Why is Pour over(V60) coffee so attractive? What’s the key to a good cup of Pour over(V60) coffee? The following article will introduce the basic knowledge of Pour over(V60) coffee, so that you can brew good coffee at home!
What is pour-over coffee?
As the name suggests, Pour over(V60) coffee is to pour hot water on the coffee powder and extract the coffee through the filter paper and filter cup. The entire brewing process takes about 3 to 4 minutes. Since the flow rate, direction, and temperature of hot water are all controlled by the brewer, the flavor of the coffee brewed is different almost every time. Although the equipment is simple, it requires great skills and experience.
Hand-brewed coffee equipment
Hand pouring kettle: There are hand pouring kettles of various sizes and materials on the market, and you can choose according to your needs. What will affect the brewing results more is the size of the spout, because it is related to the amount of water produced. Front Street Coffee recommends that beginners use a narrow mouth gooseneck pot (as shown below), which is easier to control.
Filter cup: The size and material of the filter cup are also different. They are mainly divided into three shapes: fan-shaped, conical and wavy filter cups. The size of the filter diameter at the bottom of the filter cup will affect the flow rate of extracted coffee, thereby affecting the flavor of the coffee. The fan-shaped filter cup has small filter diameter, slow flow rate and mellow taste;
The conical filter cup has a large filter diameter, fast flow rate and lighter taste; the wavy filter cup has a flat bottom and is equipped with special wavy filter paper to filter the coffee with the most uniform taste. What is more special is the metal filter cup, which does not need to be used with filter paper. It can retain more coffee oil and taste stronger, but some finer coffee powder may not be filtered out.
Filter paper: Different filter cups have their own suitable filter paper. The filter paper can absorb some of the coffee's odor and oil, and unbleached filter paper may have some paper smell.
Bean grinder: Freshly ground coffee is the freshest. The particle size and uniformity of coffee powder are also the key to the flavor of Pour over(V60) coffee. The powder particles suitable for Pour over(V60) coffee are about the size of granulated sugar. The more uniform the particles, the better the taste of brewed coffee. (The picture below shows the coffee grinding correction sieve/China No. 20 standard sieve)
Coffee beans of different roasting levels have different grinding thicknesses. According to the brewing experience of Front Street Coffee, medium-light to medium-roasted coffee beans are suitable for medium-fine grinding (China No. 20 standard sieve screening rate is 75-80%); medium-dark-dark roasted coffee beans are suitable for medium-coarse grinding (China No. 20 standard sieve screening rate is 65-70%).
Coffee pot and coffee cup: used to hold filtered coffee. It is best to warm it first to maintain the temperature of the coffee.
Auxiliary equipment: electronic scales, thermometers and timers can make the coffee brewing process more accurate. Coffee beans with different degrees of roasting have different appropriate brewing water temperatures. According to the brewing experience of Front Street Coffee, medium light to medium roasted coffee beans are suitable for 90-92 degrees Celsius; medium dark to dark roasted coffee beans are suitable for 87-89 degrees Celsius.
The last and most important preparation material is freshly roasted coffee beans. Because you want to show the flavor of the production area, it is recommended to choose a rich variety of Arabica coffee. Generally, if a novice brews by hand for the first time, it is recommended to choose some coffee beans with obvious flavor of the origin and economical value. Generally, they are divided into three continents according to geography, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. They each have different flavor characteristics:
1. Africa Ethiopia – Front Street Washed Yirgacheffe Coffee Beans
Flavor: white floral, citrus, lemon, nuts, tea flavor
2. America Colombia - Front Street Cymbidium Coffee Beans
Flavor: dark chocolate, cream, caramel, cookie
3. America Brazil – Front Street Cerato Coffee Beans
Flavor: Cream, peanut, almond, cocoa
4. America Costa Rica - Front Street Tala Beans
Flavor: Nuts, sweet orange, chocolate
5. Asia China - Front Street Yunnan arabica coffee beans
Flavor: Nuts, brown sugar, chocolate, tea taste
6. Asia Indonesia – Front Street Mandheling Coffee Beans
Flavor: Spice, Herb, Sandalwood, Caramel, Toast
How to brew coffee at home?
After understanding the background knowledge, the next step is implementation. Below we list the detailed steps and precautions for brewing coffee:
Grind the coffee beans: The standard particle size is as mentioned above, like sugar, and can be adjusted. The key point is that the particles should be uniform. You can use a sieve to sift out the fine powder first to avoid being unable to filter. The amount of coffee powder is about half to two-thirds of the filter cup. Too little will not control the flow rate of hot water, and too much will overflow when brewing.
The ratio of boiling water: Pour over(V60) coffee powder to water is about 1:15, which can also be adjusted according to personal preference. The suitable water temperature is about 90 degrees, which can be measured with a thermometer after boiling.
Preheating: Fold the filter paper so that it lies flat against the filter cup. First, soak the filter paper with some hot water and preheat the filter cup. This can also eliminate the paper smell of the filter paper. Discard the water after preheating.
Add the powder: Pour the coffee powder into the filter cup and tap the side of the filter cup to make the surface of the coffee powder slightly flat.
Start timing and fill in water for the first time: Place the spout close to the edge of the filter cup, start pouring water from the center of the filter cup, go from the center to the periphery and then back to the center, soak all the coffee powder and then stop. Be careful not to add too much water. At this time, white bubbles will appear on the surface of the coffee powder and begin to expand.
Steaming: Wait for the coffee powder to stop swelling, about 30-40 seconds. At this time, some extraction liquid may have begun to filter out.
Second water injection: When you see that the foam begins to collapse, start the second water injection. Also start from the center and circle repeatedly to continue to pour water evenly. This water filling process takes more than 2 minutes, depending on the estimated brewing time (generally recommended is 2 minutes to 2 minutes and 20 seconds for dark roasted coffee beans, and about 2 minutes and 2 minutes and 10 seconds for light and medium roasted coffee beans).
Shake: After stopping the water filling and completing the drip filtering, shake the coffee liquid of different concentrations in the pot evenly before pouring it into the coffee cup.
Hand-brewed coffee is not just about making coffee, it is also an art worth cultivating. After more than fifty years of research and development, the Japanese have treated brewing coffee with their hands as a spiritual practice like the tea ceremony. After reading this article, are you eager to try it? Let’s step into the wonders of Pour over(V60) coffee and brew your own unique flavored coffee!
You can now buy the above coffee beans online at the Taobao store “FrontStreet Coffee” (前街咖啡). FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou, China, and its Guangzhou retail shop sells coffee beans only. The shop carries dozens of coffee beans from different origins around the world, including carefully selected single-origin beans for V60 pour-over and espresso. Guangzhou’s FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers.
The FrontStreet 2013 Yunnan coffee beans sold in the store come from the Typica variety grown at FrontStreet Coffee’s own plantation in Yunnan. The name comes from the year the brand and the plantation were founded. You can buy these beans from China’s Yunnan origin at the Guangzhou shop and at FrontStreet’s Taobao store.
FrontStreet coffee beans are freshly roasted within 5 days and deliver consistently excellent quality and great value. Orders placed before 17:00 are shipped the same day, and most areas within Guangdong Province receive them the next day.
FrontStreet Coffee Taobao store: https://qianjiecoffee.taobao.com
Or search for “前街咖啡” (FrontStreet Coffee) on Taobao
Important Notice: FrontStreet Coffee has moved to a new address: 315, Donghua East Road, Guangzhou (coffee beans only)
Tel: 020 38364473
