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The Fundamental Logic of Three-Stage Pour-Over Coffee Brewing! What to Consider in Segmented Pouring? What's the Purpose of Blooming?

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Since FrontStreet Coffee introduced the three-stage method in such detail in the previous article (see "Why Does FrontStreet Coffee Always Use Three-Stage Brewing for Coffee?"), it would be excessive not to provide a tutorial. After all, in our usual articles, FrontStreet Coffee's brewing experiments are briefly summarized, making it difficult for our friends to thoroughly understand the techniques.

Since FrontStreet Coffee introduced the three-stage pouring method in detail in the previous article (please click "Why FrontStreet Coffee Always Uses Three-Stage Pouring for Coffee Brewing?" for details), it would be excessive not to provide a tutorial. After all, in our usual articles, FrontStreet Coffee only briefly covers the pouring experiments, making it difficult for friends to imagine what needs attention during brewing and how to execute it properly. Therefore, today FrontStreet Coffee will share a detailed three-stage brewing tutorial with everyone.

Understanding the Principles of Three-Stage Brewing

Before learning how to do it, we need to understand the principles and logic that constitute three-stage brewing. Only by recognizing the reasons for segmenting the water pouring can we better apply the three-stage method and brew delicious coffee in its ideal state!

Hand pour coffee primarily extracts soluble substances from coffee by manually injecting hot water. During this process, acidic, sweet, and bitter substances are released in different quantities according to their dissolution rates. The longer the extraction time, the more completely the substances will be extracted (though complete extraction isn't always necessary). Before formal extraction, people first use a small amount of hot water to release carbon dioxide from the coffee grounds, as the presence of carbon dioxide hinders hot water from extracting coffee substances. After releasing the carbon dioxide, the remaining hot water is used for formal extraction. However, pouring all the hot water at once often makes the coffee flavor too concentrated; additionally, it has a low margin for error, easily making the brewing irredeemable. Therefore, people divide the pouring (except for the bloom) into two stages to achieve richer layering.

Of course, if you simply divide the pouring into two stages, immediately following one stage with the next won't achieve this effect! This involves an inconspicuous detail—the "pouring interval"! Whenever FrontStreet Coffee mentions three-stage brewing, we always add after completing the second pour: wait until the water level is about to expose the coffee bed before pouring the next stage of hot water. This waiting period is the pouring interval. Some people online say that three-stage pouring is a method that continuously fluctuates the temperature of the coffee bed. Indeed, the 30 seconds of blooming and the waiting time for the second pour's water level to drop are both stages that lower the coffee bed temperature, until the next pour of hot water raises it again.

During these intervals, the temperature of the water in the kettle is also continuously decreasing. When reaching the third pour, the extraction efficiency has already decreased to some extent compared to the beginning. Therefore, while ensuring all extraction parameters are normal, the third pour's extraction efficiency is insufficient to extract all remaining bitter substances, greatly reducing over-extraction situations. This is why three-stage pouring is so popular—it highlights flavors while preventing frequent over-extraction. Now, let's return to our main topic and begin our brewing tutorial!

How to Execute Three-Stage Brewing

Following convention, let's first list the brewing parameters used by FrontStreet Coffee:

Coffee Dose: 15g
Grind Setting: Light roast beans use EK43 setting 10 with 80% pass-through rate on a #20 sieve; dark roast beans use EK43 setting 10.5 with the same 80% pass-through rate on a #20 sieve. (For the reason behind the same pass-through rate, please click "Same Grind Setting, Different Particle Sizes?" to understand)
Water Temperature: 90°C~92°C for light roast beans; 86°C~88°C for dark roast beans
Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15
Dripper: V60/Kono

Stage One: The Bloom

First, use twice the amount of coffee in water (30ml) for a 30-second bloom, pouring quickly in concentric circles from the center outward.

We all know that "blooming" is meant to release carbon dioxide from the coffee, allowing subsequent hot water to better extract coffee substances. But this also means that this portion of water used for blooming extracts the least amount of coffee substances. This is why people control the bloom water to twice the amount of coffee—first, because this amount is just enough to wet the coffee bed, and second, because it's exactly the amount of water that dry coffee grounds need to absorb (though they won't absorb it all). Note: Since blooming begins as soon as you start pouring, we need to press the timer button while (or before) pouring and inject the water quickly.

Stage Two: Main Extraction

After the bloom ends, we use 120ml of hot water, pouring in large concentric circles with a small, steady flow,预计 completing the pour around 55 seconds.

After blooming, this extraction stage is very important! The deliciousness of a cup of coffee depends entirely on how this extraction is performed. At this point, the water temperature remains relatively high. After "removing" the carbon dioxide protective shell, the coffee bed easily releases acidic and sweet substances under the brewing of hot water.

Stage Three: The Finish

When the water level is about to expose the coffee bed (when coffee grounds start showing), we inject the final portion of hot water (75ml), pouring in small circles around the center of the dripper.

This hot water is the final stage of three-stage brewing! As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned in yesterday's article, this is a stage that can correct deficiencies. If the second pour doesn't permeate and drop at a normal flow rate, we need to decide the water flow size based on its speed! When the second stage water level drops too quickly, it can cause under-extraction, so we need to use a small flow to extend extraction time and increase coffee extraction rate; if the water level drops too slowly, it can cause blockage and over-extraction, so we need to use a large flow to raise the coffee bed, increase the permeable area for water flow, and accelerate the flow rate.

Final Step: Integration

Each stage of hot water extracts different coffee substances, which have certain barriers due to their different concentrations and don't naturally merge together. If we drink it directly at this point, it might not feel particularly comfortable. Therefore, we need to shake this pot of coffee to fully integrate all the elements.

Only then can we proceed to the actual drinking stage~ Clean and full coffee flavors, rich and varied layers—this is the "ultimate" enjoyment that three-stage brewing can bring us.