What is a Paragon Ice Ball? Does Using Paragon Ice Balls for Pour-Over Coffee Extraction Taste Better?

The Paragon Ice Ball: A Game-Changer in Coffee Brewing?

Remember Mr. Boram Um, who won this year's WBC championship? That's right! Today's protagonist isn't him, but rather the Paragon ice ball he used during the competition!

This ice ball was first introduced to the competition at last year's WBC brewing championship by its inventor Sasa Sestic, where it helped him secure second place! According to Sasa himself, using this ice ball as a brewing aid can result in coffee liquid with 40% more aroma compared to conventional brewing methods. This 40% of aroma consists of volatile aromatic compounds that typically dissipate and evaporate during regular brewing processes. The intervention of the ice ball causes these compounds to be rapidly cooled and frozen as they're extracted by hot water, essentially locking in this portion of aroma and preventing its evaporation. This way, when these compounds join the extracted coffee liquid, the flavor becomes much fuller and richer.

When this theory was introduced, the ice ball sparked curiosity among all coffee enthusiasts. Setting aside price considerations, everyone wanted to know whether it truly possessed the magical effects as rumored. Consequently, people quickly searched online for purchasing links, ready to place their orders.

Wait! We can't set price aside! Price absolutely cannot be ignored! At the end of 2022, this brewing system was priced at a staggering $4,292! Four figures! In US dollars! How could anyone possibly ignore such a price! Fortunately, the official retail price turned out to be much lower. While still not exactly cheap, many enthusiasts with slightly deeper pockets could afford to add it to their collection. In fact, just a couple of days ago when FrontStreet Coffee was writing an article about "How to make hot Dirty," they borrowed two ice balls that didn't need to be returned! So today, let's explore whether this ice ball truly possesses the magical effects as rumored!

Experimental Comparison

This experiment involved two comparative brews: one conventional brew and one using the ice ball. The beans used: Panama Boquete Geisha, chosen for its distinctly pronounced white jasmine floral notes, along with citrus and honey textures—making it the perfect "contestant" for this experiment. Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15, using 15g of beans with 225ml of hot water. Water temperature: 92°C for both conventional and full ice ball brewing (Sasa uses 93°C). Grind setting: Ek43 at setting 10, which gives 70% pass-through rate on a #20 sieve. Brewer: Origami dripper used consistently for both brews! First, let's brew a conventional pot of Boquete Geisha for evaluation:

The resulting coffee liquid temperature after extraction was 70°C. It presented soft jasmine floral notes, relatively bright citrus acidity, and a creamy honey aftertaste—quite delightful! Next comes the brew with the ice ball! It's important to note that the ice ball needs to be positioned as close as possible to the filter paper without touching it, as contact could affect the extraction process!

Using the same three-pour method, the coffee liquid extracted with the ice ball had a temperature of 57°C. Due to the lower temperature, it's more approachable to drink. The jasmine floral notes were indeed more pronounced, with similar citrus fruit characteristics. Due to the slightly lower temperature, the acidity was somewhat rounder.

However, because the temperature difference between the two was quite significant, the variation in tasting experience might be caused by this temperature gap. Therefore, we decided to use slurping—a technique commonly used in cupping—for evaluation. The slurping method causes the coffee liquid to be instantly atomized as it's rapidly drawn in. To put it simply, it transforms from a pool of coffee liquid into countless tiny "powder-like" droplets. While the overall volume remains unchanged, the surface area available for contact increases significantly.

This way, the aromatic compounds in the coffee liquid can be better captured by our taste buds and olfactory nerves, allowing us to taste its most original flavors, thereby reducing the tasting differences between the two cups caused by temperature! *Slurp, slurp, slurp!* After taking several slurps of each coffee, the comparison seemed to reveal... no particularly significant differences... The previously detected gaps were indeed caused by temperature differences.

Conclusion: Is the Ice Ball Worth It?

Hotter coffee makes it more difficult to discern distinct flavors, but once its temperature decreases, prominent coffee flavors can also be perceived, with acidity evolving from bright to round. However, the drawback is that it loses some aromatic compounds over time. Therefore, overall, the ice ball's greater function is actually to lower the temperature after extraction completion, reducing the perceptual barriers caused by high temperatures. For friends who make coffee at home just to satisfy their caffeine cravings, the necessity of purchasing isn't significant! But if you can't resist your curiosity and want to experience coffee flavors more delicately, purchasing an ice ball to try out is still worthwhile. As for the ice ball stand... that depends on your wallet!

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