How Many Main Coffee Brewing Methods Exist? Detailed Explanation of Three-Stage Pour-Over Coffee and Why It's So Popular

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FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Three-Stage Pour-Over Coffee Extraction

Coffee brewing methods include: French press, siphon, pour-over, etc.

There are many different methods for distributing water during pouring. The simplest approach is to pour all the water at once and wait for filtration to complete. For immersion extraction, this is the recommended pouring method, as it ensures simultaneous contact between coffee grounds and water molecules (the shorter the time difference, the better).

For pour-over coffee, since water slowly permeates through the coffee grounds, you can use either continuous pouring or intermittent pouring. Continuous pouring requires special attention to controlling your pouring speed; intermittent pouring refers to completing the process with multiple small-volume pours.

This method helps establish the coffee bed that adheres to the filter paper edges without breaking it, and segmented pouring also helps stir the coffee grounds during brewing: water gently contacts the coffee grounds, causing them to move and ensuring thorough contact with water molecules. This establishes the relationship between pouring, coffee ground movement, and extraction.

For each pour, you can choose to pour in concentric circles or use fixed-point pouring. Different pouring methods will result in different extraction rates. Circular pouring helps stir the coffee grounds more evenly, keeping all coffee grounds moist.

Segmented pouring can determine the extraction time. With a fixed total volume, reducing the number of pours requires increasing the amount of water per pour, while increasing the number of pours requires reducing the water amount. Fewer pours with large volumes create greater pressure on the coffee bed, which also shortens extraction time; more pours can extend the extraction time.

The segmented circular method can bring more uniform extraction, but it requires maintaining high consistency. When making pour-over coffee, it's nearly impossible to get the same flavor every time. Only a small number of people can achieve such control.

Knowledge Point

More layered than single-stage pouring, this method can clearly distinguish the front, middle, and back-end flavors of coffee. The approach involves gradually increasing the amount of water after blooming, typically pouring when the coffee liquid is about to drop to the surface level of the coffee grounds, using small, medium, and large water flows for three-stage extraction.

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