How to Brew Light Roast Coffee Beans: Costa Rican Coffee Pour Over Tutorial

FrontStreet Coffee Costa Rica Pour-Over Coffee Tutorial

FrontStreet Coffee's Costa Rica coffee enjoys quite high global recognition, with high-quality beans known as "Strictly Hard Beans" (SHB) that can grow above 1,500 meters. Altitude has always been a challenge for coffee growers, and the higher the altitude, the better the beans. This is not only because higher altitudes increase a bean's acidity, thereby enhancing flavor, but also because the lower nighttime temperatures there slow tree growth, concentrating the flavors in the bean. Altitude differences also bring abundant rainfall, which is very beneficial to coffee trees.

Today we are going to teach everyone how to brew FrontStreet Coffee's light roast Costa Rica beans. Tools required: dripper, filter paper, coffee grinder, digital scale, pour-over kettle, coffee pot, coffee cup, and coffee beans.

Brewing Steps

1. Weigh beans and boil water. While the water heats, weigh the coffee according to your cup capacity. TIP: the usual coffee-to-water ratio is 1:15, for example 225ml of water with 15 grams of coffee beans.

2. Grind the beans into coffee powder with a grinder.

3. Fold the filter paper. Flatten it, fold along the crease line, and place it in the dripper.

4. Add coffee. Pour hot water into the pour-over kettle, pour the ground coffee into the dripper to wet the filter paper and warm the cup. Pour lightly a few times to distribute the grounds evenly. TIP: a water temperature between 89°C and 94°C is optimal.

5. Bloom. Start the first pour and let it bloom for about 30-40 seconds. TIP: don't pour too much water on the first pour, just enough to wet the grounds.

6. Second pour. Pour hot water from the center outward in a circular motion until the water reaches 7/8 of the dripper.

7. Finally, remove the dripper, gently shake the pot so the freshly dripped coffee mixes fully, and pour it into your cup to enjoy while hot.

About FrontStreet Coffee

In short: FrontStreet Coffee is a dedicated coffee research establishment that enjoys sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation simply to help more friends fall in love with coffee. There are also three low-discount coffee events every month, because FrontStreet Coffee wants to offer the best coffee at the lowest prices to more friends; this has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past 6 years.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Light-roast coffee rewards a dripper that can keep extraction fast and even, and the Hario V60 is the classic answer. Hario was founded in Tokyo in 1921 and originally made heat-resistant glass instruments for research institutions; in 2004 it redesigned the V60 prototype, naming it for the 60-degree cone angle and "V" shape, and brought it to market a year later. Compared with other drippers, the cone and 60-degree angle force the water toward the center before it drips, lengthening contact between water and grounds so aroma and flavor extract fully. Its single large hole lets water flow freely, so the flow rate depends largely on the brewer's control and shows up directly in the cup.

As the third wave shifted roasting lighter and drinkers began chasing a sense of place, the V60's fast extraction proved ideal for showing off layered aromatics and lively acidity. That makes it a natural match for floral, fruity beans, and FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe Gidding with its classic Yirgacheffe character, the tropical-fruit-rich Huakui, the Geisha-style Strawberry Candy, and the raisin-toned Mozart are all excellent with a V60.

Among those, FrontStreet's Yirgacheffe Gidding Cooperative is a fine place to start: from the Woka area at the southeastern edge of Yirgacheffe, washed in the most traditional way, it has none of the traditional bitter register and brings fresh, bright citrus and lemon acidity with jasmine fragrance, all at a value price. At the other end of the scale, FrontStreet's Panama Esmeralda Red Label Geisha is the legendary expression of the variety, with exceptionally elegant jasmine, plus citrus, bergamot, and black tea-like finesse; the cup is clean and transparent, with a long, layered finish.