Do Different Pour-Over Methods Change Coffee Flavor? What Are the Factors That Affect Coffee Brewing?

I remember a previous experience when a customer made a special request while ordering: "I'd like to order a pour-over coffee, but brewed into two separate cups. I want to experience two different flavors from the same coffee beans."

When hearing this request, FrontStreet Coffee was momentarily taken aback. "This... isn't difficult at all. If you understand how brewing parameters affect coffee flavor, you'd know that slightly adjusting these parameters can result in completely different coffee flavors."

After a moment of realization, FrontStreet Coffee understood why the customer made this request. This customer was likely focusing on the "brewing" aspect itself. Just like in pour-over competitions where contestants use the same coffee beans to compete against each other, we often hear comments like: "The coffee you brewed is so sweet!" "The coffee you brewed is so fragrant!" "Person A's brewed coffee is sweeter, while Person B's is more acidic!"...

These differences in coffee flavor demonstrated through "brewing" actually stem from the brewer's understanding of brewing parameters and their knowledge of coffee beans. During the coffee brewing process, acidic compounds extract relatively quickly, followed by sweet compounds, with bitter compounds extracting slowest. We can indirectly control the extraction of these compounds by adjusting water temperature, grind size, extraction time, and brewing techniques.

Creating Different Flavor Profiles

Following this approach to adjust parameters, creating two different flavor experiences from one coffee bean isn't difficult at all. A classic example is brewing one coffee using "single-pour" versus "three-pour" techniques. The "single-pour" method typically presents bright acidity and clean mouthfeel, while the "three-pour" method showcases rich layers and complex aromas.

The True Source of Exceptional Coffee

From a customer's perspective, they might think this demonstrates the barista's expertise. However, from a brewer's perspective, while brewing methods are certainly important for coffee flavor expression, the greatest credit for outstanding flavors must go to the coffee beans themselves.

Coffee brewing is the final stage in the coffee chain, with actually limited room for adjustment. At most, it can enhance the coffee's sweetness or body (relatively speaking). If you're dealing with poor-quality coffee, it's nearly impossible to make it delicious through brewing alone. Simply put, brewing cannot transform bad coffee into good coffee—it can only enhance what's already there.

FrontStreet Coffee's Philosophy

At FrontStreet Coffee, we believe that coffee beans from different origins, varieties, and processing methods should each exhibit unique flavor characteristics—this is what we call the charm of single-origin coffee. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee simplifies and standardizes brewing, using the simplest method with the fewest variables and most stability to express the inherent flavors of the coffee beans themselves.

If you want to experience coffee with higher sweetness, more acidity, or special flavors, consider broadening your perspective and exploring different coffee beans—the flavor differences between beans far exceed those from "different brewing methods."

(Does this mean different brewing methods are meaningless? Not at all. Many "optimal brewing methods" for coffee aren't derived from theoretical data alone, but from countless experiments with different approaches, accumulating experience through trial and error, and finally summarizing the best results. The coffee you drink in coffee shops is precisely the culmination of this extensive experience!)

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473