What Parameters Should Be Used for Chopstick Stirring Method? How to Enhance Flavor Sweetness in Pour-Over Coffee?

Introduction to the Egg-Beating Brewing Method

Coffee enthusiasts know that pour-over brewing has numerous distinct schools and techniques developed through practice. Just last weekend, a friend visited FrontStreet Coffee's café and shared a particularly novel extraction method he had recently learned—the egg-beating brewing method. He mentioned that the coffee brewed this way had more intense flavors than usual, and suggested that FrontStreet Coffee should try it out too.

Research and Background

Armed with this keyword, FrontStreet Coffee searched across several platforms and discovered that the "egg-beating brewing method" actually emerged last year. It has recently regained popularity as more people have started experimenting with it. Interestingly, nearly everyone who has tried it leaves positive reviews, praising how this brewing method produces coffee with heightened sweetness.

Understanding the Method

Based on the name alone, many people, like FrontStreet Coffee initially, might mistake this for adding eggs to coffee—something akin to a "dark cuisine." In reality, it mimics the hand movements used when beating eggs while cooking. During the brewing process, two chopsticks are used to rapidly stir the coffee grounds, disrupting the extraction and allowing flavor compounds to be released quickly. Theoretically speaking, the "egg-beating brewing method" is essentially a form of agitation technique.

First Attempt: Ethiopian ALo

According to experienced practitioners, the sweet and sour compounds in coffee are released during the early to middle stages of extraction. To concentrate on capturing these flavors, they eliminate the blooming phase and incorporate the "egg-beating" motion during the main extraction phase. Finally, they add a portion of hot water to adjust concentration. This approach is said to help accelerate the extraction of these flavor compounds, resulting in a sweeter coffee. Is this really the case? FrontStreet Coffee decided to test it out for everyone today.

Considering that the "egg-beating" technique is relatively "aggressive," FrontStreet Coffee made adjustments to the brewing parameters beforehand to avoid over-extraction. The grind size was coarsened, water temperature reduced by 2°C, and the coffee-to-water ratio increased. These adjustments make it easier to perceive sweetness on the palate.

For coffee bean selection, there's a preference for floral and fruity profiles, so FrontStreet Coffee chose a light to medium roast natural processed bean—Ethiopian Sidamo ALo.

Brewing Parameters:

Coffee beans: ALo Hatessa
Coffee dose: 15g
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:16
Water temperature: 90°C
Grind size: EK43s grinder setting 10.5
Dripper: Hario V60
Tools: A pair of chopsticks

Brewing Process:

After pouring the coffee grounds into the filter, gently level them. For the first phase, skip blooming and directly inject 150g of hot water in a circular motion with a large flow, allowing the water level to rise to about 80% of the dripper's capacity. This should take approximately 20-25 seconds.

Immediately after, take out the prepared chopsticks and mimic the egg-beating motion by stirring deep into the coffee grounds in one direction. Continue this action for 10 seconds, then wait for the coffee to permeate through.

When the time reaches 1 minute 10-15 seconds and the coffee liquid is nearly drained and the coffee bed is about to be exposed, begin pouring the final 90g of hot water. Since the main purpose of this final pour is to adjust concentration, FrontStreet Coffee didn't use a circular motion but instead employed center pouring. Finally, wait for all the coffee liquid to drip into the server below.

Comparative Analysis

To make the results more intuitive, FrontStreet Coffee brewed another pot using the same coffee beans following the café's standard recipe as a comparison. The parameters were 15g coffee dose, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, 92°C water temperature, EK43s grinder setting 10, with Hario V60 dripper and a three-stage pouring technique (30g + 95g + 100g).

FrontStreet Coffee found through comparison that the coffee brewed using the conventional three-stage method completed in 2 minutes 2 seconds, while the grounds stirred with the egg-beating method became clogged, significantly slowing the drainage speed in the final stage, with extraction ending at approximately 2 minutes 30 seconds. There were also significant differences in taste between the two methods. The three-stage brewed ALo presented citrus and passion fruit acidity initially, with aromas predominantly of mango, pineapple, and lemon, accompanied by milk candy sweetness, resulting in an overall balanced and full-bodied cup.

The ALo brewed using the egg-beating method exhibited noticeably more refreshing fruity notes, with flavors of orange, blueberry, cantaloupe, black tea, and creamy strawberry characteristics. The sweetness was indeed higher than the conventional group, but the drawback was that these aromas were generally weaker, resulting in a short aftertaste and somewhat simple layers. Additionally, due to the lack of distinct acidity, it had a somewhat watery mouthfeel.

Second Attempt: Mirasu Strawberry Candy

To address the issues of clogging and watery mouthfeel, FrontStreet Coffee's second attempt featured raisin honey processed Mirasu Strawberry Candy, with the coffee-to-water ratio changed to 1:15 while keeping other parameters unchanged, to see how the results would differ.

Brewing Parameters:

Coffee beans: Mirasu Strawberry Candy
Coffee dose: 15g
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15
Water temperature: 90°C
Grind size: EK43s grinder setting 10
Dripper: Hario V60
Pouring technique: Egg-beating brewing method

The Strawberry Candy brewed using the egg-beating stirring method indeed didn't experience clogging, with the entire extraction process ending in approximately 1 minute 51 seconds. The coffee had high sweetness upon entry, with almost no acidity, reminiscent of eating strawberry-flavored fruit candy. However, due to the lack of support from late-stage extraction compounds—which typically provide caramel notes and pleasant aftertaste—the overall mouthfeel remained somewhat thin compared to the conventional group.

Third Attempt: Panama Washed Mariposa

We all know that extraction is a dynamic process where parameters influence each other. Coarser grinding traps more flavor compounds within the particles, and both of the previous brewing attempts omitted the blooming stage, meaning the coffee grounds lacked a degassing phase. Consequently, when extraction concludes, the innermost macromolecular compounds may not have had time to be released. Therefore, to "recover" these aftertaste compounds, FrontStreet Coffee believed it was necessary to incorporate a blooming phase, allowing gases within the coffee bed to be released first, thereby facilitating the extraction of more macromolecular compounds.

Thus, in the third attempt, FrontStreet Coffee incorporated the standard blooming formula, choosing Panama washed Mariposa beans. This particular coffee not only has bright fruit acidity but also moderate caramel sweetness, making it easier to present a balanced coffee profile.

Brewing Parameters:

Coffee beans: Panama Washed Mariposa
Coffee dose: 15g
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15
Water temperature: 90°C
Grind size: EK43s grinder setting 10.5
Dripper: Hario V60

Brewing Process:

Pouring technique: First, pour 30g of hot water in a circular motion over the coffee grounds and bloom for 30 seconds. Then, in one continuous motion with a large flow, pour 120g of hot water in a circular pattern and begin "egg-beating," maintaining the stirring for 10 seconds. When the coffee bed is about to dry, pour the remaining 75g of hot water. Finally, wait for all the coffee liquid to drip into the server below. Total time: 2 minutes 23 seconds.

Results and Conclusion

After incorporating the blooming phase, the Mariposa brewed using the egg-beating method surpassed both previous groups in terms of flavor intensity and aftertaste. The entry presented aromas of citrus, grapefruit, cantaloupe, and melon seed kernels, with a refreshingly sweet and slightly acidic taste. The green tea-like aftertaste was pronounced, with moderate body and richer layers of complexity.

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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