Coffee Brewing Techniques for Beginners: How Multi-Stage Pour-Over Extraction Enhances Coffee Complexity

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Introduction

Segmented extraction is a relatively common brewing method. FrontStreet Coffee adopts three-stage extraction in daily production to enhance the layered sensation of coffee. What coffee flavors are extracted in each stage of the three-stage extraction? Why can segmented extraction improve the layered sensation of coffee?

What is Three-Stage Extraction?

Simply put, three-stage extraction divides the entire water pouring process into three parts, including the first stage of blooming. The advantage of three-stage extraction is that it can more fully extract the flavor substances from coffee during extraction, enhance the layered sensation of coffee, and well express the coffee's flavor for most coffees from different origins and with different roasting degrees.

Why Can Segmented Extraction Improve the Layered Sensation of Coffee?

Segmented extraction can prevent the coffee powder wall at the edge of the filter paper from being easily broken through, and segmented water pouring also helps increase the stirring of coffee powder during brewing. The water flow can penetrate through the coffee powder to improve extraction efficiency.

What Coffee Flavors are Extracted in Each Stage of Three-Stage Extraction?

FrontStreet Coffee used washed green label Geisha coffee beans from Panama's La Esmeralda estate as the brewing subject, separating the coffee liquid extracted in each stage.

Brewing parameters for this extraction: V60#01 dripper, 15g coffee powder, powder-to-water ratio 1:15, grind size with 75% pass rate through 0.85mm sieve (approximately coarse sugar size), water temperature 90°C.

First Stage Water Pouring

Before brewing begins, preheat all sharing pots and drippers, and wet the filter paper. Perform circular pouring with 30g of water in the first stage, then bloom for 30 seconds. Coffee flavors extracted in the first stage: olive, plum, citrus, with strong acidity and astringent sensation.

Second Stage Water Pouring

After blooming for 30 seconds, transfer the dripper to the next sharing pot, then begin the second stage circular water pouring, with a water volume of 95g. Coffee flavors extracted in the middle stage: honey, brown sugar, caramel, almond, jasmine, tea-like sensation, with noticeable sweetness.

Third Stage Water Pouring

After the second stage coffee liquid has completely dripped through, transfer to the next sharing pot and begin the third stage circular water pouring, with a water volume of 100g. Coffee flavors extracted in the final stage: woody aromas, Tieguanyin's sweet aftertaste, relatively flat.

Looking at the coffee flavors extracted from the three-stage water pouring, the purpose of the first stage blooming is not only to allow the coffee powder to soak evenly in hot water for more uniform subsequent extraction, but the first stage is also the most important step for extracting coffee acidity. Because the amount of water injected is small, the extracted coffee concentration is high, and the flavors are relatively complex and varied.

The second stage is mainly responsible for extracting the sweetness of coffee. The extracted substances are fewer, the acidity is not obvious, the concentration is not high, and it is somewhat flat. The third stage mainly extracts the mellow substances of coffee, but this is not obvious in this particular coffee bean, with only faint woody aromas and Tieguanyin's sweet aftertaste. It has the lowest concentration among the three stages and tastes the flattest.

What Flavors Result When the Three Stages of Coffee Liquid are Mixed?

FrontStreet Coffee re-brewed this green label Geisha using the three-stage method. After mixing the three stages of coffee liquid evenly, the flavors became very balanced and refreshing. The coffee smells of jasmine's fresh fragrance and citrus's sour aroma. When tasted at high temperature, it presents lemon's bright acidity, jasmine's fresh fragrance, and honey's sweetness.

After the coffee liquid temperature slightly decreases, the lemon's acidity becomes more obvious, followed by the fresh fragrance of jasmine and ginger flowers, honey's sweetness, as well as a noticeable Tieguanyin sweet aftertaste. When the coffee liquid has completely cooled down, the lemon's acidity decreases, with more of the flowers' fresh fragrance and honey's sweetness.

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Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473