Brewing coffee is not a very difficult task, but brewing a good cup of coffee is not an easy task either, especially for those who are new to coffee.
When starting with coffee, I believe most people will follow the steps on the internet to brew coffee. However, when you search for "pour over coffee" in Google, you will be overwhelmed by the recommendations of various filter cups, hand-brewing pots, coffee beans, etc., as well as the brewing techniques shared by various baristas.
In today's article, we will help you to organize the basic guide of pour-over coffee brewing, where you can find out how to brew pour-over coffee, which coffee tools are suitable, and where we tend to make mistakes. It can help every coffee lover to keep improving their brewing skills.
Keep reading to learn more and gain more.
Best pour-over coffee maker
Brewing pour-over coffee is an act of balance. Between different roasting styles, brewing techniques, and coffee equipment, finding the right brewing style for you requires a lot of practice and practice to find the best balance between these factors.
Having a brewing tool that works for you can make all the difference. Before choosing to buy a filter cup, do you know what types of filter cups are available?
The material of the filter cup: ceramic, resin, copper, stainless steel materialTypes of filter cups: conical, fan-shaped, and cake-shaped filter cups
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1. Ceramic filter cup
The benefit of a ceramic filter cup is to be able to maintain a high temperature for a long time, with good insulation properties, provided that it needs to be preheated before use, otherwise it will affect the temperature of the coffee. In addition, the weight of ceramic filter cups is final and the texture is obvious.
2. Resin filter cups
Resin filter cups are more affordable, and resistant to falls and high temperatures, more convenient to carry, In many training or coffee shops the use of more, for beginners, is a relatively practical choice. The disadvantage is that the feel is not as good as ceramic.
3. Copper filter cups
Copper filter cups are a lot of coffee people like to collect because copper filter cups from the appearance of very textured. Copper filter cup also has a good insulation effect, and excellent thermal conductivity, but there is a fatal disadvantage is easy to rust.
4. Stainless steel
Stainless steel filter cup designs are relatively new, and often used in outdoor camping. Mainly stainless steel, even for outdoor use is not easy to rust, and lightweight, and can be folded and packed, is the first choice of outdoor enthusiasts' filter cups.
Another purchase note is that the bottom of the filter cup will have different filter holes, suitable for different brewing needs. Let's briefly understand.
- Single-hole filter cups: Generally, this single-hole filter cup is used for medium to deep-roasted coffee beans. Such as V60, Origami
- Double-hole filter cup: generally used for light to dark roasted coffee beans brewing
- Three-hole filter cup: a three-hole filter cup for coffee beans roast degree do not pick, known as a "universal filter cup" by the industry.
- Multi-hole filter cups: filter cups with more than three holes are collectively called multi-hole filter cups, suitable for people with high professionalism
The Best Pour-Over Coffee Filter Cup
This is a filter cup specially designed for pour-over coffee competition - Crystal Eye Dripper.
- Selected Tritan material, safe, healthy, and high-temperature resistance, high insulation, high extraction heating rate
- 20 recessed flow channels for a smooth flow rate
- 75° angle of the wall of the filter cup allows the powder layer to approach the powder faster and the flow rate to be accelerated
- Flat bottom design for more even extraction
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The multiple infusion slots at the bottom require a higher level of brewing skill and good control of time and speed for those who brew coffee. It also speeds up the time it takes to make coffee. This a unique and innovative filter cup for a barista or someone with great coffee skills.
It comes in two colors, black and crystal white, and is a visual treat to keep at home or to use in a coffee shop.
Other top pour-over coffee makers
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This is a great filter cup for novice coffee drinkers.
- The ceramic origami look design with 20 ribs and grooves allows the filter paper to fit the filter cup, allowing more space for extraction
- The tapered filter cup features a smooth and full flow, allowing for a fuller steaming process.
- Unlike the cake filter cup, the c0onical filter cup extends the water flow path, resulting in a faster flow rate and better venting performance, making the fruitiness and acidity of the extracted coffee more pronounced.
For all porcelain filter cups, the brewing process can be well-maintained water temperature, so that the extraction is more full, and origami design to deepen the groove, so that the coffee powder is not easy to clog, for the coffee novice, the error rate is higher, the control of space is also higher. Suitable for initial practice.
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It's not a professional coffee filter mug, but it is a professional outdoor filter mug!
If you also like making coffee outdoors, camping, and traveling, look no further than this folding stainless steel "filter mug", even though it doesn't look like a mug.
It has all the basic elements of a filter cup, but at the same time, it is more affordable and convenient to use.
Even if I already have a different type of filter cup, I will let it appear in my locker to prevent our outdoor trips can be the first to take it.
There are also many practical filter cups, different materials, different colors, and different designs, all have a reason worth buying. But we need to make one thing clear: conical filter cups are forgiving and suitable for novices; fan-shaped filter cups have a slow flow rate and are easy to over-extract, requiring certain brewing skills for people; cake filter cups are suitable for novices as well as receiving favor from baristas, with more room to play.
3 top pour-over coffee makers
There are so many common brewing methods, and each barista has his or her little habits. But all have one goal: to get a great cup of aromatic coffee.
How do you brew a delicious cup of pour-over coffee at home? You must know the following three popular brewing methods.
Method 1: Three-stage water infusion method
It's a segmented extraction where you take a pot of water and fill it into a filter cup in three stages. It is suitable for lightly roasted, medium roasted, and medium to dark roasted coffee beans.
- Advantages: richer layers, can clarify the flavor of the first, middle, and last stages of the coffee. The practice is to increase the amount of water injected each time after smothering, usually when the coffee liquid is about to drop to the surface of the powder layer, with a small, medium and large water flow to do a three-stage extraction.
- Disadvantage: there will be a high demand for water flow rate and flow rate
Take Yogacafe coffee beans, for example, using the three-stage water injection method and conical filter cup
- 15 grams of powder, water temperature 192 °F, grind 3.5
- Powder-to-water ratio: close to 1:15
- Steaming: steaming with 35 grams of water for 32 s (first watering stage)
- Water injection in stages: fill water to 110ml and breakwater (second stage of water injection), slowly fill water to 225ml (third stage of water injection)
Method 2: Stirring and steaming method
Suitable for a very light roast, light roast, and light to medium roast coffee beans.
Cross-stirring with a [stirring stick] during the steaming stage is also a branch of the three-stage method, which was developed after Matt Perger, the 2012 World Brewing Championship winner, developed the hand-brewing technique. This practice can effectively enhance the release of aromatic substances from the coffee beans, amplify the flavor benefits of the beans, and enhance the taste of the coffee without being too thin.
The blending method requires high-quality coffee beans, and if poorer beans are used, it will amplify its undesirable flavor. In addition, the stirring and steaming method is more suitable for brewing lightly roasted coffee beans and tends to take a finer grind in terms of grind degree, which can increase the water-soaked area of the coffee powder and improve the extraction rate. What is not so good is that it is more difficult to grasp the degree of stirring, stirring more will have a raw and acidic taste, long will be bitter, and the strength must be gentle.
Take Kenya as an example, using the stirring smothering method and conical filter cup
- 15 g powder, water temperature 190 °F, grinding 3.5
- Powder-to-water ratio: close to 1:15
- Smothering: 30s, stirring with a wooden stick for 10 seconds during the smothering period, then continue spiral filling with water
Method 3: One-strike flow
After smothering and steaming, a one-time uninterrupted water injection can be achieved so that the coffee powder is constantly immersed in water, fully releasing the aromatic substances within the coffee powder, and the water flow rate is constantly increasing, before the water diffuses through the filter cup, reducing the water flow.
The main advantage of this approach is that it maintains a calm flavor and a sense of balance. The downside is that because of the poor control of the water injection, the water will fall through the filter paper at the edge of the cup where there is no ground coffee, making the resulting coffee may be mixed with a watery flavor.
Take Brazilian beans as an example, using a knife flow and cake filter cup25 grams of powder, water temperature 85 degrees, grind 4.5
- Powder-to-water ratio: close to 1:10
- Smothering: 20s, 40g of water to smother, just keep filling the water after smothering
The above three are the most popular brewing techniques. You can try to operate once and maybe find the most suitable way for you.
Common Mistakes
There is also many friends' feedback, despite following the steps to operate, still can not brew a good cup of coffee, what is the reason? I summarized some common problems, see if you have encountered them.
I. Coffee beans
Mistake 1: grinding degree is not appropriate
There are all kinds of bean grinders on the market, and a good bean grinder can ensure that the ground coffee powder coarse and fine uniform. If the coffee powder is not uniform, too much fine powder, it will make the resulting coffee taste poor. So what is the right coarseness of coffee beans for hand-brewed coffee?
The answer is a medium grind, the size of granulated sugar. If the coffee powder is too coarse, the hot water will flow too quickly and it will be difficult to extract the aromatic substances of the coffee. If the coffee powder is too fine, the filter will be easily clogged, resulting in water and powder soaking for too long, and the coffee will have a bitter, astringent taste.
Mistake 2: Freshness of coffee powder
Many people choose already-ground coffee powder for the sake of convenience, or grind a lot at once and put it in the refrigerator. In fact, "freshly ground" is the first condition of good coffee, it ensures the taste of coffee. When coffee is ground into powder, it will speed up the oxidation of coffee powder, and the aroma will start to dissipate in 40 seconds. If the coffee powder aroma loss is serious, the natural coffee flavor will disappear.
Mistake 3: Cloth powder
After pouring the coffee powder into the drip cup, you need to shake it gently to make it lay flat. This is a step that is very easy to overlook or shake too hard and too many times. The flatness of the powder surface determines the evenness of the hand-brewed coffee steaming and extraction, which directly leads to the taste of the coffee.
II. Water
Mistake 1: Water quality
If you are calculating the taste, then the water used to brew coffee should not be ignored, in a cup of hand-brewed coffee, 98% of the ingredients are water, water-soluble substances (TDS) range is best between 100-250 ppm. It is not recommended to use pure water to make coffee, the coffee made with pure water tends to taste more dull and lacking in layers.
Mistake 2: Water temperature
Water temperature is also an important indicator that affects the taste of coffee, too high a water temperature will make the coffee more bitter, and low water temperature will make the acidity stronger. Recommendation: Dark roasted coffee beans are suitable for a temperature of 176-185 °F, and medium to lightly roasted coffee beans are suitable for a water temperature of about 194 °F for extraction.
Mistake 3: Water flow
The key to releasing the coffee aroma and layers to their fullest is water injection.
Common mistakes in general are:A. Injecting the water column is too large, the water column direction is too tilted, which will lead to the water flow to the side of the powder layer washed out a hole, directly from the filter paper running away, resulting in insufficient coffee extraction.
B. The water column is pulled too high, resulting in the water flow destroying the coffee powder into, easy-to-inject bubbles, and uneven coffee extraction. It also leads to the excessive water column and contacts air area, the water temperature is affected, so the water column must be closer to the coffee the better.
C. The water flow is unstable, the water flow is suddenly large and small, sometimes fierce rush, and sometimes drip break, resulting in different degrees of immersion in various areas of the coffee powder, and the taste of the coffee will be affected.
Mistake 4: The amount of water
As different people have different tastes and different requirements for strength, the concentration range of gold cup extraction is 1.15%-1.35%, and the water ratio is about 1:13 to 15 up and down. Some people use very little water simply for the pursuit of strength, but it does not taste good. On the contrary, some people expect to use more water to extract more substances but do not know that more extraction to the back of the lighter, and finally the concentration is not enough.
III. Containers
Mistake 1: Filter paper
A good filter paper should be odorless and have good water filtration. Many people are greedy for cheap to use poor-quality filter paper, very thin, and easy to leak. Some filter paper is very slow to filter water, only seeing the water injection, but no downward flow, which will inevitably lead to excessive coffee extraction, affecting the taste. Still wondering why you bought a good coffee, but the taste is not good.
Mistake 2: Hand-brewing pot
As already said that the water flow has a critical impact on the good or bad of a cup of coffee, then the choice of hand-brewing pot plays a crucial role.
If you choose the wrong hand brew pot what will be the problem?
A. Pot mouth, many hand brewing pots use a long mouth thin mouth, the purpose is to make the water flow easy to control, smooth and uninterrupted. Somhand-brewe students use poor-quality hand brew kettles, or even directly with non-specialized hot water kettles, the water flow is difficult to evenly, and even flows down the lower edge of the spout.
B. Thermometer, how to extract coffee at the best temperature? If there is a thermometer on the hand brewing pot, it will save time and effort.
C. Thermal insulation, remember to cover the lid when hand brewing, the degree of temperature loss during extraction will be reduced, which can bring a more stable water temperature.
