The smart cup is a coffee filter cup, and the coffee produced is also called Pour over(V60) coffee. Compared with the common filter cup in which water drips directly through the coffee powder layer, the smart cup is designed with a piston valve. When filling water, the water pressure will cause the piston valve to seal tightly so that water will not flow out of the filter bowl. Only by buckling the filter cup on the cup and forcing the piston valve to open will the water flow down.
Therefore, the Smart Cup is a coffee filter cup with two brewing principles: drip filter and full immersion. This design is a good solution for coffee novices who cannot control the water flow better when brewing coffee, or use a coarser grinding size that is not suitable for coffee beans. They can use a short sealed soak to extract the substance more fully.
Is it recommended for coffee novices to buy a smart cup?
Generally speaking, the quality of Pour over(V60) coffee brewed by the smart cup is relatively stable, there is basically no failure, and it is very easy to operate. It’s suitable for both beginners and experienced players, and it’s cheap and good, so it’s worth buying~
What should I pay attention to when brewing coffee with Smart Cup?
Brewing filter coffee with a smart cup is the same as brewing coffee with filter paper. The parameters for brewing coffee with a smart cup can be the same as those used for daily Pour over(V60) coffee.
If the same coffee beans are ground too coarsely at the same water temperature, powder-to-water ratio, and extraction time, the coffee flavor will easily be insufficiently extracted, resulting in a bland flavor and lack of layers.
If the grinding is too fine, the coffee flavor will easily be over-extracted. That is, after the flavor substances are extracted, the coffee powder will still release unpleasant flavors such as wood when it is in contact with hot water, resulting in a strong coffee flavor but an unpleasant smell.
Front Street recommends that the grinding degree of the medium-light roasted coffee beans used in the Smart Cup filter should be medium-fine (the passing rate of the No. 20 standard sieve is 75%-80%), and the water temperature is 90-91 degrees Celsius; the grinding degree of the medium-dark roasted coffee beans should be medium-coarse (the passing rate of the No. 20 standard sieve is 65%-70%), and the water temperature should be 88-89 degrees Celsius.
What is the difference between Pour over(V60) coffee made with a smart cup and a V60 filter cup?
This time, Front Street Coffee used Front Street sun-dried red cherry coffee beans from Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia, for experimental comparison. The brewing parameters are as follows: 15g coffee beans, medium-fine grinding (China No. 20 standard drying pass rate 75-80%), 90 degrees Celsius water temperature, 1:15 powder to water ratio.
The steps for brewing coffee in a smart cup are as follows: fold the filter paper and place it in the smart cup, place the smart cup on the container, and wet the filter paper with hot water to preheat the appliance at the same time. Then move the smart cup to the electronic scale (the valve will automatically close at this time), and pour the ground coffee into the center of the filter cup.
Inject 30g of hot water into the first section, press the timer, and steam for 30 seconds; after steaming, pour hot water to 225g, and then soak for 1'50". After soaking, move the smart cup to the container, open the valve, and filter out the coffee liquid in the filter cup. The whole process takes about 15 seconds, and the total coffee extraction time is 2'05'.
The sun-dried red cherry coffee brewed in the Smart Cup has full berry acidity, soft fermented fruit aroma, honey-like sweetness, and a rich black tea-like aftertaste.
The V60 filter cup brewing steps are as follows: fold the filter paper and place it in the filter cup, then place it on the coffee pot, and then wet the filter paper with hot water to preheat the appliance at the same time. Then pour out the hot water from the pot and pour the ground coffee into the center of the filter cup.
Use 30g of water to fully moisten the powder layer and steam it in a "hamburger" shape for 30 seconds, and then proceed to the second stage of brewing; in the second stage, use medium-fine water to be injected in a steady circle to 125g and then stop. When the water level drops to 2/3 of the powder layer, pour into the third stage; in the third stage, continue to use medium-fine water to be injected in a circle to 225g and end the water injection. The total extraction time is about 2’00”.
The Front Street sun-dried red cherry coffee brewed in the Smart Cup has a sweet complex berry juice flavor, a light fermented fruit aroma, a honey sweetness and a black tea-like aftertaste.
Based on comparison brewing, Front Street Coffee found that the coffee brewed from the Smart Cup will be fuller overall than that brewed from the V60 filter cup, and the aroma will stay in the mouth longer. Therefore, it is very suitable to be paired with flavored coffee beans such as Front Street Sun-dried Oiran, Front Street Strawberry Candy, Front Street Mozart, and Front Street Xizhao.
If you like a rich coffee taste, it is recommended to use a smart cup for brewing; if you like coffee with rich layers, it is recommended to use a V60 filter cup for brewing.
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
