What Techniques Matter in Pour-Over Coffee? Can You Pour Water in Reverse Circles?

As we all know, the "circular pouring" motion in coffee brewing is designed to ensure more comprehensive contact between hot water and coffee grounds in the filter cup, thereby achieving a more even extraction akin to "rain falling equally on all." However, since this motion affects extraction rates, enthusiasts have begun to study this circular stirring technique in depth.

For example, the amplitude and speed of circular pouring. These are easily understood, as the amplitude determines the range of water flow, while speed determines the frequency of stirring. Some enthusiasts have taken a different path, exploring the direction of circular pouring: Do coffees brewed with clockwise and counter-clockwise pouring taste different?

The reason why some friends纠结 about pouring direction is likely related to the V60 filter cup, because the spiral ribs of the V60 coil in a clockwise direction along the filter cup wall. Friends who have read today's headline article know that these ribs have a function that extends the water's flow range, allowing hot water to contact more coffee grounds.

Most coffee enthusiasts use clockwise pouring when brewing with the V60, not only due to personal habit but also because of the "guiding effect" of these ribs. People believe that pouring along the direction of the spiral allows water to better follow the ribs along the planned path to the center of the filter cup, forming a better flow vortex and thus making extraction more uniform. However, counter-clockwise pouring might cause water to collide with the ribs, creating an interaction similar to wringing out a cloth - in simple terms, it might increase coffee extraction rate due to turbulence, extracting more flavor compounds from the coffee. Sounds fascinating! Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee decided to investigate and conduct an experiment to see whether the facts align with these friends' reasoning!

The Circular Pouring Experiment

To more intuitively observe the differences between the two methods, FrontStreet Coffee kept all parameters identical except for the pouring direction! This experiment used Ethiopian Geisha Village Red Label beans, 15g of coffee, ground to EK43 setting 9.5 (fine sugar texture), with 85% passing through a #20 sieve, a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:15, water temperature of 92°C, using a V60 filter cup, with a single-pour brewing method! Both brews started with a 30-second bloom using twice the coffee weight in water (30ml), then the remaining water (195ml) was poured continuously in circular motions!

After brewing, the extraction times for both groups were nearly identical - one cup took 1 minute and 56 seconds, while the other took 1 minute and 58 seconds. As can be seen, their concentration test results were nearly identical, with no significant differences.

The same was true for taste. Since both brews were done by the same person at different times, there was a slight temperature difference between the two cups of coffee. Although the temperature difference created some variation in mouthfeel, it was minimal. Furthermore, if not tasted simultaneously, the difference would be barely noticeable.

Therefore, we can conclude that different pouring directions do not significantly affect extraction in the V60 filter cup. Although counter-clockwise pouring may cause some water to collide with the ribs, the resulting turbulence effect is minimal. In comparison, the turbulence caused by irregular pouring has a much greater impact. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee believes that since the direction of pouring—whether clockwise or counter-clockwise—has almost no effect, you should choose based on personal preference. After all, factors like stable water flow, stirring speed, and pouring time are the more significant influences that deserve our careful study!

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