Why doesn't coffee brewed at home taste as good as in coffee shops? What details should you pay attention to during pour-over brewing?

Most friends who enjoy a good coffee bean at FrontStreet Coffee's physical store will directly purchase the same variety to enjoy the same deliciousness at home. However, the coffee they brew at home tastes completely different from what they had at FrontStreet Coffee's store. Then they will ask FrontStreet Coffee online or return to the store: "Why can't I brew coffee at home that tastes as good as in the store? Obviously, the beans and brewing method are the same."

The beans are the same, the brewing method is also the same, but the taste has changed! This indicates that there are deviations in the extraction. Through previous customer feedback, FrontStreet Coffee has summarized three factors that lead to taste deviations.

1. Not Finding the Right Grind

During conversations, FrontStreet Coffee first asks customers for a photo of their spent coffee grounds. Through the condition of these grounds, we can preliminarily identify the problem. Often, the coffee grounds seen through the screen are either muddy or "coarse" with grains as large as rice grains. In such cases, the reason for not brewing good coffee is simply not getting the grind right.

For beginners, determining the correct grind size is indeed difficult to judge. After all, including seasoned coffee enthusiasts, most people don't purchase calibration tools for coffee particle size, nor is there much need for them! So how do we determine if a grind size is correct? It's actually quite simple—just like with espresso, start with a reliable brewing formula! Then determine if the grind is correct based on the final brewing time. For example, FrontStreet Coffee's commonly used formula is: 15g of coffee, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, V60 dripper, three-pour method, with a brewing time of about 2 minutes. If your brewing time exceeds this formula by more than 15 seconds, it indicates a significant grind deviation that needs adjustment. If the time is too long, make the coffee grind coarser; if too short, make it finer.

It's important to note that different roast levels and processing methods require different grind settings, because processing and roasting cause differences in their structure and brittleness. Therefore, never use the same grind size for all coffee beans. (This is a mistake many people make.) Of course, this might not necessarily be about finding the wrong grind size—it could also be the result of grinder quality: too many fine particles, insufficient grind uniformity, and other issues are very common. Therefore, sifting, regrinding, or upgrading grinder quality are all viable solutions.

2. Not Using the Right Water Temperature

If your spent coffee grounds look fine and the brewing time doesn't deviate significantly, then the problem might lie with the water temperature! Just like with grind size, the same water temperature is rarely suitable for all coffee beans. Although hot water with a few degrees difference can extract substances from coffee, the right water temperature can enhance the brewing experience and increase the margin for error—in short, it makes it easier for you to brew delicious coffee!

The level of water temperature determines the efficiency of extraction—higher water temperature means stronger extraction efficiency, and vice versa. When we brew coffee, we aim to "appropriately" extract the substances from the coffee. Too much is not good, too little is not good, just right is best! Therefore, the right water temperature is very important! For those who don't know how to find the right water temperature, you can directly apply the following formula: use water temperature of 91-93°C for light to medium roast coffee beans, and 86-88°C for medium to dark roast coffee beans.

3. Brewing Water

Finally, there's the brewing water—this is a factor that's easily overlooked! However, compared to the first two factors, its impact is not as significant. The trace elements in water are the main reason affecting extraction! Research has shown that the appropriate presence of these trace elements can help us extract better-tasting coffee! For example, magnesium ions can better extract the sweetness of coffee; calcium ions can better extract the acidity of coffee, and so on. But the premise is that they must be in appropriate amounts!

If there are too many trace elements, the water quality becomes hard! Large amounts of trace elements will occupy the space in the water, leaving no room to accommodate coffee substances. Therefore, if you use water that's too hard when brewing coffee, you'll find it difficult to fully extract the substances from the coffee, which in turn affects the taste. Of course, we don't need to worry too much about water quality issues. After all, we're just brewing coffee at home and don't need to research too deeply—just knowing that water also affects coffee is enough! As for whether to change the water quality, it depends on the specific performance of the coffee taste! If there are no problems with grind, time, water temperature, and other parameters, but the coffee still shows negative characteristics, then you might try changing the brewing water to see if the coffee flavor improves.

For water quality evaluation, you can refer to the article "What Water is Most Suitable for Brewing Coffee?"; for the impact of water temperature, you can refer to "How Much Does Water Temperature Affect Coffee Extraction?" We hope this helps everyone brew delicious, tasty coffee!

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473