Types of Pour-Over Coffee Equipment and Their Characteristics | Recommended Pour-Over Coffee Tools

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Everyone knows that pour-over coffee requires selecting freshly roasted coffee beans, then grinding them, extracting through a filter cup, and finally obtaining a delicious cup of coffee. This process may seem simple, but FrontStreet Coffee believes that the essence of pour-over coffee lies precisely in the process of using pour-over equipment. In this article, FrontStreet Coffee will introduce the different types of pour-over coffee equipment and the characteristics of pour-over coffee.

What Types of Pour-Over Coffee Equipment Are There?

First, everyone knows that to make a dish, you not only need ingredients but also tools like knives and cutting boards. Pour-over coffee is no exception - it also requires equipment to extract a good cup of coffee liquid. Below are the essential pour-over coffee equipment compiled by FrontStreet Coffee:

1. Pour-Over Kettle

There are various sizes and materials of pour-over kettles available on the market, which can be selected according to your needs. What significantly affects the brewing result is the spout size, as it relates to water flow rate. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends beginners use a narrow-spout kettle because it's easier to control water flow. Additionally, different pour-over kettles are suitable for different heating methods (for example, some require induction stovetops), 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 holes at the bottom of the filter cup affects the flow rate of extracted coffee, thereby influencing the coffee's flavor. Fan-shaped filter cups have small holes, slow flow rate, and produce a richer taste; conical filter cups have large holes, fast flow rate, and produce a lighter taste; wave filter cups have a flat bottom and paired with special wave filter paper, produce the most uniform coffee taste.

A special case is the metal mesh filter cup, which doesn't require filter paper and can retain more coffee oils for a stronger taste, but some fine coffee powder may not be filtered out.

Here, FrontStreet Coffee recommends beginners choose the V60 #01 filter cup. The V60 conical filter cup has a large opening, and its unique spiral rib design allows air to be expelled more easily, improving extraction quality. The taste may not be as rich, but its high concentration brings out prominent acidity and sweetness with distinct aroma, which is its major characteristic.

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 function of filter paper is to use extremely dense fibers to retain ground coffee powder and filter the extracted coffee into the cup. Therefore, when purchasing filter paper, FrontStreet Coffee recommends choosing filter paper that corresponds to your filter cup.

4. Coffee Grinder

Good pour-over coffee requires a good coffee grinder. According to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding, there are currently 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 the water temperature for coffee. There are various thermometers on the market, including Tiamo, Hero, and Cafede Kona thermometers.

6. Electronic Scale

An electronic scale helps us better control the coffee-to-water ratio during brewing, reducing unstable factors and increasing error tolerance. Electronic scales range from hundreds to tens of yuan, with options like Yami electronic scales, Hero smart scales, and Timemore electronic scales.

7. Sieve

Mainly used to determine grind size, as each coffee bean has a different suitable grind size for pour-over. Through continuous experimentation, FrontStreet Coffee has determined that the appropriate grind size for pour-over is when 80% passes through a Chinese standard #20 sieve.

8. Server Pot

If you're drinking alone, you can skip the server pot and place the filter directly over a mug. For brewing multiple cups of coffee, a server pot is necessary. With its measurement markings and transparent material, a server pot also makes it easier to understand and control the extraction process, making it more than just a serving vessel. FrontStreet Coffee recommends the HARIO V60 Cloud Server Pot and Kalita Server Pot.

The above are the pour-over coffee equipment recommended by FrontStreet Coffee. So what are the characteristics of pour-over coffee?

Characteristics of Pour-Over Coffee

First, pour-over coffee refers to the process at atmospheric pressure where appropriately ground coffee powder is held in a filter cup and filter paper, and the brewer uses a stable pouring method to extract coffee liquid by pouring water of appropriate temperature and volume over the coffee powder. Since grind size, water temperature, pouring method, and brewing time all affect the extraction of coffee flavor, this is a brewing method that greatly emphasizes skill and professional knowledge of pour-over coffee.

As FrontStreet Coffee often mentioned in previous articles, the basic knowledge of pour-over coffee requires attention to how to properly use coffee equipment. For example, the seven elements of pour-over compiled by FrontStreet Coffee include: fresh coffee beans, appropriate grind size for pour-over coffee powder, brewing water temperature, water quality, filter cup selection, coffee-to-water ratio, and brewing time - all of these elements are indispensable. Pour-over coffee equipment serves these seven basic elements of pour-over coffee knowledge.

How Many Pour-Over Brewing Methods Are There?

In addition, the brewing method for pour-over coffee also affects the coffee flavor. Currently, common pour-over brewing methods seen by coffee enthusiasts in various coffee shops include three-stage pouring, single-stream pouring, and drip pouring.

FrontStreet Coffee has consistently used the three-stage pouring method for our in-store brewing, and we also recommend beginners use the three-stage water pouring method because this technique is suitable for light, medium-light, and medium roast coffee beans. The segmented extraction of three-stage pouring can clearly express the front, middle, and back flavors of the coffee, better ensuring the flavor presentation.

Next, FrontStreet Coffee will demonstrate how to use pour-over equipment to brew three different coffee beans: lightly roasted Yirgacheffe coffee beans, medium roasted Brazil Queen Estate coffee beans, and medium-dark roasted PWN Golden Mandheling coffee beans.

Light Roast - FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe Gedeb Coffee Beans

Country: Ethiopia
Region: Yirgacheffe
Altitude: 1900-2300m
Variety: Local heirloom
Processing: Washed
Flavor: Tropical fruits, cream, honey, berries, citrus

FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe Coffee Bean Brewing Parameters

Filter cup: V60 #01
Water temperature: 90-91°C
Coffee amount: 15g
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15
Grind size: BG6m/medium-fine grind (sieved to 80% through #20 sieve)

Brewing Method: Three-Stage Extraction

First stage: Pour 30g of water for 30-second bloom, then pour 95g more (scale shows about 125g), completed in about 1 minute. When water level drops to 2/3 of the coffee bed, pour the remaining 100g (scale shows about 225g), completed in about 1 minute 35 seconds. Complete extraction between 2'00"-2'10" when dripping finishes, remove filter cup.

Washed Gedeb brewing flavor: Entry shows citrus and black tea, with cream, caramel, and almond notes appearing as temperature changes. The aftertaste is distinctly sweet with a clean, sweet taste.

Medium Roast - FrontStreet Coffee Brazil Queen Coffee Beans

Country: Brazil
Region: São Paulo State (Queen Estate)
Altitude: 1400-1950m
Variety: Yellow Bourbon
Processing: Semi-natural/Natural
Flavor: Nuts, cream, peanuts, fermented fruits, cane sugar

Brazil Queen Estate Coffee Bean Brewing Recommendations

Filter cup: Kono filter cup
Water temperature: 88°C
Coffee amount: 15g
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15
Grind size: Medium-fine grind (70-75% through Chinese standard #20 sieve)

For darker roasted coffee beans, to highlight the richness, FrontStreet Coffee chooses the Kono filter cup for brewing. The characteristic of the Kono filter cup is its immersion function, which can use soaking to extract more coffee substances, enhancing the rich mouthfeel. Because it has few ribs located at the bottom, it allows the filter paper to fit tightly against the filter cup to restrict airflow, thereby slowing water flow and increasing coffee-water contact time.

The water temperature of 88°C is considered relatively low for brewing, which can avoid extracting too many unpleasant flavors from the coffee beans during the brewing process, as the darker the roast, the more potential for undesirable flavors.

Brewing Method: Segmented Extraction

First, use 30g of water for 30-second bloom, then pour in small circular motions to 125g for segmentation. When water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. (Timing starts from bloom) Extraction time is 2 minutes.

Brazil Queen Estate flavor description: Entry shows distinct sweetness with subtle lemon aroma, containing rich nut flavors. The backend shows obvious dark chocolate notes, with an overall rounded feeling.

Medium-Dark Roast - FrontStreet Coffee Indonesia PWN Golden Mandheling Coffee Beans

Country: Indonesia
Region: Sumatra, Aceh, Gayo Mountain
Altitude: 1100-1600m
Variety: Ateng
Processing: Wet-hulled
Flavor: Toasted bread, nuts, pine, caramel, herbal

Mandheling Brewing Parameters:

Kono filter cup, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, 15g coffee amount, 88°C water temperature, grind size (70-75% through #20 standard sieve)

Brewing Method: Segmented Extraction

First, use 30g of water for 30-second bloom, then pour in small circular motions to 125g for segmentation. When water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. When water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed again, remove the filter cup. (Timing starts from bloom) V60 filter cup extraction time is 2'00", while Kono filter cup extraction time is slightly longer at 2'10".

Golden Mandheling flavor description: Multi-layered, rich and clean, with high balance, rich nut and caramel aromas, chocolate notes, and persistent aftertaste.

The above is FrontStreet Coffee's compilation of information about the types of pour-over coffee equipment and basic knowledge of pour-over coffee. At the same time, FrontStreet Coffee hopes this article helps pour-over coffee enthusiasts have relevant theoretical knowledge when brewing pour-over coffee.

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on private WeChat, ID: kaixinguoguo0925

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473