FrontStreet Coffee - Pour-over Coffee and Coffee Tasting Introduction

The most fundamental difference between espresso and pour-over coffee lies in their extraction methods.

Espresso Coffee

Extraction principle: Under high pressure of 9 atmospheres, hot water at 90-94°C rapidly presses through coffee grounds for extraction. Typically, a single shot of espresso uses 7-8g of coffee grounds, while a double shot uses 15-16g. The 30ml of concentrated coffee liquid obtained through this high-pressure extraction method is called espresso. Using espresso as a base, adding water, milk foam, chocolate sauce, or other ingredients in different proportions creates various espresso-based beverages such as Americano, latte, cappuccino, and mocha.

Espresso beans are mostly used in commercial coffee shops, therefore they often use blends of regular commercial beans from origins like Brazil, Colombia, Vietnam, and Yunnan. At the same time, espresso beans typically undergo darker roasting to ensure consistency in the final product.

Pour-over Coffee

Pour-over, as an extraction method, is also academically known as "drip brewing," invented by German lady Melitta in 1908 (which is also the well-known German filter paper brand Melitta we know today).

Extraction principle: Coffee grounds are placed in filter paper or a filter, and hot water at 85-94°C is poured under normal pressure, allowing natural drip filtration through gravity to extract the coffee liquid.

What we usually hear as "Sun-dried Yirgacheffe," "Washed Huilan Colombia," "Brazil FC Sun-dried," and so on are names of single-origin beans, typically indicating the origin/farm/processing station of the coffee beans and the processing method used.

Coffee Tasting

Step 1: Smell the Dry Aroma of Coffee

Bring freshly ground coffee close to your nose, and you'll experience the dry aromas from different coffee origins. This is the first information conveyed to you. If we say that one can recognize coffee by its aroma, then your sensitive sense of smell will help you enjoy the scents of major coffee estates.

Step 2: Taste Its Flavor

Tasting the unique flavors of coffee from different origins is not an easy task. The coffee liquid undergoes sensory discrimination in the mouth. After a period of trying and practice, you'll be able to discern their respective flavors.

Beans from different regions have their own distinctive characteristics. You can taste various flavors such as floral and fruity notes, nutty flavors, tea aromas, ginger notes, pine scents, and many other peculiar tastes. Besides taste, it also requires our imagination.

Step 3: Perceive the Aftertaste

Tasting coffee is like tasting red wine; it requires aftertaste. The moment you drink the coffee, don't swallow it hastily. Instead, let it swirl in your throat, and you'll feel a flavor returning from your throat. Some aftertastes are clear and persistent, while others are vague and brief, but all will provide a wonderful sensation.

Step 4: Understand Acidity

Many friends, like me, don't particularly like the acidity in coffee, preferring instead the mellow or even slightly bitter coffee, thinking that's what makes it strong enough. However, if you want to become a true coffee connoisseur, you must first understand the acidity in coffee.

Acidity is a quite typical and expected part of coffee. It's a direct taste sensation that occurs on the underside edges of your tongue and on your palate. Acidity provides a strong, distinct, and lively texture characteristic. Without the expression of acidity, coffee will tend to be monotonous and lose its flavor.

Step 5: Perceive Body

Body refers to the tactile sensation of coffee, the mouthfeel of coffee in your mouth, ranging from light as water or skim milk to thick as milk or cream, syrup. People need to use the middle-back part of their tongue to feel its "weight." As for preferring light or full body, that depends on individual differences, but first, you must learn to perceive it.

Knowledge point: Coffee beans contain various organic compounds after roasting, especially acidic fats and volatile fats.

In short: FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research hub, happy to share coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation, hoping to help more friends fall in love with coffee. Additionally, there are three discount coffee activities every month because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends enjoy the best coffee at the lowest price. This has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past 6 years!

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473