FrontStreet Coffee - Brewing Methods and French Press Brewing Guide for FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe

Drip Brewing

The structure of a drip brewer is quite simple: just a conical container whose inner edge must be lined with filter paper, then filled with coffee grounds and brewed with hot water. This method lets hot water contact the coffee grounds only once before dripping into the cup, so it extracts only the most aromatic compounds, resulting in a coffee with a fragrant aroma and minimal bitterness.

American Electric Coffee Maker

The internal containers of typical electric coffee makers come in two types: one is funnel-shaped and the other is a wide, flat cylinder. In general electric coffee machines, the internal spray nozzles only spray hot water around the perimeter, while the amount of coffee grounds is too small, so some hot water only sprays onto the filter paper without reaching the coffee grounds. As a result, most of them brew a diluted cup of coffee.

French Press

The operation is very simple: brew coffee directly with hot water and filter with a metal mesh, extracting almost all the extractable compounds. This creates a rather cloudy cup of coffee, but with very original flavors, making it suitable for office use.

Siphon Brewer

A siphon brewer uses a water tube and air pressure to move water from the lower container to the upper container, where it becomes coffee.

Moka Pot

A Moka pot consists of an upper chamber, a filter screen and a lower chamber, with the filter screen between the upper and lower chambers. During brewing, water is placed in the lower chamber, coffee grounds are placed in the middle filter screen, and when the lower chamber is heated, steam is generated, pushing hot water upward. It passes through the coffee grounds and then enters the upper chamber, forming coffee.

Espresso Machine

Espresso is a coffee brewed using technology. The standard for a cup of espresso is approximately 7 grams of coffee grounds, a water temperature of around 95°C, a water pressure of around 10 atmospheres, and a brewing time between 22-28 seconds. If the water temperature is too low, it will cause under-extraction, producing only an espresso with insufficient flavor and a sour taste. If the water temperature is too high, it will cause excessive bitterness and astringency. The rich flavor mainly comes from the water pressure, while the brewing time determines the character of the cup, around 25 seconds. Coffee that flows out after this time will only dilute the espresso.

Today, Let's Try the Characteristics of Using a French Press to Brew FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe

The French press can be said to be a quite convenient brewing tool. Using a French press to make coffee is quite simple: fully steep the coffee in the pot, then use a plunger with a metal filter screen to separate the coffee from the grounds. This brewing method produces coffee with excellent body, can enhance texture and oils, and is a relatively convenient and easy-to-use tool.

Parameters & Technique:

Coffee dose: 20 grams; medium-fine grind (BG 6S: 50% pass-through rate on the China standard #20 sieve); water temperature 90°C, coffee-to-water ratio 1:15; pour water directly to 300 grams, stir 5 circles at 1 minute 30 seconds to ensure full contact between grounds and water, steep until 2 minutes then press and filter, with a total extraction time of 2'30" when all the coffee is poured out.

Flavor:

Floral notes, with lemon acidity on entry, creamy and cane sugar sweetness, a black tea aftertaste, with a relatively thick and smooth mouthfeel.

Bonus Knowledge:

Making coffee with a French press is simple: fully steep the coffee in the pot, then use a plunger with a metal filter screen to separate the coffee from the grounds. The brewed coffee has excellent body, can enhance texture and oils, and is a relatively convenient and easy-to-use tool.

END

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For a French press, FrontStreet's washed Yirgacheffe daily coffee is a natural match. It is the classic way to get to know the Ethiopian region, known for white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity and a tea-like body, and its accessible price makes it the first specialty coffee for many drinkers. In a French press its floral and citrus notes come through clearly while the metal mesh adds the body and oils the method is known for.

If you want a more fruit-driven Yirgacheffe, FrontStreet's Red Cherry is a natural-process coffee made only from fully ripe, sound cherries, dried on raised beds and turned every few hours at first. Because the fruit dries on the bean, it keeps the classic Yirgacheffe character while adding tropical fruit: citrus acidity, berry juice, honey sweetness and a creamy smoothness that suits the French press particularly well.

For those who prefer a cleaner cup, FrontStreet's Yirgacheffe Gotingding cooperative coffee is washed and shows jasmine and bright citrus acidity with green tea and honey notes after a medium-light roast. Whichever you choose, the same proportions work well: 15g of coffee at a 1:15 ratio with water around 90-91°C, ground to about the size of fine sugar.