The KONO filter cup is the same as the Hario V60 in conical shape. The biggest difference is the height of the ribs. KONO has 12 ribs. The ribs are lower than the Hario V60, which can help air circulation during brewing and increase the efficiency of steaming. When the KONO filter cup is used in combination with the lower pot, it is like the air pressure generated by the siphon effect for extraction. Therefore, the initial water saturation of the coffee powder will be higher than that of the Hario V60, and the concentration will also be much higher. The reason is that KONO takes a longer time to combine soluble substances with water during extraction, and with the help of the drip brewing method, it is generally more suitable for medium-dark roasted or thick-tasting coffee beans.
The original intention of KONO's famous filter cup is to solve the trouble of inconvenient cleaning of flannel filter cloth, and at the same time restore the taste of flannel drip filter to the maximum extent. To this end, Mr. Kono designed the angle of the filter cup into a conical shape similar to that of a flannel filter cloth. On the one hand, the coffee powder is more concentrated to form a powder layer of sufficient thickness. On the other hand, it also increases the concentration of the water flow. In order to prevent hot water from staying at the bottom of the filter cup for too long, a wider opening design is adopted to achieve a trickling filtration speed close to that of flannel filter cloth. However, the disadvantage of the rapid drop in water level is that the coffee powder does not draw enough water and cannot achieve full extraction. To solve this problem, 12 radial ribs with only half of them are installed inside the filter cup.
The smooth curved surface allows the filter paper to fit closely with the upper cup wall after absorbing water. The only exhaust direction is the water outlet at the bottom of the filter cup. Under the influence of gravity, the coffee liquid can only drip into the lower pot. The exhaust space is limited, and the air flow is also limited, ensuring that each coffee powder can fully draw water after being filled with water, and the flavor substances can be more effectively and evenly extracted. Because the flow rate of the KONO filter cup is relatively slow, the sweetness of the brewed coffee will be more obvious, and the taste will tend to be richer. The overall extraction is more even, and the aroma is restrained. It is more suitable for brewing darker roasted coffee beans, such as Indonesian golden Mandheling coffee beans.
Front Street's Golden Mandheling coffee is produced by the famous PWN company in Indonesia and is processed using the wet planing method. Although the wet planing method greatly improves the defect rate of coffee beans, the coffee taste is not particularly negative, but brings a herbal aroma. The final drying step of the wet planing method is not protected by parchment, so the green beans are directly exposed to the environment and are susceptible to the growth of various bacterial species. Give Indonesian coffee a unique aroma of wood, spices and herbs. This is what we call the "flavor of place".
For a cup of coffee produced by Front Street, 15g of coffee powder is used. The amount of powder is usually selected based on the size of the filter cup. The filter cup of Front Street is suitable for 1-2 people, and can be between 15-20g of powder. Excessive amount of powder is difficult to control, and the extracted coffee flavor is easily mixed. Regarding the ratio of powder to water, 1:15 is the most commonly used.
Dark roasting loosens the internal texture of the coffee beans and can be crushed with a gentle pinch. This shows that the structure of the coffee beans has been changed a lot, and it is highly water-absorbent after being ground into powder. In order to avoid over-extraction of coffee powder after absorbing water and releasing a large amount of bitter substances, Front Street will use a coarser grind than light roasted coffee beans. Medium-coarse grinding will be used here (Chinese standard No. 20 screen pass rate 70%), store EK43s-scale 11.
Roasting causes caramelization and Maillard reactions in coffee beans. As the roasting degree deepens, monosaccharides and amino acids interact and decompose under heating, causing more non-enzymatic browning, so it is easier to release bitter macromolecules. In order to avoid extracting too many impurities, Front Street will lower the water temperature a little. The brewing water temperature for light roasted coffee is 91~93℃, and Front Street recommends 87~88℃ for dark roasted coffee beans.
The brewing method uses a three-stage water injection method. The three-stage water injection can better express the mellow taste of golden Mandheling coffee and the sweetness of caramel.
Wet the KONO filter cup to make the filter paper and the coffee filter cup fit better. After draining the water from the pot, add 15g of ground coffee powder and steam it with 30g of water for 30 seconds. During this period of water injection, the coffee powder is fully wetted and exhausted, so as to better extract the flavor of the coffee later. When extracting light-roasted coffee beans, some friends extend the steaming time to 45 or 50 seconds to enhance the aroma of the first part of the coffee. However, if the dark-roasted Mandheling coffee is steamed for too long, it will easily release too much woody and miscellaneous flavors, so Front Street chooses to steam it for 30 seconds.
In the second section, start to slowly inject hot water with a small flow of water in a circle from the center, and keep the water flowing smoothly until the segmentation begins at 125g.
When the coffee powder layer drops to half of the filter cup and the powder bed is exposed, start injecting the second stage in the same way until it reaches 225g. When all the dripping is completed, the filter cup can be removed. The extraction time is two minutes, plus or minus 10 seconds. Finally, shake the next pot of coffee liquid and start tasting the Pour over(V60) golden Mandheling black coffee.
Ground Golden Mandheling coffee powder has the aroma of nuts and toasted bread, and the sweet aroma of caramel can be smelled during brewing. The brewed Mandheling coffee has spices and dark chocolate in the mouth. It has a mellow and clean taste, a clear sweet aftertaste, and a long-lasting aftertaste.
Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account cafe_style)
For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on private WeChat, WeChat ID: qjcoffeex
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
