Differences Between Pour-Over Coffee and Americano - Is Pour-Over Coffee Better Than Machine-Made? How to Pronounce Pour-Over Coffee in English

Recently, some fans have asked about the flavor differences between using the same coffee beans for pour-over coffee versus making Americano coffee. In this article, FrontStreet Coffee will answer this question. Before we begin, we need to distinguish between the differences between pour-over coffee and Americano coffee.

The English term for pour-over coffee is "pour over" (manual water pouring) or "hand drip" (manual drip filtration), which is a brewing method where water flows through the coffee powder layer by natural gravity. Meanwhile, the English term for Americano coffee is "Americano" (American's coffee), which refers to the practice of American soldiers diluting espresso coffee with water. Later, Italians jokingly called it "American's coffee," and it has become one of the common types of coffee.

What is Pour-Over Coffee?

Pour-over coffee is a brewing method that uses a coffee dripper as a medium. Fresh coffee beans are ground to an appropriate fineness, and water at a suitable temperature is poured to extract soluble coffee substances. Using different drippers, different grind sizes, water temperatures, and pouring techniques will result in different flavor and texture profiles for the same coffee bean.

Because a dripper is used as a support, after water is poured into the coffee powder to extract substances, it drips through filter paper into the serving pot. No pressure is required during extraction, so pour-over coffee belongs to the category of drip coffee.

What is Americano Coffee?

Authentic Americano coffee requires extracting espresso with an espresso machine and then adding an appropriate amount of water for dilution. However, the "Americano coffee machines" on the market are actually drip coffee machines that extract soluble substances from coffee powder by pouring water, which then drips through filter paper/filter screens into the lower pot.

Espresso differs from pour-over coffee in principle. It involves injecting higher temperature hot water through extremely fine and tightly compacted coffee powder under 9 bar pressure, quickly extracting highly concentrated coffee liquid at a powder-to-liquid ratio of 1:2 in 20-30 seconds. When this highly concentrated coffee liquid is mixed with an appropriate amount of water, it transforms into the familiar Americano coffee. Because the production process requires pressure, Americano coffee belongs to the category of pressurized extraction coffee.

Using the Same Coffee Bean for Pour-Over and Americano

What are the Different Flavor and Texture Performances?

For this experiment, FrontStreet Coffee used the Guanyin 5.0 coffee beans from the Yirgacheffe region of Ethiopia. The reason is that FrontStreet Coffee detected distinct floral and fruit aromas when cupping this bean, with acidity that isn't too stimulating and good sweetness performance.

Pour-Over Coffee Brewing Parameters

Hario 01 dripper, medium-fine grind (approximately 78% pass-through rate on Chinese standard #20 sieve), water temperature 90°C, 15g coffee powder, powder-to-water ratio 1:15. Three-stage extraction pouring method: first pour 30g of water for a 30-second bloom. Then continue with a small water stream in circular motion to 125g for segmentation. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed again, remove the dripper. Extraction time is 2'08" (timed from the start of blooming).

The flavor profile of Guanyin 5.0 coffee extracted by pour-over method includes: floral aromas, berry and citrus acidity, plum sweetness and sourness, mango juice, honey, with a sweet black tea aftertaste.

Espresso Extraction Parameters

Fiama E98 espresso machine, EK43S grinder at 0.1 grind setting, powder-to-water ratio 1:2, double portafilter, 20g coffee powder, extracting 40g coffee liquid in 24 seconds.

The flavor profile of Guanyin 5.0 coffee extracted as espresso includes: medium to high acidity, medium sweetness, relatively low bitterness with a smooth texture. The initial taste shows citrus acidity, followed by berry aromas, with an aftertaste of dark berries mixed with caramel.

Based on the flavor profile of the espresso, this coffee bean's extracted espresso shouldn't be diluted too highly when making Americano. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee experimented with different coffee-to-water ratios for dilution tasting, and finally determined 1:6.5 (40g coffee liquid mixed with 260g of 86°C hot water).

The flavor profile of Guanyin 5.0 Americano includes: soft berry-like acidity with slight tropical fruit notes, texture similar to juice, with a creamy and caramel aftertaste.

Summary

The coffee extracted by pour-over method has more complex layers than Americano coffee, with more dimensional flavor expression. Due to the filtration by paper filter, the coffee's texture is cleaner and more refreshing. Americano coffee, on the other hand, contains the oils from espresso, resulting in a fuller coffee texture that is overall richer and more robust than pour-over coffee.

Important Notice :

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