How to Master Japanese Pour-Over Coffee: The Art of Drip Brewing and Extraction Techniques

The Origin of the Drip Method

In 1973, to better brew rich coffee, the Kawano family, who founded the Kono brand, developed a distinctive brewing method—the "Drip Method."

How distinctive is it? Most common brewing methods today use water flow with penetrating force throughout the entire extraction process, such as single-pour or three-stage pours. This creates a stirring effect on the coffee grounds in the filter, allowing them to release aromatic compounds more quickly, resulting in a flavorful cup of coffee in a short time.

The difference with the drip method lies in not using water flow for stirring throughout the entire process. At the beginning of extraction, it uses individual water droplets to moisten the coffee grounds and release gases, then uses water flow to extract substances from the coffee. Due to the longer dripping time, the entire extraction process is extended, resulting in a richer, more mellow coffee.

It's worth mentioning that the uniqueness of the drip method is particularly evident in today's fast-paced era. In an era when dark roast was mainstream, it was considered a classic among classics.

Since the entire process requires intense concentration to control water droplet output, it gives people a strong sense of craftsmanship and is highly enjoyable to watch. The coffee brewed this way also has a distinctive flavor. For friends who love rich coffee, this is definitely a brewing method worth exploring. Therefore, today let FrontStreet Coffee guide everyone through this distinctive yet classic drip method!

How to Brew with the Drip Method

Because this brewing method was developed around the extraction of dark roast coffee, the coffee beans FrontStreet Coffee uses for brewing today are naturally the dark roasted Golden Mandheling!

As for the filter, we don't necessarily have to limit ourselves to Kono—other slower-flowing filters work well too! Flannel filter cloth is naturally the best choice, as the addition of oils doubles the richness of the coffee~ The parameters are as follows:

Coffee amount: 20g
Grind size: EK43 setting 11, with 70% passing through a #20 sieve
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:10 (200ml hot water)
Water temperature: 88°C

Pre-Brewing Notes

Just like most Japanese brewing methods, the filter paper doesn't need to be pre-wetted. Because we need to use the staining state of the filter paper to determine whether the hot water extraction of the coffee beans is even. Not only that, but the degree of filter paper staining can also serve as an indicator of whether degassing is complete (when completely stained yellow by coffee liquid, it means degassing is complete)! Alright, without further ado, let's begin today's brewing tutorial!

First, we slightly tilt the kettle, letting water pour out in the smallest possible droplets. There are two key points to note here: first, the droplet falling speed isn't one drop at a time, but continuous, successive droplets falling at an average rate of about three drops per second. Second, the pouring position should focus on the center of the coffee bed, because the center has the thickest coffee bed, so our focus is on the center position. The coffee beds on both sides will be moistened by hot water spreading from the center due to capillary action, achieving the degassing effect.

(If you find it difficult to control the water flow, you can do like FrontStreet Coffee and use your left hand to support your right arm or wrist—supporting the wrist is recommended)

The dripping serves two purposes: one is to evenly moisten all the coffee grounds, and the other is to completely release the gases within them (the coffee grounds). Since this is an invisible process, we need to observe other aspects to get this information. There are two points available for judgment: one is the filter paper mentioned earlier, and the other is when coffee liquid begins to seep out in large quantities.

The reason coffee liquid can serve as a judgment standard is because people believe that coffee grounds continuously absorb water when dry, and stop absorbing water when saturated. When coffee liquid begins to seep into the lower pot in large quantities, it's the best proof that the coffee grounds have completed degassing and reached saturation.

Returning to brewing, FrontStreet Coffee spent a total of 2 minutes and 31 seconds from the start of dripping to the completion of degassing. From this point, we can begin using normal water flow to extract the coffee! Again, we need to use both large and small water flows in coordination. First, use a small water flow in small circular motions to brew the coffee grounds in the center of the bed.

When the amount of water poured reaches two-thirds of the total water volume, we switch to a large water flow, pouring the remaining hot water in large circular motions. Then we just need to wait for the drip filtration to complete!

Total time: 3 minutes and 22 seconds! Due to the large coffee-to-water ratio, this coffee will be quite concentrated. We'd better first pour a small cup to taste. If it's too strong, add some hot water to dilute it, adding 10ml at a time!

The FrontStreet Coffee Golden Mandheling brewed using the drip method offers an extremely rich mouthfeel from the first sip, with distinct aromas of spices, caramel, dark chocolate, and popcorn. The bitterness is solid, but quickly followed by a sweet aftertaste that returns to the palate. After swallowing, there's a lasting Pu'er tea-like finish, making the overall experience very special.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473