The One-Pour Brewing Method Invented by a World Champion, Surprisingly Simple

The Difference Between Single-Pour and One-Stream Brewing Methods

"Hmm? Why does your one-stream pour have a pre-infusion phase? Shouldn't you pour all the water in one go?"

"Oh! What you're describing isn't the one-stream method. The one-stream method splits brewing into two stages, while pouring everything at once is another invention by Tetsu Kasuya, the creator of the 4:6 method, called the 'Single-Pour Method.'"

The Single-Pour Method

As the name suggests, the Single-Pour Method means pouring the entire target water amount in one go. Because its name resembles the one-stream method, people often confuse the two — but they're significantly different.

Embracing the philosophy of "making brewing simple," Tetsu Kasuya introduced this Single-Pour Method in 2019. He said it and he did it. There's no pre-infusion: just pour all the proportional water in one go and wait for the drip to finish. Extremely simple.

This approach is exactly one of the "high concentration, low extraction" methods we've discussed recently. Let's first see how the inventor himself introduces it.

(Can't read it? Don't worry, let's translate.) Use a V60 dripper with 30g of coffee ground much finer than normal. Use 95°C water and pour all 300ml in a large stream within 15 seconds. The pour is simply circular. The ideal time is 1 minute 30 seconds for all the coffee liquid to finish dripping. After brewing, the grounds adhere evenly to the dripper wall.

The grind is much finer than regular pour-over, the water temperature is high at 95°C, and the dose is large. That lines up perfectly with the high-concentration, low-extraction philosophy. Because of the large dose, fine grind, and high temperature, this method needs no pre-infusion — you simply pour all the hot water in and let immersion do the extraction.

It requires no water-control technique and isn't bound by time — just make sure you pour the right amount of water. A high extraction rate pulls a large amount of coffee in a very short window, yet stays simple and delivers enough concentration to keep the flavor. As mentioned in our article on high concentration, low extraction, coffee brewed this way has rich sweet-and-sour flavors. If we must name a drawback, it's that the aftertaste isn't as long.

Brewing Comparison

For this session, FrontStreet Coffee will brew one coffee both ways — Single-Pour and One-Stream — to see what differences these two often-confused "brothers" might show. The bean is Panama Boquete Geisha, with rich white floral aromas and citrus and berry acidity, perfect as the "selected bean" for this comparison.

Brewing Parameters

Single-Pour Method: V60 #02 dripper (large), 30g coffee, 1:10 ratio (300ml water), 95°C water temperature, EK43 grind setting 2.5.

One-Stream Method: V60 #01 dripper (small), 20g coffee, 1:15 ratio (300ml water), 92°C water temperature, EK43 grind setting 10.

Single-Pour Brewing:

Once the water reaches temperature, you can add the grounds and begin. Following Tetsu Kasuya's description in his book, pour continuously in circular motions until all 300ml of the target water is in, then wait for dripping to complete.

One-Stream Brewing:

Split cleanly into two streams: first use double the dose of water (40ml) for a 30-second pre-infusion, then pour all the remaining target water (260ml) at once and wait for dripping to finish.

Tasting Results

The Single-Pour Method finished in 1 minute 20 seconds. The cup had very rounded citrus acidity and elegant jasmine florals, with high sweetness.

The One-Stream Method finished in 2 minutes. Its jasmine florals were more intense, and the overall experience was more balanced than the Single-Pour cup, with higher body.

Important Considerations

The two methods differ quite a lot, so be careful not to mix up Single-Pour and One-Stream. Also, while the Single-Pour Method is very simple to operate, there are several details to watch.

Points to Note for the Single-Pour Method:

1. Dripper Selection: It's best to use a #02 large dripper. Because you need to pour all the target water at once, a small dripper can clog with grounds and make that impossible — turning your Single-Pour into a "One-Stream."

2. Coffee Bean Selection: Since this is a high-concentration, low-extraction method, it's best to choose light-roasted beans that release abundant sweet-and-sour flavors in the early to middle stages of extraction.

3. Water Flow Control: The reasons for circular pouring we shared yesterday come in handy here. For pouring, use circular motions to reduce turbulence and maximize fault tolerance.

4. Grind Adjustment: Because the grind is quite fine, FrontStreet Coffee can't give very detailed parameters — just keep the time within 1 minute 30 seconds, and that's the correct grind.

(The left image shows EK43 grind setting 2.5; the right shows EK43 grind setting 10.)

5. Coffee Bed Appearance: With proper brewing, the bed will finally present the "big crater" everyone loves to show off. If yours comes out flat, it probably wasn't stirred enough, so adjust your technique accordingly.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Because the Single-Pour Method is a high-concentration, low-extraction play, it rewards beans that pour out their sweetness and acidity early. FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopia Huakui is tailor-made for it: a light-roasted bean whose tropical-fruit aromatics — strawberry, passion fruit, jackfruit, even lychee — arrive with clear sweetness and almost no bitterness, so a big, fast pour delivers a juicy, layered cup without dragging out harsh notes.

If you'd rather chase the elegant florals the Geisha comparison showed off, FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Esmeralda Red Label Geisha is the benchmark: grown at 1,600-1,800 meters, cupped above 90 points and traceable to a single small plot, it layers jasmine, citrus, bergamot, and black-tea nuance with a long, clean sweetness — exactly the profile that shines when you pour all the water at once and let it drip.