Should Pour-Over Coffee Grind Be Coarse or Fine? What's the Difference Between Type 01 and 02 Drippers? What Should You Note When Brewing for Single vs. Multiple Servings?

When More Coffee Isn't Better: Understanding Filter Capacity

Have you ever experienced that moment when you wanted to showcase your coffee skills in front of others, only to have everything go wrong, creating an awkward situation? For example, when friends visit your home and you want to brew a pot of coffee to share, but because there are too many people, you add more coffee grounds hoping to brew more coffee at once, only to find that the resulting taste is far from satisfactory.

Because the flavor deviates significantly from what you expected, many friends wonder: Why does adding just a little more coffee grounds result in such an unpleasant taste?

The reason is quite simple: when the amount of coffee grounds exceeds the optimal capacity of your current filter, and you haven't adjusted your brewing method accordingly, the resulting coffee cannot achieve its ideal flavor profile.

Understanding Filter Capacity Differences

01 and 02 refer to the numerical sizes corresponding to filter volumes. The 01 is a small filter designed for 1-2 servings, while the 02 is a large filter intended for 3-4 servings. Most coffee enthusiasts own the 01 model since their brewing needs typically focus on single servings. Different filter models have their own optimal coffee ground amounts. For example, the 01 model filter recommends 13g-20g of coffee grounds, with the optimal amount being 15-17g.

During the pouring process, most of the coffee grounds on the surface rise with the water level, then disperse as hot water filters through, forming what we call a "powder wall" along the filter walls. This "position transfer" reduces the thickness of the coffee bed in the center, allowing for more even extraction.

However, if you use too little coffee grounds, they won't be sufficient to build a proper powder wall during brewing. Some hot water might flow directly into the lower pot without contacting the coffee grounds, creating bypass water that affects the entire coffee's taste. Conversely, if you use too many coffee grounds, even though most can successfully distribute along the filter walls, the central coffee bed remains thick! A thick coffee bed forces hot water to pass through more coffee grounds, meaning it takes more time to filter through. If you still use the original brewing method, the coffee will likely be over-extracted. This happens both because the drainage speed is slower and because the filter's capacity limits the water amount, forcing you to pour in multiple segments, thereby extending extraction time and making the coffee more prone to over-extraction.

Some friends might ask: "Does this mean we need to switch to a larger filter to brew well with large amounts of coffee grounds?"

Solutions for Different Scenarios

If you control the coffee grounds around 20g, the 01 model filter is perfectly adequate since its optimal capacity ranges from 13-20g. But if you're using more than 20g, it's best to switch to a larger filter if conditions allow. However, if you don't have a large filter on hand, there's no need to force it—you just need to adjust your brewing method and extraction parameters!

How to Brew Large Amounts with a Small Filter

The solution is simple: use coarse grinding with faster brewing! Since excessive coffee grounds slow down hot water filtration, we simply need to adjust to a coarser grind, increasing the gaps between coffee particles, which helps normalize the drainage speed. The adjustment doesn't need to be dramatic—just 0.5 settings coarser than your original grind! Let's take medium-light roasted coffee beans as an example: FrontStreet Coffee typically uses an EK43 at setting 10 for regular brewing, with an 80% pass-through rate on a #20 sieve, resulting in fine sugar-sized particles! When brewing 25g of coffee grounds, FrontStreet Coffee adjusts to EK43 setting 10.5, with a 75% pass-through rate on a China #20 standard sieve (somewhere between fine and coarse sugar in particle size).

However! Increasing coffee particle size reduces extraction efficiency. You should observe the flow rate and taste the results. If the flow rate normalizes and the taste is acceptable, you can continue using this formula! If the flow becomes much faster, you'll need to compensate by increasing water temperature to correct the insufficient extraction efficiency and avoid under-extraction.

Increase the water temperature by 1-2°C from your original setting, depending on your grind coarseness and extraction time. Then, combine this with larger water flow to evenly push the large amount of coffee grounds toward the filter walls, ensuring more uniform extraction. After making these series of adjustments, you can brew delicious coffee even with large amounts of grounds in a small filter!

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