What is the optimal brewing time for pour-over coffee? Causes and solutions for slow drip rates

For pour-over coffee, extraction time is not a parameter that can be actively and precisely controlled. Instead, it serves more as an indicator to verify whether your other parameter combinations are reasonable. In other words, if you can control the extraction time with minimal variation, it indicates that your parameters are appropriate and your technique is stable.

The Impact of Extraction Time on Coffee Flavor

Assuming brewing parameters remain constant, extraction time has a positive correlation with extraction rate. Shorter extraction times result in lower extraction rates, while longer extraction times yield higher extraction rates. As we know, there is a range of extraction rates that is widely considered to produce optimal flavor—generally accepted to be between 18-22%. Coffee extracted below or above this range won't taste as good. When reflected in extraction time, this also creates a specific range, but this range is not unique in numerical terms and is determined by the brewing parameters (method).

For example, using the brewing parameters that FrontStreet Coffee employs for light roast coffee: 15g of grounds, 1:15 ratio, 91°C water temperature, 80% pass-through rate on a #20 sieve, and a three-stage pouring method—the ideal extraction time should be controlled between 1 minute 50 seconds and 2 minutes 10 seconds.

Naturally, if you change the brewing parameters, this optimal extraction time range will also shift. For instance, when using a single-pour brewing method, the extraction time should be controlled around 1 minute 30 seconds.

Why Extraction Time Varies Even with Consistent Parameters

Many coffee enthusiasts wonder why extraction times differ even when parameters appear identical. The issue typically lies in misjudgment of grind size and individual pouring habits.

When sharing brewing parameters, we typically include dose, ratio, water temperature, grind size, and pouring method (filter cup). Among these, dose, ratio, and water temperature can be precisely controlled. However, grind size and pouring method are very prone to variation.

A common error in grind size occurs due to poor grinding uniformity, leading to misjudgment. Simply put, high-quality grinders produce coffee grounds with more concentrated particle sizes and minimal variation in coarseness, while lower-quality grinders produce more dispersed particle sizes with significant variation in coarseness. FrontStreet Coffee recommends using a #20 sieve for calibration. With the same 80% pass-through rate, lower-quality grinders produce both more fine and coarse particles, resulting in uneven extraction and longer extraction times due to the excess of fine particles.

FrontStreet Coffee once encountered a friend who sought help because, despite using FrontStreet Coffee's brewing parameters, he couldn't control the extraction time to under 2 minutes 10 seconds. Upon observing his brewing process, FrontStreet Coffee noticed that he habitually used a very small water flow for pouring. This extended his overall pouring time, and the small flow couldn't raise the water level sufficiently, which also hindered water drainage, further extending the total brewing time.

FrontStreet Coffee suggests pouring at 5ml/s flow rate, raising the liquid level to half the height of the V60's short ribs during the second pouring stage, and reaching this same height upon completion of the final pouring stage.

Including Extraction Time as a Controllable Parameter

Most brewing methods treat extraction time as a passive parameter used to verify whether brewing parameters or processes have encountered any issues. However, there are brewing methods that use time as an active control parameter, such as the four-six brewing method shared by Mr. Tetsu Kasuya.

The four-six method involves a total of five pours, with each interval fixed at 45 seconds (when using 20g of coffee grounds). The advantage of this approach is that it eliminates the need for the brewer to determine when to continue pouring—you simply follow the procedure and pour when the time comes. As a result, the final extraction time can be well-controlled.

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