Whether to Steep or Brew Coffee Powder Makes a Big Difference - Don't Miss Out on Pour-Over Coffee Process Steps

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FrontStreet Coffee - Pour-Over Coffee Steps Introduction

Brewing means to extract something, or to obtain an extract. In chemistry, extraction refers to extracting valuable substances (flavors) from raw materials (coffee beans). In coffee extraction, the most common method is using hot water to extract flavors from coffee grounds. Many substances in coffee are soluble, such as fruit acids, caffeine, oils, melanoidins, carbohydrates, and plant fibers. Each substance dissolves at different times and rates, carrying different flavors.

Only 30% of these substances are water-soluble, and less than 22% carry positive flavors. The remaining substances only bring excessive bitterness, paper-like taste, or other negative flavors to the coffee. Fortunately, these positive flavor substances are the first to be dissolved, while negative flavor substances require more time to be extracted.

Basic Steps for Pour-Over Coffee:

1. Fold the filter paper: Take a fan-shaped filter paper, with one side being machine-pressed and thicker. (Filter paper selection: Filter papers come in different sizes and models, chosen according to the selected filter cup. They also come in bleached and unbleached varieties. Bleached filter papers have less paper pulp taste, so we choose bleached filter paper).
2. Weigh coffee beans: Weigh 20g of coffee beans. (Some say you use 10g for one cup, and for two cups, you can use 15g or slightly less than 20g. This actually doesn't align with extraction principles. If you want milder coffee, you can reduce the amount, but the idea of reducing coffee beans when making two cups is incorrect. You can try it yourself - the taste difference is significant).
3. Grind: Use a hand grinder or automatic grinder to grind the coffee beans.
4. Heat water: It's best to use a thermometer to measure water temperature for precision. The pour-over water temperature range is quite wide, from 82°C to 95°C. However, different temperatures will definitely produce significantly different tastes. Different beans and different roast levels require different water temperatures, so you need to adjust to find your optimal water temperature.
5. Wet the filter paper: Pour hot water evenly over the filter paper until it's completely wet and tightly adheres to the filter cup, then pour out the hot water from the serving pot. (Many people are not used to wetting filter paper, thinking it's unnecessary. In fact, wetting filter paper has three main purposes: 1. Rinse away impurities and paper taste from the filter paper; 2. Make the filter paper conform to the filter cup; 3. Warm the filter cup and serving pot).
6. Pour grounds into filter paper: Pour the ground coffee into the filter cup and gently level it.
7. Bloom: Pour water evenly over the coffee grounds using about 1.5 times the weight of the grounds in water (make sure to saturate completely, but don't let too much water drip into the serving pot).

There's no fixed time for blooming. Fresh coffee grounds will begin to absorb water and expand after water is added. When all coffee grounds have absorbed water and expansion stops, the blooming process is complete, and you can begin pouring water. (Whether expansion occurs and its size is greatly related to the coffee's roast level and freshness. Fresher coffee grounds expand more, and darker roasts expand more).

8. Pour water: Immersion method: Start pouring from the center, then draw concentric circles in one direction until reaching the outer edge, but avoid pouring directly onto the filter paper. Then draw concentric circles back to the center, repeating this process. Keep the water flow steady. You can pour in two to three stages, though many people debate whether to pause between stages.

   Center pouring method: Few people are familiar with this pouring technique. Center pouring involves only pouring water in the center without spreading it out. After extraction, it forms a small hole, as if pouring water over the entire coffee surface.

9. Complete extraction: When extraction is complete, you'll have approximately 240ml of coffee liquid. Stop pouring, remove the filter cup, and your delicious coffee is ready in the serving pot.

Knowledge Point:

The predecessor of HARIO company was Shibata Hiro Manufacturing, which made glassware for chemical use. In 1964, HARIO Trading Co., Ltd. was established to sell heat-resistant glass tableware. In 2005, HARIO company released the conical filter cup HARIO V60.

In Brief:

FrontStreet Coffee is a specialty coffee research center that enjoys sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation, hoping to help more friends fall in love with coffee. Every month, we hold three coffee discount events because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends enjoy the best coffee at the lowest prices - this has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past 6 years!

Important Notice :

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