Why Do Pour-Over Coffee and Cold Brew Coffee Taste So Different?

Pour-over and cold brew are two extraction methods that allow us to quickly and conveniently enjoy single-origin coffee in our daily lives. Just yesterday, a friend asked FrontStreet Coffee a question about these two methods: "FrontStreet Coffee, I used the same beans to make both pour-over and cold brew, but why do they taste so different?"

Excellent! Before revealing the answer, FrontStreet Coffee prepared both a pour-over coffee and a cold brew using the same beans. Let's first explore the different taste experiences between them~

Experimental Comparison

Pour-over coffee includes both hot and cold brewing methods. The flavor of cold brew is weaker than hot brew, but their overall characteristics aren't vastly different, so this experiment will focus primarily on hot brew~

Bean used: Kenya Assalia, flavor notes: dark plum, cherry tomato, pear.

Pour-over parameters: 20g beans, 1:15 ratio, EK43 10 setting, 60% pass-through rate with #20 sieve, 92°C water temperature, three-stage immersion extraction, 2 minutes and 2 seconds brewing time.

Cold brew parameters: 20g beans, 1:12 ratio, 23°C water temperature, 8 hours brewing time.

The pour-over Kenya has a more vibrant acidity, allowing us to directly experience the sweet and sour flavors of dark plum and cherry tomato, with distinct layers and a sweet aftertaste, creating an overall very clean sensation. The cold brew Kenya has a gentler acidity, with more balanced sweet and sour flavors, where dark plum, cherry tomato, and brown sugar flavors blend together harmoniously, resulting in a smoother texture with less distinct layers, and a finish with slight fermented aromas!

Indeed, the drinking experiences are completely different! The pour-over Kenya has higher acidity with prominent and突出 flavors, while the cold brew Kenya has gentle acidity and a very balanced taste! So, friends, can you imagine what aspects might cause these flavor differences~

1. Extraction Method

The first difference between pour-over and cold brew in their preparation is their extraction method! Pour-over coffee uses a "drip-style" extraction method, where hot water extracts coffee while immediately filtering it out, resulting in shorter contact time between grounds and water. Cold brew coffee, however, uses an "immersion-style" extraction method, where coffee grounds and water are mixed together for extended soaking!

2. Coffee-to-Water Ratio

Secondly, there's their coffee-to-water ratio! Pour-over coffee typically uses a 1:15 ratio, which allows sufficient space for the flavor compounds in the coffee to fully express themselves! Cold brew coffee usually uses a ratio between 1:10-12, which concentrates a large amount of coffee flavor in a smaller space. This is why even though cold brew is already cold, we still need to add ice—not to cool it down further, but to "dilute" it!

3. Water Temperature

These two extraction methods have one major difference—"the extraction water temperature is completely different"! This is the most significant factor causing the differences in flavor and texture!

Coffee contains quinic acid, tannic acid, amino acids, caffeine, oils, and other substances. The sour, sweet, and bitter flavors are collectively formed by these compounds. During extraction, these substances are released in a stepwise manner: first sour compounds are released in large quantities, then sweet compounds, and finally bitter compounds! The water temperature is the primary factor directly affecting the amount released!

The higher the water temperature, the faster the extraction of compounds. Therefore, various variables can affect the coffee's taste. This is why during the brief two-minute pour-over process, we need to focus attentively on brewing—primarily to carefully control the extraction rate, preventing these substances from being extracted too little or too much!

The lower the temperature, the slower the extraction rate, and the longer the time required. However, even with extended extraction time, we're only increasing the extraction rate, and the extracted compounds will still be significantly less than hot brew, especially "tannic acid," which contributes to both sour and bitter flavors. The reason cold brew lacks the rich layers of pour-over is because it has less sourness (it exists, but not much).

Furthermore, the body/thickness of a coffee largely comes from the presence of bitter compounds. When the proportion of bitter compounds in a coffee is significantly reduced, other flavors might be amplified, but the texture won't be as full-bodied (compared to pour-over coffee). This is why cold brew and pour-over coffee have completely different flavor profiles~

However, this doesn't mean cold brew is inferior to pour-over. FrontStreet Coffee is simply explaining why they taste different~ Cold brew has its own advantages! After prolonged fermentation, cold brew develops specific fermented wine-like aromas that, combined with its sweet and sour flavors, resemble berry wine and are exceptionally smooth—this is an experience that pour-over cannot replicate. Otherwise, why would cafes sell cold brew separately instead of just offering pour-over?

Finally, how many of you had the same answer as FrontStreet Coffee? Raise your hand~~

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