Dark Roast Pour-Over Coffee Beans Brewing Methods Introduction - Are Medium Roasts Suitable for Pour-Over?

Discovering an Unique Pour-Over Method

FrontStreet Coffee discovered this video three years ago while browsing online, and surprisingly, it was recently recommended again by algorithms. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee decided to share this brewing method with everyone. The brewing process is truly simple yet incredibly satisfying.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15tSCchBDC8

The video is from YouTube creator "Murao," featuring Toshiro Sano demonstrating coffee brewing. The biggest highlight throughout the video is how the coffee grounds mound up like a "chiffon paper cupcake." That tense yet thrilling feeling of it rising without overflowing is truly both therapeutic and satisfying.

Brewing Parameters

In the video, Mr. Sano used the following brewing parameters:

Coffee beans: Dark roast (Brazil, Colombia, Mocha blend)
Grounds amount: 30 grams
Coffee yield: 2 servings (280 milliliters)
Water temperature: 90 degrees Celsius
Grind size: Coarse (50% pass-through rate with #20 sieve)
Bean resting period: 10 days
Dripper: Kalita wave-shaped dripper

The Brewing Technique

During brewing, the coarsely ground coffee is gently poured into the filter paper. 30 grams of coffee grounds appear particularly full in the small dripper. There isn't a distinct "blooming step" during pouring; instead, water is poured gently in small circles around the center. The coffee grounds absorb water and slowly expand, rising above the dripper like a paper cupcake.

When should you stop pouring? This standard is quite flexible - stop pouring at the moment you think the coffee bed is about to collapse and overflow. After the coffee bed slightly decreases (but don't let it collapse completely), continue pouring in small circles around the center. When it feels like it's about to overflow, stop pouring again. Repeat this process until the coffee yield reaches 280 milliliters, then remove the dripper. The entire process takes about one and a half minutes.

Testing This Unconventional Method

This method of coarse grinding without blooming somewhat contradicts the currently popular "data extraction theory." FrontStreet Coffee also tried using this method to brew a pot of coffee. As the saying goes, "Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth." FrontStreet Coffee used Colombian Huila coffee beans with medium-dark roast (not as dark as Japanese style).

During brewing, we discovered the filter paper was actually 1mm shorter than the dripper, so to prevent the coffee bed from bursting out, we didn't let the coffee expand as high.

When tasting, the overall result was very clean with rich dark chocolate aroma. The mouthfeel wasn't thin, and the bitterness didn't linger long after drinking. The aftertaste was strong.

Key Points for Success

This brewing method can easily produce a good cup of coffee if you pay attention to these few points:

First, the coffee beans used must be dark roast.

Second, an appropriate bean resting time is necessary - preferably brewing within 10-20 days. If the beans haven't been properly rested, the flavors will be difficult to extract, and the active gases will disrupt the mounding state of the coffee bed. When coffee doesn't expand properly, it tends to develop burnt bitterness (and the brewing experience becomes less satisfying).

Third, pour water gently along the center. Some might wonder: won't the coffee grounds on the outer surface not be extracted? Indeed, this method of large grounds amount with small water ratio essentially "extracts the early-stage compounds from coffee." However, if conditions allow, you can also try pouring in larger circles to create foam from all surface coffee grounds and taste whether it becomes even better!

The Philosophy Behind the Method

This small-circle pouring method actually originates from flannel filter brewing. When brewing flannel coffee, the center of the coffee bed is thickest. Center pouring allows water to extract coffee to the greatest extent, while pouring in larger circles can easily break through the coffee bed, causing water to flow along the edges.

More than the method itself, FrontStreet Coffee prefers Mr. Sano's attitude. When asked about coffee blooming, his response was (approximately), "Regarding whether to bloom or not, it completely depends on your personal taste. It's not that concentrated coffee is necessarily good coffee. Conversely, it's not that relatively thin mouthfeel means bad coffee. Whether it's good or not is determined by those who drink it!"

This also extends to FrontStreet Coffee's view on brewing techniques. FrontStreet Coffee has accepted many brewing methods, and there isn't necessarily one that's best - it completely varies from person to person and from bean to bean. Just like those innovative pour-over methods that continuously break, reshape, break, and reshape based on existing foundations...

Important Notice :

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