Does Drip Coffee Need Soaking? How Long Should You Steep It? Recommended Drip Filter Black Coffee Brands

How Long Should You Brew a Drip Coffee Bag?

Generally speaking, standard drip coffee bags that we commonly purchase typically contain 10 grams of coffee grounds. When brewed according to the 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, you'll need to pour about 150g of hot water. FrontStreet Coffee generally divides this into three pours, keeping the total brewing time between 1 minute 20 seconds to 2 minutes.

How Should You Brew Drip Coffee Bags?

First, we need to understand that the brewing principle for drip coffee bags and pour-over coffee is the same—both use hot water flowing through coffee grounds to extract aromatic compounds and produce a cup of black coffee. Therefore, to brew a delicious cup of drip coffee, you must understand some basic pour-over brewing knowledge to create a flavorful drip coffee.

Essential Tips for Perfect Coffee Brewing

Here are some tips that can help us make better coffee. First, avoid using boiling water directly, and don't let the water temperature be too low.

In pour-over brewing, water temperature directly affects extraction efficiency. The higher the temperature, the faster flavor compounds are released, resulting in a richer mouthfeel. Based on FrontStreet Coffee's brewing experience, light-to-medium roasted coffees featuring floral and fruity acidity are suitable for 90-93°C, while medium-to-dark roasted beans highlighting caramel, nuts, dark chocolate, cream, and spice flavors should be extracted using water at 86-89°C. FrontStreet Coffee has discovered through testing that if you boil a large pot of water, turn off the heat, and leave it uncovered at room temperature of 25-30°C for about 60-90 seconds, the water temperature will drop to 92-95°C (suitable for brewing coffees with floral and fruity acidity). If left for 90-120 seconds, the hot water temperature will reach 87-90°C (suitable for nutty, bitter-type coffees).

Finding the Right Cup is Crucial

When brewing drip coffee bags, the choice of cup matters. It's generally recommended to use tall glasses or slightly deeper mugs, allowing the coffee to flow directly through the grounds and settle at the bottom. If the cup is too shallow, the filtered coffee might flow back and re-soak the grounds, making the entire cup taste heavy, bitter, and unpleasant.

Since the "ears" on both sides need to leverage against the cup's edge, if you use a cup with an opening that's too wide, the filter bag may easily fall due to gravity during pouring. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends prioritizing containers with an opening smaller than 9cm and a height above 12cm for brewing drip coffee bags.

Water Volume is Key for Delicious Drip Coffee

If you follow the pour-over coffee-to-water ratio of 1:15-1:18, you'll need to pour 150-180ml of hot water. If you prefer a richer coffee flavor, you can divide it into three pours: first pour half to moisten the grounds, pause for 20 seconds, then pour twice more to fill to 9/10 full. This takes about 1.5 minutes, with total water volume basically falling between 140-160g. If you're seeking a cleaner coffee taste, you can add one more pour of hot water, totaling four pours. Similarly, wait until the water drains before pouring to 9/10 full each time. This way, the total water volume will be around 200g.

Additionally, FrontStreet Coffee recommends that before brewing, it's best to gently shake the coffee grounds in the drip bag to distribute them more evenly, which will help with subsequent extraction. Furthermore, you must pour water evenly—don't pour higher on one side and lower on the other, and the water flow shouldn't be heavy one moment and light the next. This can easily lead to uneven extraction, resulting in coffee that's both sour and bitter.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473