Why does FrontStreet Coffee insist on using a powder-to-water ratio of 1:15 when brewing Pour over(V60) coffee? Is this the result of a random chance, or is it the result of different brewing experiments based on some data? In this article, let’s talk about why the ratio of 1:15 powder to water is suitable for use in hand wash~
What is the difference between powder-to-water ratio and gouache ratio?
First of all, Front Street uses 15g of coffee powder to brew 225ml of water. In other words, 15g of powder is brewed with 15 times of water. If the ratio of water to powder is 1:15, it is equal to 1ml of water brewing 15g of coffee powder, which is "very outrageous." Therefore, when describing the brewing ratio, Front Street Club’s water-to-water ratio is 15:1 or the powder-to-water ratio is 1:15.
When brewing with a powder to water ratio of 1:15, will the coffee after extraction also be 1:15?
Front Street just mentioned that 15g of coffee powder is brewed with 225ml of water. Many friends think that 225ml is the amount of coffee liquid after the final extraction is completed. In fact, 225ml refers to the total water injection volume. In fact, the water passing through the powder layer is only 1:13. After the coffee extraction is completed, there is only 195ml coffee liquid.
Why is this? Generally, the saturated water absorption capacity of coffee powder during the steaming process is twice that of itself (I cannot say that this is true for all beans, but it is basically 2 times), so the coffee liquid we get is not the total amount of water we injected. Don’t understand? Front Street takes the powder to water ratio of 1:15 as an example. The coffee powder will absorb 30ml of water, 225-30=195, 195➗15=13, so in the end, 195ml of extracted coffee liquid is obtained, and the ratio is 1:13.
Why does FrontStreet Coffee insist on using a 1:15 ratio of powder to water?
According to the range provided by SCA Gold Cup extraction - extraction rate: 18%-22%, concentration: 1.15%-1.45% coffee is the Gold Cup extraction range, which we can simply understand as the "delicious zone". According to the description in the picture, Front Street observed that the ratio of 1:17 is the largest through the Gold Cup range, which is the easiest to hit the Gold Cup range, followed by the pink to water ratio of 1:16 and 1:18, but 1:15 is the very difficult to hit the Gold Cup range. According to this, Front Street’s recommendation is wrong?
After a long period of operation and experiments, Front Street discovered that when the barista increased the ratio of powder to water and brewed with 1:18, although the extraction rate and concentration were in line with the golden cup extraction range, it was easy to extract unpleasant flavors (the concentration was guaranteed during this period, but the extraction rate was difficult to ensure).
Using a ratio of 1:16 for brewing, the extraction rate and concentration are guaranteed, but the flavor always feels a bit thin. If you brew medium-dark roasted coffee beans, it will not show a mellow feeling. The 1:16 ratio is suitable for brewing that requires a clear layering of flavor, such as the washed green label Geisha coffee beans from FrontStreet Coffee Jade Manor. Gesha coffee beans themselves are very resistant to extraction and have a very concentrated flavor. Therefore, in terms of extraction, we can appropriately increase the ratio of powder to water so that the rich floral aroma and bright acidity of Green Label Geisha can be clearly expressed.
Closer to home, Front Street conducted many experiments on brewing light-roasted coffee and found that the concentration of 1:15 is roughly 1.35-1.42%, and the corresponding extraction rate is 17.79%-18.73%. Although the golden cup is only on the verge of meeting the standard, sensory testing found that the flavor is very suitable, and there is no sourness or astringency caused by insufficient extraction. It is suitable for the production ratio of most coffee beans. Compared with the large powder-to-water ratio that is prone to over-extraction or bitterness, 1:15 is a conservative and stable powder-to-water ratio. More than 80% of coffee beans can be brewed with this powder-to-water ratio.
Are the Jinbei extraction parameters wrong?
No! The Golden Cup extraction range is a parameter obtained by SCA using immersion extraction (for example, cupping). Our daily Pour over(V60) coffee is drip coffee, which stirs coffee powder through water flow to improve extraction efficiency. Therefore, Front Street will slightly reduce the ratio of powder to water during the brewing process. The ratio of 1:15 is not necessarily right, nor is the ratio of 1:16-1:18 necessarily wrong. In the end, it still depends on the freshness of the beans, grinding degree, brewing water temperature, brewing equipment, etc., as well as the taste preference of the brewer. The parameters vary from person to person. No one is right or wrong. As long as you like the brewed coffee, then it will be the best result.
How is FrontStreet Coffee brewed with a powder to water ratio of 1:15?
FrontStreet Coffee usually usesThree-stage extraction coffee. First, it can more fully extract the flavor substances of coffee during extraction, thereby enhancing the layering of coffee; second, it has strong compatibility, and can well express the flavor of coffee for most coffees from different origins and different roasting degrees.
How to useThree-stage brewingA cup of coffee?
First, make preparations (warm the filter cup, put in the pot, grind the coffee, prepare water of the appropriate temperature), and pour in the coffee powder.
Carry out the first section of water injection and start timing at the same time. Inject 30 grams of hot water into the first section and circle it from the center outward. The coffee powder absorbs water and slowly expands to form a bulging "coffee burger". Wait for 30 seconds of steaming time. The second stage of water injection begins at the 31st second displayed on the electronic scale. Water is poured in a circle from the center outwards. The water flow remains stable and vertical. When the water column hits the coffee powder layer, foam will appear. This stage of brewing releases the coffee foam and fills the entire powder layer surface. The liquid level rises to the root of the short ribs. The amount of water injected in this stage is 100 grams.
When the liquid level drops to 1/2, the last section of water injection begins. In this section, 95 grams of water is also injected "smell-like" outward from the center. The original dark brown foam turns into light yellow coffee foam, and the liquid level also returns to the water level of the second section of water injection. After all the coffee liquid has flowed into the lower pot, remove the filter cup and end the extraction.
at last! Be careful!
The first stage of three-stage extraction is to awaken flavor molecules, the second stage is to extract sweet and sour flavor molecules, and the third stage is to extract mellow flavor molecules. When the coffee extraction is completed, the coffee liquid in the pot will also form layers due to the different density of each section of coffee liquid. So after extraction, remember to shake it clockwise to fully integrate all the flavors of the coffee liquid before tasting it~
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
