Can You Brew Coffee with Orange Peel? How to Make an Orange Dripper? Do Citrus Peels Make Tasty Pour-Over Coffee?

When it comes to ritual, pour-over coffee certainly has its say. From beans to equipment, then to parameters and techniques, people can always find interesting ways to enjoy it. These "fancy maneuvers," though they might seem likely to fail, offer a fresh experience nonetheless.

To find content, FrontStreet Coffee occasionally turns to big data. While browsing recently, FrontStreet Coffee discovered that the "orange peel dripper" that went viral two years ago has surprisingly made a comeback, with even more variations and varieties. As they say, trends come full circle!

How to Make an Orange Dripper?

First, pick a beautiful dripper—oh, I mean, a fresh orange, preferably a large one. After cleaning it thoroughly, cut it in half from the middle and carefully scoop out all the pulp with a spoon, scraping as clean as possible. (You ask why FrontStreet Coffee does this? Of course, because we can't waste anything!)

Second, take out a handy skewer and start poking holes in the bottom of the orange peel, then place a circular filter paper inside.

Note: Using a slightly thicker tool can create larger holes, which helps prevent blockage at the end that would stop water flow. Here, FrontStreet Coffee used a latte art needle commonly available in the shop, creating about 15 evenly spaced holes that allow light to pass through.

Third, choose your desired coffee beans. Considering this "dripper" comes with its own orange aroma, and this was FrontStreet Coffee's first attempt, we conservatively selected Guatemala New East · Geisha, which features balanced flavors, for testing.

Brewing Process

Fourth, brewing. Because the orange is relatively small, it can't hold too much coffee powder after being cut in half, so FrontStreet Coffee used only 12 grams of coffee powder for brewing. Other parameters remained the same: 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, EK43s grind setting at 10, water temperature at 90°C, combined with a four-stage pouring technique.

First, pour 30g of hot water for a 30-second bloom. During this waiting period, you can smell fresh citrus aroma emerging. After 30 seconds, begin pouring the second stage of 50g water with a slightly larger, straight stream, while raising the entire coffee bed, completing at around 45 seconds, then wait for the coffee liquid to filter.

When the liquid level drops to nearly dry, start pouring the third 50g, and so on, until reaching the total water amount of 180g.

As the brewing process enters the final stage, you can observe that the orange dripper's drainage becomes slower and slower, and FrontStreet Coffee grew increasingly anxious. It took a full 3 minutes to pour all the target water. Unsurprisingly, it eventually got blocked, with the upper water level staying flush with the orange edge, showing no signs of seeping down. The entire brewing process took a whopping 5 minutes and 12 seconds, making over-extraction unavoidable.

The brewed New East Geisha was hardly enjoyable. Although it had fresh orange aroma on the palate, the astringency was quite pronounced due to the coffee liquid soaking in the inner pulp for too long, almost completely masking the flavors. Although cooler temperatures brought out some bright fruit acidity, it was nowhere near as strong as the bitterness.

Second Attempt

No problem, FrontStreet Coffee had the other half of the orange. Learning from our mistakes this time, we first increased the drainage space at the bottom (directly cutting a circle about 3cm in diameter with a knife), then adjusted the grind to be coarser, and switched to a bean with more prominent aroma. It's worth noting a detail here: after enlarging the drainage hole, the circular filter paper must maintain contact with the orange's inner wall to prevent coffee grounds from leaking out.

Coffee Beans: Costa Rica · Bahia
Amount: 12 grams
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15
Grind: EK43s setting 10.5
Water temperature: 90°C
Pouring technique: Four-stage method

After adjustment, the liquid level did drop slightly faster, but because the orange peel's inner pulp tends to trap fine particles, the final stage still couldn't escape blockage, with the entire dripping process still exceeding 3 minutes.

Fortunately, the Bahia brewed with the orange peel dripper showed excellent flavor performance. Before tasting, you could smell rich citrus aroma. On the palate, there were sweet notes of blueberry, dried fruit, and grape juice, with a smooth black tea sensation. The finish carried floral notes, and the overall texture not only lacked the unpleasant bitterness of the previous pot but also gained richness under the enhancement of the orange peel.

Summary

Summarizing FrontStreet Coffee's experience from this attempt, there are three details to note when making a dripper from orange peel: First, try to choose larger fruits and use smaller amounts of coffee powder (10-13 grams), which is more conducive to subsequent circular pouring in terms of capacity. Second, if you don't want a long wait and a pot of over-extracted, bitter coffee, try to make the holes at the bottom larger. Finally, remember not to use too expensive beans, so even if things go wrong, it won't be too painful.

Alright, FrontStreet Coffee needs to go finish eating the orange pulp first~

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Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473