The Principles Behind the God's/Demon's Brewing Method Invented by World Brewing Champion Tetsu Kasuya! Sharing a Delicious Brewing Method for the Clever Dripper

Honestly, this is not what you might expect. In early last year, the world-renowned brewing champion Tetsu Kasuya released a brand-new brewing method on an international video platform. Because the coffee it produces is so flavorful, Mr. Kasuya himself described it as "a taste exchanged with the devil for one's soul."

For that reason, many people playfully nicknamed it the "Devil's Brewing Method." After FrontStreet Coffee actually tried it, we found it genuinely excellent. So today, let FrontStreet Coffee share how this "Devil's Brewing Method" works in principle and how to perform it.

The Divine Brewing Method, a.k.a. the Devil's Brewing Method

"Divine Brewing Method" was the name Mr. Tetsu Kasuya gave it at the start of the video, but because the dialogue about the devil in that video was so memorable, most people now call it the Devil's Brewing Method. Either name is fine; we just need to know they refer to the same method. This method was developed from the 4:6 Method. Mr. Tetsu Kasuya created the acclaimed 4:6 Method in the pour-over world around the philosophy that "anyone can brew delicious coffee," and then derived the Devil's Brewing Method from it. It is not hard to see, then, that the Devil's Brewing Method is likewise an easy-to-understand, simple, and practical approach. That is indeed true. The only thing to note is that this method requires a dripper with a controllable valve.

Since the Devil's Brewing Method derives from the 4:6 Method, we should first briefly understand the 4:6 Method. It divides the water pouring into five stages. The first two stages determine the flavor direction of the coffee, the balance between acidity and sweetness, and total 40 percent of the water. The last three stages determine the texture and body of the coffee and total 60 percent of the water. The Devil's Brewing Method likewise divides the brewing water into a first 40 percent and a last 60 percent, on the same principle. The difference is that the original three pouring stages are combined into one, and immersion extraction is added during brewing. The method therefore unites drip filtration and immersion in a single approach. Adding immersion improves extraction efficiency, so to avoid over-extraction, the temperature of the last 60 percent of the water is lowered.

Specific Brewing Parameters

The parameters used for brewing are as follows.

Dripper used: Hario V60 Smart Dripper
Coffee amount: 20g
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15
Total water amount: 300ml
Grind size: Fine sugar grind, Ek43 setting 9 (85% pass-through rate on a #20 sieve)
Water temperature: first two stages at 92°C, last stage at 70°C

Brewing Process

Pour the first segment of hot water, using 60ml as an example, from the center of the coffee bed outward in a circular motion for blooming.

(Bloom for 30 seconds, including pouring time.)

After 30 seconds, pour the second segment of hot water (60ml) in a circular motion.

(Wait until 1 minute and 15 seconds to close the valve, and change the water in the kettle to 70°C.)

Then pour all the remaining hot water (180ml) at a fixed point in the center of the coffee bed.

Open the valve at 1 minute and 45 seconds to let the coffee liquid seep out, and the brew ends once dripping is complete.

(If dripping has not finished by 3 minutes, remove the dripper directly.)

Finally, stir the coffee evenly and it is ready to pour and enjoy.

Although the whole process looks quite full, once you actually try it you will find it is actually quite simple, and the logic holds together. A slightly finer grind lets the hot water fully extract the aromatic substances from the coffee right from the start. Then, lowering the water temperature for the later stages keeps the coffee concentrated while slowing the release of the substances that cause negative flavors during the later immersion extraction, essentially putting a limit on extraction. Returning to the water split in the first two stages, we can distribute the water according to the flavor we want. If you want the coffee sweeter, for example, we can split that 40 percent of the water in a 4:6 ratio between the two stages, with 50ml in the first pour and 70ml in the second. If you want more acidity, simply reverse it. The principle comes down mainly to how much the hot water extracts: the more water used for blooming, the less total substances the water extracts, and vice versa.

Also, this theory is not limited to Hario's V60 Smart Dripper. Other types of valve-equipped drippers can apply the method directly as well, such as the Hero cake dripper that has appeared in FrontStreet Coffee's articles, or the various other styles of smart dripper. A warm reminder from FrontStreet Coffee: some valve-equipped drippers may not have enough capacity to hold the large amount of water needed at certain stages when brewing with 20g of coffee, so it is best to adjust the coffee amount to the capacity.

It is worth mentioning that in the video, Mr. Tetsu Kasuya was struck by the practicality of this method. Besides calling it a method that trades away one's soul, he also admitted it was a creation that surpasses the 4:6 Method. That is about all there is to it. If you have a smart dripper but have not tried this brewing method, FrontStreet Coffee highly recommends giving it a go. Being able to brew delicious coffee so simply is not something to pass up.

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FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

A method that limits extraction and protects the delicate aromatics deserves beans with something worth protecting. For a classic light-roast single origin, FrontStreet Coffee's Gotiti is a coffee with the signature Yirgacheffe profile: white floral sweetness, bright citrus acidity, and a green-tea finish, floral in a way close to jasmine. Poured through a V60 it shows clear floral and fruity tones, lifted lemon acidity, and honeyed sweetness.

If you want the tropical aromas that the 4:6 style handles so well, the Sun-Dried Huakui is rich with strawberry, passion fruit, and jackfruit notes, with strong sweetness and very little bitterness. FrontStreet Coffee's Strawberry Candy Blend adds another direction, combining a washed Panama Geisha with a Costa Rican honey process for raisin, orange, and ripe blueberry aromas and a rose-like depth, suiting pour-over, cold brew, and the smart dripper alike.

For a deeper, lower-acid cup, the PWN Indonesia Golden Mandheling brings herbal and dark chocolate notes with a faint earthy edge and a long, full body under a deep roast. FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 takes the opposite approach, striking a fine balance among acidity, sweetness, bitterness, and aroma, with cream, caramel, chocolate, nut, honey, and a light fruit note, smooth and rounded from start to finish.