to release carbon dioxide first, avoiding instability and under-extraction issues during brewing.

After the bloom releases gas, coffee particles can absorb water evenly, allowing for more uniform extraction in later stages. A good bloom allows coffee grounds to release gas quickly and evenly while also enabling coffee grounds to fully and rapidly contact water, helping ensure uniform extraction of coffee grounds.

Pay attention to these four points during blooming:

1. Before pouring water for blooming, level the coffee grounds first.
2. Pour gently during blooming.
3. During blooming, try to minimize the amount of extracted liquid that flows down; when too much liquid appears in the lower pot, reduce water amount or pay attention to grind size. (If too much water is used during blooming and a large amount of coffee liquid drips down, the falling water doesn't linger but directly carries substances from the outer layer of coffee grounds, and undesirable flavors and astringency from the outer layer begin to dissolve. This results in coffee that is both weak but has over-extracted unpleasant flavors. If insufficient water is used during blooming with no dripping, this means the coffee grounds haven't absorbed enough water, and some coffee grounds haven't released enough gas, leading to under-extraction.) Based on this situation, FrontStreet Coffee conducted multiple bloom experiments and found that pouring twice the coffee grounds' amount in water during blooming is most appropriate.
4. Blooming time should be about 30-40 seconds. When the expansion of the coffee ground surface ends, you'll see the coffee surface start to shrink, indicating blooming is complete and you can begin pouring. (If blooming time is too long, coffee easily develops bitter and astringent flavors; if time is too short and soaking is insufficient, coffee might experience under-extraction or fail to fully express itself.) Generally, blooming end times vary for each bean, but FrontStreet Coffee found this不利于新手操作 (is not conducive to beginner operation), since beginners need standardization and ease of use. Therefore, while ensuring coffee beans are still in a fresh roasted state, FrontStreet Coffee recommends a 30-second blooming time, though experienced brewers can adjust the time themselves.

Second Pour

Start the second pour from the center, using a small water stream to inject into the bottom of the coffee bed. To concentrate the water stream's penetrating power, the circular movement range should be small - about the size of a one-yuan coin - then expand outward. From the beginning of the second pour, pay attention to water amount, trying not to exceed the height of the coffee bed. This means when the water stream approaches close to the filter paper, you can stop pouring.

Third Pour

As the originally thicker coffee bed near the filter paper edges becomes heavier from absorbing water and slides down and thins as water level drops, you can begin the third pour when the water level drops to halfway.

Starting from the third pour, observe the magnitude of water level drop. Again, start pouring from the center in circular motions, with water amount not exceeding the coffee bed height. At this point, you'll also observe that foam has covered the entire surface. The third pour needs to increase coffee particle tumbling to get all settled particles tumbling, thereby dissolving soluble substances.

Tumbling particles will begin to settle when water addition stops. At this point, rely on the flow rate caused by dropping water levels to create friction between coffee particles. Once water addition stops, coffee ground particles sink downward, causing blockage, so pay special attention to the rhythm of water addition. If water interruption occurs too many times, it's equivalent to letting coffee ground particles continuously soak in water, which will lead to astringency and unpleasant flavors in the tail-end coffee extraction.

Q: What Exactly Is the Principle of Pour-Over Coffee?

FrontStreet Coffee: So-called coffee brewing is actually the process of extracting molecules from coffee cells, and this process includes the following three steps: wetting, dissolution, and release. These three steps occur sequentially and influence each other, ultimately producing coffee's unique flavors.

Step One: Wetting

This means exactly what it says - coffee grounds get wet when they encounter water, which is the starting point for coffee cells to begin releasing molecules.

It's important to note that roasted coffee beans are filled with carbon dioxide, and fresher coffee beans contain more carbon dioxide. When hot water touches coffee grounds, carbon dioxide escapes first, forming a layer of bubbles on the surface. During pour-over, you'll see the coffee grounds in the filter cup begin to expand. At this point, coffee cells are like a supermarket where many people are trying to squeeze out from inside - people outside can't get in. Similarly, hot water outside the cells cannot enter the cells. Therefore, after wetting the coffee grounds, we stop pouring and wait for carbon dioxide to completely release and coffee grounds to stop expanding before continuing to add hot water to achieve better extraction results.

Step Two: Dissolution

Refers to the process of soluble molecules in coffee cells dissolving in hot water. This is the most important step, determining the extracted coffee flavor.

Coffee beans are two-thirds composed of insoluble cellulose, with the remaining third being some soluble aromatic molecules that dissolve in water according to molecular size. The first small molecules to dissolve include acids and aromatics, followed by medium molecules of sweetness, and finally large molecules of bitter and burnt flavors. This is how coffee's different flavor layers are created. Therefore, if you prefer sweeter flavors, extraction time should be shorter, because the longer hot water stays on coffee grounds, the more bitter molecules will be dissolved.

Step Three: Diffusion

After aromatic molecules dissolve, they leave coffee cells through osmosis in a process called diffusion. Aromatic molecules diffuse into hot water, forming the final coffee extract.

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Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473