Beginner's Guide to Pour-Over Coffee Basics: Detailed Steps for Single-Origin Coffee Brewing Methods

The Art of Pour-Over Coffee: 7 Essential Elements and Brewing Principles

With the rapid development of the specialty coffee market, more and more people are beginning to explore pour-over coffee. Many beginners find themselves bewildered by the operational aspects of pour-over coffee. The overwhelming variety of brewing equipment, coffee brewing techniques, and so on, make many people feel it's troublesome. Quite a few friends come to FrontStreet Coffee to ask how to get started with pour-over coffee, how to brew pour-over coffee... In this article, FrontStreet Coffee will discuss the 7 essential elements of pour-over coffee and the principles behind pour-over coffee brewing.

The 7 Essential Elements of Pour-Over Coffee

The 7 essential elements of pour-over coffee are simple and practical tips compiled by FrontStreet Coffee's baristas based on their extensive pour-over coffee experience. The purpose is to help all learners understand what to pay attention to when brewing coffee without having to go through a large amount of materials.

1. Fresh Coffee Beans

FrontStreet Coffee believes that the optimal flavor period for coffee beans is 30 days. After 30 days, as aromatic molecules decrease with the release of carbon dioxide, coffee beans may taste bland and lackluster when brewed. This is also why FrontStreet Coffee always emphasizes the importance of "using freshly roasted coffee beans" before sharing any brewing knowledge.

2. Coffee Bean Grind Size

The finer the coffee beans are ground, the more easily the coffee powder accumulates at the bottom of the filter paper, resulting in greater extraction resistance, slower flow rate, and longer extraction time. The extracted coffee may develop woody or other unpleasant flavors. The coarser the coffee beans are ground, the larger the gaps between the powder layers, with less coffee powder in contact with hot water, resulting in weaker extraction resistance, faster coffee dripping speed, lower extraction rate, and consequently, lighter coffee flavor.

To ensure that each bean has the most suitable grind size for brewing, FrontStreet Coffee recommends purchasing a #20 cupping calibration sieve with an aperture of 0.85mm. We take 10g of coffee beans, adjust to an approximate grind size, then pour the coffee powder into the sieve for screening. We weigh the sieved coffee powder (sieving must continue until no more coffee powder can pass through). A pass-through rate of 80% (8g of powder can be sieved from 10g) is the most suitable grind size for medium-light roasted coffee beans. A pass-through rate of 70%-75% (7-7.5g of powder can be sieved from 10g) is the most suitable for medium-dark roasted coffee beans. If the pass-through rate exceeds the suitable range, appropriately adjust to a coarser grind size. If the pass-through rate doesn't reach the suitable range, appropriately adjust to a finer grind size.

3. Brewing Water Temperature

FrontStreet Coffee selects different water temperatures when brewing coffee beans with different roast levels. During roasting, substances contained in coffee beans are lost as the roast level deepens. Therefore, for dark roasted coffee beans, to avoid extracting too many unpleasant flavors, the temperature is reduced. For medium-light roasted beans, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using water temperatures of 90-91°C. For medium-dark roasted beans, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using water temperatures of 87-89°C.

4. Water Quality

The mineral components in water, such as calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium and other mineral ions, affect the thermodynamic extraction capacity of coffee, thereby causing changes in coffee flavor. FrontStreet Coffee does not recommend using tap water directly heated for brewing. Tap water contains many impurities, and the extracted coffee may present an unpleasant tasting experience.

5. Pour-Over Filter Cup Selection

FrontStreet Coffee recommends beginners choose the V60 01 dripper. The V60 conical dripper has a larger opening, and its unique spiral rib design allows air to be discharged more easily, thereby improving extraction quality. The mouthfeel may not be rich enough, but its high concentration brings out acidity and sweetness with distinct aromatics, which is one of its major characteristics.

6. Pour-Over Coffee Powder-to-Water Ratio

This is derived from the SCA Golden Cup extraction theory for pour-over coffee water-to-powder ratio extraction parameters. The differences in flavor are as follows:

[Rich Flavor] 1:10-1:11 (equivalent to 1:12.5-1:13.5 of the Golden Cup standard)

[Medium Flavor] 1:12-1:13 (equivalent to 1:14.5-1:15.5 of the Golden Cup standard)

[Light Flavor] 1:14-1:16 (equivalent to 1:16.5-1:18.5 of the Golden Cup standard)

A coffee bean weight to brewing water ratio of 1:14.5-1:15.5 most easily achieves the golden range of 18%-22% extraction rate and 1.15%-1.35% concentration. This is also why FrontStreet Coffee has always recommended using a 1:15 ratio for brewing.

7. Pour-Over Coffee Brewing Time

In coffee extraction, the early aroma and flavor are strong, with high concentration. As the extraction liquid progresses, the flavor and aroma gradually fade. At the same time, the amount of water poured also affects the extraction time of the coffee. FrontStreet Coffee typically uses 15g of powder, and depending on the bean, with a water-to-powder ratio of 1:15, the brewing time will be within 2 minutes to 2 minutes and 30 seconds, which is not likely to lead to over-extraction or under-extraction.

The Principles of Pour-Over Coffee Brewing

After discussing the 7 essential elements, let's talk about the brewing principles of pour-over coffee. Coffee brewing is essentially the process of extracting molecules from coffee cells, and this process includes the following three steps: wetting, dissolution, and release. These three steps occur sequentially and influence each other, ultimately creating the flavor of coffee.

[Wetting]

As understood literally, this is when the coffee powder becomes wet after coming into contact with water. This is the starting point for coffee cells to begin releasing molecules, which is also what FrontStreet Coffee often refers to as the blooming process.

[Dissolution]

Dissolution refers to the process where soluble molecules in coffee cells dissolve in hot water. This is the most crucial step that determines the flavor of the extracted coffee, which is also what FrontStreet Coffee often refers to as the extraction process.

A coffee bean consists of 70% insoluble cellulose, with the remaining 30% being some soluble aromatic molecules. When they encounter water, they are dissolved in sequence according to molecular size. The first small molecular substances to be dissolved include acidity and aroma, such as floral notes, citrus acidity, etc.; followed by medium molecular sweetness like fruit juice sweetness, honey, brown sugar sweetness; and finally, large molecular bitter and burnt flavors. This is how coffee's different layers of flavor are created. Therefore, if you prefer sweeter flavors, the extraction time should be shorter, because the longer hot water remains on the coffee powder, the more bitter molecules will be dissolved.

[Diffusion]

After the aromatic molecules dissolve, they leave the coffee cells through osmosis, a process called diffusion. When aromatic molecules diffuse into hot water, they form the final coffee extract. As mentioned above, the extraction of a cup of coffee first extracts acidity, then sweetness, and finally bitterness. Therefore, after a cup of coffee is extracted, it must be shaken a few times to allow the coffee liquid to mix evenly, so that you can taste the most complete coffee flavor.

Practical Brewing Demonstration

After explaining the brewing principles, FrontStreet Coffee will now brew the FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopia Sidamo Natural Guji Hambela Flower Queen 8.0 to show how our baristas brew this coffee bean.

FrontStreet Coffee · Ethiopia Sidamo Natural Guji Hambela Flower Queen 8.0 Coffee Beans

Region: Guji Hambela

Processing Station: Buku Able

Altitude: 2350 meters

Variety: Local indigenous varieties

Processing Method: Natural processing

FrontStreet Coffee Pour-Over Parameters:

Hario V60, powder-to-water ratio 1:15, grind size BG#6S (China standard #20 sieve pass rate 80%), water temperature 90°C.

In terms of brewing technique, FrontStreet Coffee uses a bloom amount twice the weight of the coffee powder, meaning 30g of water for blooming, with a bloom time of 30 seconds. Using a small circular water flow, pour water to 125g, then segment. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring water to 225g and stop pouring. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper (timing starts from the beginning of blooming). Extraction time is 2'00".

[FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopia Sidamo Natural Flower Queen 8.0] Brewing Flavor:

At high temperature, there's almond aroma. As it cools down significantly, citrus acidity emerges, with full-bodied berry juice sensation, lemon black tea tea notes, and persistent sweetness.

Professional Coffee Knowledge Exchange
More Coffee Bean Information Please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style)

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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