The Difference Between Single-Pour and Three-Pour Pour-Over Coffee: Benefits of Segmented Pouring and Which Coffee Beans It Suits

Understanding Poured Water Segmentation in Pour-Over Coffee Brewing

"There are countless pour-over methods, but segmented pouring is the most reliable." Whether in coffee competitions, coffee shops, or personal brewing, segmented water pouring is the most common method. FrontStreet Coffee will explain the role of segmented water pouring.

What is Segmentation?

Given that incorporating the bloom stage during coffee brewing has become common consensus. Therefore, when we talk about segmented water pouring, we're referring to whether there are pauses after the bloom stage. If all the water is poured at once after the bloom, this is considered the "single-stream" method without segmentation, which many coffee enthusiasts also prefer.

As long as the water pouring after the bloom stage is divided into two or more segments, regardless of how many segments it's divided into or how much water is poured in each segment, it counts as segmented water pouring.

Benefits of Segmented Water Pouring

Extending Extraction Time

The most direct effect of segmented water pouring is that the extraction time will be more than ten seconds longer than non-segmented pouring. FrontStreet Coffee has previously explained that the release rates of sour, sweet, and bitter substances in coffee vary at different time periods. Initially, sour substances are released more, then the dissolution rate gradually stabilizes over time.

Sweet substances are released slightly slower than sour substances initially, then gradually accelerate until stabilizing. Bitter substances are released slowly at first, then gradually accelerate their dissolution over time. Extended extraction time means more coffee substances are released, resulting in richer flavors and greater complexity. (Sweet and bitter flavor substances can enhance coffee's complexity; generally, we find coffee bitter because too many bitter substances are released, causing an imbalance between sour, sweet, and bitter.)

Improving Rinsing Efficiency

To extend extraction time, adjusting the coffee grind to a finer setting can also achieve the effect of prolonging the total time. However, this cannot subjectively improve the coffee extraction rate during specific time periods. Just as when we use a French press to brew coffee, it doesn't become bitter even after 3-4 minutes of brewing. Meanwhile, pour-over coffee extraction time is typically around 2 minutes because the water pouring itself has a rinsing and stirring effect, causing the coffee grounds to tumble and improving extraction efficiency.

If non-segmented pouring is used after the bloom, the rinsing effect only occurs between the 30th and 80th seconds. If divided into two segments, the rinsing effect will occur during two time periods: from the 30th to 55th seconds and from the 70th to 95th seconds.

Enhanced Controllability

If you're a beginner with still-developing water control skills, then segmented pouring is the simplest and most compatible method. For example, when we brew coffee, we consider 2 minutes to be a reasonable extraction time. If the initial pouring takes longer than planned, then subsequent pouring needs to use a larger water flow.

If you find that the initial water flow is too fast, then subsequent pouring needs to be done with slow, small streams...

With non-segmented pouring, it's difficult to identify problems during the brewing process, and even if problems are discovered, it's hard to implement corrective measures.

Optimal Number of Segments

So, how many segments are most reasonable? In daily brewing, dividing into two or three segments is most common. Pouring in 2-3 segments makes it easier to achieve the optimal extraction time. It also allows for corresponding pouring adjustments based on different coffee beans, reducing extraction time errors.

Of course, in recent years, we've also seen world-class competitors divide into 4 segments (5 segments including the bloom). One purpose of using more segments is to maximize the extraction of coffee flavor substances, presenting rich flavors and complexity. However, if your coffee beans are not of high quality or the grind size is not precise, it can easily lead to unpleasant bitter and miscellaneous flavors.

As for dividing into even more segments, FrontStreet Coffee does not particularly recommend this. Because the more segments there are, the less water will be poured in each segment, and not having enough water to rinse through the coffee grounds layer will also affect subsequent extraction.

Important Notice :

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