For many coffee lovers, Pour over(V60) coffee can be said to be a magical thing. FrontStreet Coffee believes that there is no need to take Pour over(V60) coffee too seriously. When chatting with customers, FrontStreet Coffee found that most people do not know the principles of Pour over(V60) coffee and use unstable brewing techniques, resulting in sometimes over-extraction and sometimes under-extraction. Today, FrontStreet Coffee will talk about some suggestions and techniques about Pour over(V60) coffee. However, no matter how much theoretical knowledge you know, practice is still indispensable. FrontStreet Coffee believes that you can first clarify the principles of Pour over(V60) coffee, clarify the purpose of Pour over(V60) coffee, and then apply and implement it in practice. The most important thing is that you need to practice more to gradually stabilize it.
[Suggestions on hand brewing]
01 Water quality
Of course, a cup of delicious coffee cannot be separated from good water quality. In daily life, do not use tap water directly to brew coffee. It is recommended to use filtered water or purified water to brew coffee. Of course, mineral water will also work. However, each type of water brewed with the same brewing parameters will taste slightly different. FrontStreet Coffee has also done and experimented with this. (This experiment is not to prove which water quality is better for brewing coffee. The purpose is to show the difference between different water qualities in extracting flavor, and provide it for your reference)
Water quality test results
FrontStreet Coffee used [FrontStreet Coffee Sidamo Oiran coffee beans] to show the results of this experiment:
FrontStreet Coffee brews coffee with different water qualities
Experimental results
Water quality directly affects the taste, aroma, consistency and many other healthy elements of all coffee. The key influencing factor is the mineral composition of the water. Mineral ions such as calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium in the water will affect the thermodynamic extraction ability of coffee, thus causing changes in the flavor of coffee.
02 fresh coffee beans
Both single-origin beans and Italian beans are suitable for Pour over(V60) coffee. However, if you want to enjoy the charm of Pour over(V60) coffee, it is better to choose single-origin beans with detailed bean information (origin, variety, processing method), so that you can taste the coffee flavor characteristics of a single production area. FrontStreet Coffee Coffee) has therefore launched a series of ration beans, with the aim of allowing everyone to buy beans with the flavor of the place of origin at a relatively cheap price, such as the citric acid of Yerga, the herbal flavor of Mandheling, and the nutty chocolate flavor of Brazil and Colombia. These are the basic flavors of the place of origin, which can be reflected in the ration beans.
In addition, when purchasing freshly roasted coffee beans, the flavor of the roasted coffee beans will gradually weaken. Freshly roasted beans need to be cultivated for 4-7 days. At this time, the coffee flavor will be at its best. Therefore, the beans you receive from FrontStreet Coffee are usually within a week or three or four days, so that you can immediately want to use this coffee when you receive it. After a month, the flavor of the beans will be much duller, so it is recommended that a bag of beans should not be stored for too long, and it is best to drink it within a month.
03 Suitable utensils and filter cups
There is a set of utensils suitable for you. There are hand brewing pots for brewing coffee, including flat-mouthed pots, palace pots, pointed crane-billed pots, etc. However, for hand brewing pots, it is recommended for beginners to use a thin-mouthed hand brewing pot. Its water flow is easier to control, and there will be no excessive water flow during the brewing process, making it easy to get started.
There are various coffee filter cups, and many friends don’t know which filter cup to learn. Let me introduce to you three filter cups suitable for novices.
Kalita wave coffee filter cup is a charming filter cup that harmonizes the sweet, sour and bitter coffee. The unique corrugated structure improves the problem of insufficient extraction and minimizes the variables that affect the extraction process. The taste is relatively light and suitable for beginners. The three holes are triangular, the bottom of the cup is flat, and the "Y" shaped protruding part of the bottom of the cup forms a wave zone called the "wave zone".
Kono, the Kono-style coffee filter cup, is an extraction tool that can perfectly display the rich aroma and taste of coffee. It has a single hole, the hole is too large, the extraction speed is fast, and it cannot fully extract. Therefore, it adopts the drip method, which embodies the spirit of Japanese craftsmanship. Using a hand brewing pot with a narrow spout can better drip water injection, which is more suitable for coffee roasted in deep cities.
Hario v60, an extraction tool that can highlight the rich aroma of coffee, quickly extracts the filter cup, and the sharp corners of the filter paper are slightly folded to better fit the filter cup. This cup is a fine-infusion type, and the mild taste may be reduced, but the personality of the coffee will become more obvious, the body and bitterness will increase, and the balance will be better. The three-stage water injection flow of the fine injection type is: finer and slower injection, very fine and slow injection, and thicker and faster injection. When you don’t know where to start, just choose the HarioV60 filter cup. It is a popular filter cup and is suitable for coffee beans of various roasting levels. The extracted coffee is more layered and varied.
Try to use bleached filter paper as filter paper, as unbleached ones tend to have odors; choose the type of filter paper that suits the filter cup. Use No. 01 filter paper for the No. 01 filter cup, and use No. 01 or No. 02 filter paper for the No. 02 filter cup.
04 Proper grinding degree
Grinding degree will directly affect the concentration and extraction rate of coffee. It is also one of the factors affecting Pour over(V60) coffee and is very important.
Finely ground coffee will have a high concentration, high extraction rate, and high body (easily over-extracted).
FrontStreet Coffee coffee grinding demonstration
Coarsely ground coffee has low concentration, low extraction rate, and low body mass (easily under-extracted).
Generally suitable for Pour over(V60) coffee is a medium-fine grind (the size of white sugar).
05 water temperature
Water temperature will affect the extraction efficiency of coffee. High water temperature will extract faster, and low water temperature will extract slower. For FrontStreet Coffee beans, add your light-medium roasted beans and brew them at 90-91 degrees to express the sourness and sweetness of the beans; for medium-dark roasted beans, it is recommended to brew them at 88-85 degrees to express the cleanliness and mellowness of the beans. When customers buy coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee will provide recommended brewing temperatures.
06 Steamed
Why does coffee need to be steamed?
1. To release the gas in the coffee particles, mainly carbon dioxide. Generally speaking, the fresher it is and the closer it is to baking, the more it will bubble during steaming.
Dark roasted beans also release more gas during the steaming process than lightly roasted beans.
2. After the gas is discharged, the coffee particles absorb water evenly, allowing for even extraction in the later stage.
Good steaming can exhaust the coffee powder quickly, fully and evenly, and also allow the coffee powder to fully and quickly contact the water, helping the coffee powder to be extracted evenly.
FrontStreet Coffee Pour over(V60) steaming demonstration
Hand-brewed coffeeThings to note when doing so:
① Before filling with water and steaming, gently shake the coffee powder flat. It is best not to tap it hard. If you tap it, the density between the powder layers will be reduced, which will affect the release of carbon dioxide.
②. When steaming, pour water gently and do not hit the powder layer with large amounts of water.
③. The steaming time is about 30 seconds to 35 seconds. When the expansion of the surface of the coffee powder is completed, you will see shrinkage on the surface of the coffee. This means that the steaming is completed and you can start pouring water. (In terms of time, if the steaming time is too long, the coffee will be prone to bitterness and astringency; if the time is too short and the soaking time is insufficient, the coffee may be under-extracted or the coffee may not be fully displayed)
④. During the steaming process, the extract liquid flowing down should be as little as possible; when there is too much extract liquid in the lower pot, the amount of water injected should be reduced, or the grinding degree should be paid attention to. (If the amount of steaming water is too much and a large amount of coffee liquid drips, the falling water does not stay but directly brings out the external substances of the coffee powder. The miscellaneous and astringent taste of the outer layer of the coffee powder also begins to dissolve. The coffee brewed in this way is light but has an over-extracted taste. If the amount of steaming water is insufficient and no water drops fall at all, the coffee powder is not saturated with water and part of the coffee is insufficiently vented, resulting in insufficient extraction.)
⑤. The amount of water injected for steaming should be about twice that of coffee powder (for example, if 15 grams of powder is used to extract 225 grams of coffee liquid, then the amount of water injected for steaming is 30 grams)
07 Hand-brewed coffee with water
When it comes to hand brewing, FrontStreet Coffee always tells its customers to pour water gently, not to cut off the water when pouring water in a circle, and to control the flow of water steadily, not one big or one small. Why is that?
There are two main reasons: the size of the water flow affects the turning of the powder layer and the time of extraction is controlled by the water flow.
①. The size of the water flow affects the turning of the powder layer
When the water flow is larger when you add water, the coffee powder will be stirred to a greater extent, and the extraction time will be shortened; conversely, when the water flow is small, the coffee powder will be stirred to a small extent, and the extraction time will be extended.
When flushing with large amounts of water, the powder bed will be stirred up so much that the water level in the filter cup will rise rapidly, as if the water is about to submerge the filter paper, and the drainage will speed up, which can easily make the extraction time too short, resulting in insufficient extraction and the inability to show the coffee flavor.
The opposite is true when using a small flow of water. Although the water level is not high, injecting water with a small flow of water that is too gentle will prevent the force of the water column from penetrating the powder layer and can only stir the surface of the coffee powder. Moreover, the extraction time is obviously prolonged, and the coffee is prone to bitterness and flavor, which greatly affects the taste of the coffee.
②. Control the extraction time through water flow
The longer the extraction time = the stronger the flavor, the higher the concentration, and the more obvious the sweet and sour taste.
The shorter the extraction time = the softer the flavor, the lower the concentration, and the less obvious the sweet and sour taste.
[What method should beginners use to brew Pour over(V60) coffee]
Segmented extraction is a relatively common brewing technique, and it is also a brewing method that extends one stream. Simply put, segmented extraction means dividing water into several sections and injecting it. The most famous one in segmented extraction is injecting water in three times.
Compared with one-time water injection, the coffee brewed using the staged extraction method will have richer layers, which can clearly define the flavor of the front, middle and back sections of the coffee. In addition, it is easier to control the water flow from flowing away from the edge of the filter cup, reducing the instability in hand brewing. The bad thing is that the requirements for controlling the flow rate and water volume are relatively high.
Brewing parameters
Filter cup: V60
Powder weight: 15 grams
Grinding degree: Chinese standard No. 20 screen pass rate 80%
Powder to water ratio: 1:15 (15g powder 225ml water)
Brewing method
1. (Start the timer first) Use 30 grams of water to steam for 30 seconds on the timer. If you see no bubbles expanding on the surface of the coffee powder, it means the steaming is over.
2. Use a small stream of water to slowly inject water around the center until it reaches 125 grams (this is a timing time of about 1'00). When doing so, let the coffee powder soak slightly to make the extraction more uniform.
3. When the water level drops by 2/3, use a large flow of water to quickly flush to 225 grams (the time to stop water injection at this time is about 1'50), and the coffee liquid extraction time ends at about 2'00-2'10.
Reason for segmentation
The segmented extraction can prevent the wall of coffee powder at the edge of the filter paper from being easily broken, and the segmented water injection also helps to increase the stirring of the coffee powder during brewing. The water flow can penetrate the coffee powder to increase the extraction rate.
How to judge the time to refill water
Sometimes you will see some baristas just pause for a moment before continuing to pour water, but in fact this doesn't make much sense. Usually when we perform segmented water injection, we wait until the water level drops by 1/2 or 2/3 before injecting water. The main reasons are:
1. When the water level drops by 1/2 or 2/3, there will be neither too much water accumulated in the filter cup nor the powder bed exposed due to the water level dropping too much, resulting in uneven extraction of coffee powder in the upper and lower layers.
2. After the water level drops, the water flow can directly penetrate the accumulated water and stir the lower powder layer. If the water level is too high and the impact force of the water column is not enough, the upper layer of the coffee powder bed will be over-extracted, while the lower coffee powder bed will be under-extracted.
In general, segmented extraction will make it easier to get a cup of coffee with distinct flavors because the flow rate of the V60 or kono filter cup is fast, and segmented extraction can reduce under-extraction caused by fast flow rate to a certain extent. So if you want to get a cup of coffee with rich layers, you might as well try this technique~
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: kaixinguoguo0925
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
