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Pour-Over Coffee Essentials: The Three-Stage Pouring Method for Beginners

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Regarding the question of "how to brew delicious coffee," many coffee enthusiasts know that with the appropriate grind size, suitable water temperature, proper coffee-to-water ratio, and stable water flow, your brew will generally turn out well. However, few people notice that the number of pouring stages can significantly alter the coffee's flavor profile. What exactly is the three-stage extraction method and how does it transform your coffee experience?

Regarding the question of "how to brew coffee that tastes good," many people know that as long as you have the appropriate grind size, suitable water temperature, proper ratio, and stable water flow for brewing, the coffee will generally turn out well. However, few people notice that the number of water injection segments can also change the taste of coffee.

What is Three-Stage Extraction?

What changes occur in coffee when water is injected in segments?

Three-stage extraction means dividing the total water needed for the entire coffee extraction process into three separate injections. Throughout the process of injecting water, waiting, injecting again, waiting again, and injecting once more, although the temperature of the injected water continuously decreases, the water temperature within the filter cup actually fluctuates in a wave-like pattern.

Due to the insulation properties of the pour-over kettle and the significant temperature difference between the water in the kettle and that in the filter cup, during the same waiting period, the temperature of the water and coffee grounds in the filter cup will drop noticeably, while the water temperature in the kettle will only differ by about 1°C. Therefore, the coffee grounds will undergo a process of heating, cooling, reheating, cooling again, and reheating once more, thereby releasing different flavor compounds.

What is the Purpose of Wave-like Temperature Fluctuations?

What coffee flavors are extracted at different temperatures?

When the first segment of water is injected, both the water temperature and the grounds temperature will be at their highest during the entire extraction process. Under the sudden thermal molecular motion, carbon dioxide in the coffee particles will quickly become active, forming numerous bubbles between the particles. These bubbles will seal the surface of the particles, preventing the flavor compounds inside from being released effectively.

As the saying goes, the freshness of coffee beans is crucial, and fresher beans contain more carbon dioxide. Therefore, after this first water injection, a relatively long pause is needed (the longer the bubbling on the surface of the grounds, the more carbon dioxide present).

Depending on the degassing level of the coffee beans, it is recommended to let the pour-over bloom for 20-40 seconds, allowing carbon dioxide to return to the air and reducing the bubbles formed within the grounds layer, which helps stabilize and uniformize the subsequent coffee extraction (flavor compound release). During the blooming process, the temperature of the grounds continuously decreases. The coffee particles will release carbon dioxide during the first two-thirds of the time, while the remaining time will begin to release acidic compounds. For example, citrus-like and berry-like aromatic substances will be released in this first stage.

After the second water injection, the grounds temperature will rise again. At this time, it's the best moment to extract sweet and sour flavor/aromatic compounds. Therefore, if you're brewing medium-light roast coffee beans or beans rich in aroma, you can choose to slow down the water injection speed (3-4g per second) during this extraction stage, allowing the second extraction stage to be slightly extended so that pleasant flavor compounds can be extracted more thoroughly.

Due to the previous two water injections, the heat in the grounds will be relatively balanced at this point. Therefore, after the third water injection, the grounds temperature will not differ significantly from the second stage, with a difference of about 2°C. At this stage, the compounds that form the main flavor of the coffee have basically completed extraction, leaving behind the release of large molecular compounds (bitter substances), which create the body and add overall depth to the coffee. Therefore, during this stage, you can readjust the water injection speed (4-5g per second) for extraction to avoid over-extraction in the later stages that might result in woody flavors.

The greatest advantage of three-stage extraction is that it allows you to control the release degree of certain types of compounds by adjusting the size of each injection segment/amount of water injected, allowing for more diverse presentations of coffee flavors.

What if Water Injection is Not Segmented?

How would the coffee taste?

First, the main purpose of segmentation is to allow coffee particles to release carbon dioxide within a certain period of time, making subsequent extraction more stable. If water is injected all at once (without blooming), carbon dioxide will continuously form bubbles between coffee particles and rise upward. The channels through which water flows through the particles will therefore become uncontrollable, leading to uneven coffee extraction.

Even if the beans themselves don't contain much carbon dioxide, segmented extraction is still necessary. Taking light roast coffee as an example, the lighter the roast, the higher the density of the beans, and the more difficult it is for flavor compounds to be released. This creates a situation where water continuously washes away substances on the surface of the coffee particles, while the substances inside don't have time to be released. The resulting coffee will suffer from over-extraction of surface substances, leading to a flat taste with unpleasant astringency, which also explains why under-extracted coffee can still have astringent notes.

Of course, this doesn't mean you can't brew delicious coffee without segmented water injection, but the prerequisite is that you have sufficient understanding of the coffee beans and insights into brewing before adjusting brewing parameters and techniques. Therefore, if you want more complexity in your coffee, three-stage extraction is the best choice. However, it's important to note that more segments don't necessarily mean better results—too many segments can easily backfire!

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