How to Choose the Grind Size for Pour-over Coffee and the Perfect Water-to-Coffee Ratio for the Best Flavor

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FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Pour-Over Coffee Grind Size and Coffee-to-Water Ratio

The method for making pour-over coffee is quite simple. Basically follow a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, with water temperature ideally at 90-93°C. First rinse the filter paper, then distribute the coffee grounds evenly, and finally brew, drip filter, and serve. Control the total time within 2.5 minutes. The grind setting isn't mentioned here because there are differences in grind coarseness between different brands of coffee grinders, making it impossible to provide a unified value.

So let's examine how changes in various parameters affect the flavor of a cup of pour-over coffee:

As coffee grounds become finer, the bitterness, body, and astringency of the coffee will increase accordingly, which will also reduce the acidity; higher water temperature will increase acidity, bitterness, body, and astringency simultaneously; brewing time doesn't significantly affect acidity, bitterness, and body, but astringency will increase as time extends.

With the same beans, a good grinder is the most important factor affecting flavor, and an appropriate grind setting is the most crucial element for expressing coffee flavor. Therefore, to express the desired flavor profile, you should use the corresponding grind setting. Pour-over drip coffee generally uses medium-coarse particles (like gravel or coarser). Many beginners often fall into the misconception that coffee should be ground as finely as possible, but the result is quite the opposite. Controlling the coarseness is the most important factor in allowing a coffee to express its correct flavor.

Of course, before making adjustments to the grind setting, you must first understand the beans you're using. If you're using medium-dark roasted beans, such as Mandheling, then adjusting to a finer grind might bring more intense aroma and body, but will also introduce bitterness and astringency. If you adjust to a coarser grind, it might bring some grassy aromas, but Mandheling that loses most of its body is incomplete. Therefore, you must repeatedly test and adjust the grind setting until you reach a taste that satisfies you personally.

And if you're using medium-light roasted beans, such as Yirgacheffe, then using too fine a grind might produce strong acidity and very severe astringency, which can easily lead to over-extraction, especially when you extend the brewing time. If you use too coarse a grind, it might bring bright acidity, but the aroma and sweetness in Yirgacheffe will also become much duller.

So you can see how important an appropriate grind setting is for a coffee bean. The optimal grind setting needed for each coffee's best flavor expression is different. Because the variation between grinders is significant, including even grinders of the same model, the grind setting must be adjusted by your own taste buds. After all, whether something tastes good or not is very subjective.

Knowledge Point:

The coarseness of coffee grounds affects the amount and speed at which coffee components are released during brewing. Generally speaking, the coarseness of coffee grounds can be divided into five levels: extremely fine, fine, medium-fine, medium, and coarse.

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