Steaming is an important step in coffee brewing. Let’s talk about the conclusion first. Steaming plays a vital role in whether the brewed coffee tastes good. The steaming process can even determine whether the cup of coffee tastes good. Good steaming can even enhance the flavor and taste of the coffee.
Steaming is the starting point for making a cup of coffee by hand. If this step goes wrong, there will be no way to make adjustments later. Front Street Coffee summarized its experience in brewing steaming. Starting from the principle of steaming and giving detailed guidance, I hope everyone can avoid the pitfalls and brew a cup of delicious coffee at home~
The effect of steaming
There are two main functions of steaming:
One is to use high-temperature water to promote the emission of carbon dioxide in coffee powder as quickly as possible. Because carbon dioxide will prevent water molecules from entering the fiber structure of the coffee powder, this process will bring out the coffee flavor substances. Moreover, the release of carbon dioxide will also create some larger gaps in the powder bed, causing water to flow unevenly through the powder bed.
The second is to allow all the coffee powder to come into contact with water, so that the coffee powder can fully absorb water and expand naturally. In the subsequent extraction stage, the flavor substances are more easily extracted.
Therefore, good steaming can exhaust the coffee powder quickly, fully and evenly, and also bring the coffee powder into full and rapid contact with water, helping the coffee powder to be extracted evenly.
In order to achieve this, the amount of steaming water should be sufficient first. During the steaming process, in addition to the coffee powder absorbing about twice its own weight in water, some water will also leak out along the filter cup or through the powder bed. Therefore, when stewing and steaming, you should use water that is about 2 to 3 times the weight of the coffee powder. This can provide sufficient water for the coffee powder to absorb.
What should you pay attention to when steaming?
| The amount of water is just right
If there is too much steaming water and a large amount of coffee liquid is dropped, the situation is that the falling water does not stay but directly brings out the substances outside the coffee powder... When the ingredients in the outer layer of the coffee powder are dissolved, the inner layer of the coffee powder is still dry. When the hot water penetrates into the inner layer of the coffee powder, the miscellaneous smell and astringency in the outer layer of the coffee powder also begin to dissolve. The coffee brewed in this way is light but has an over-extracted flavor.
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.
| Don’t be too gentle when pouring water
When you pour water very gently, or you listen to the so-called "water spreading", when you pour water, there is not enough force for the water to penetrate the surface powder layer, but only wet the surface, so that the water can only rely on capillary phenomenon and gravity to penetrate into the deep layer. At this time, the time for the steaming water to penetrate from the surface layer to the bottom layer will be extended, and some water will spread from the surface and flow away from the edge ribs, which will reduce the amount of water actually steamed by the coffee powder, and the steaming effect will naturally be greatly reduced.
1. To increase the intensity of water injection, you can start from two aspects: the size of the water column and the height of the water injection. After all, some thin-mouth pots are really only suitable for thin water flow. If the water flow is large, the water column will easily tilt. At this time, increase the water injection height and let the gravity acceleration provide you with enough penetration. Of course, be sure not to cause water splashing.
2. Increase the amount and time of steaming water appropriately. When soldiers come to cover up the water and earth, since the penetration is not enough, the actual amount of steaming water will be reduced and the speed will be slowed down. Then just increase the amount of water and extend the steaming time.
But is it necessary to add the steaming step when brewing by hand? Let’s take [Yirgacheffe Woka] roasted for 8 days as an example to compare the impact of steaming and non-steaming on a cup of coffee!
In terms of flavor, the drink with the steaming step tastes richer, the floral aroma is much more obvious than the one without steaming, and the levels are richer; while the cup of [Woka] without the steaming step is a bit sour, with a grassy taste, and it feels obviously under-extracted.
However, this is just the editor’s summary of this experiment. Maybe some friends do not perform the steaming step, but their techniques just make up for the lack of extraction caused by the lack of steaming. Techniques vary from person to person, and there is no absolute rule for making coffee.——This is exactly the charm of Pour over(V60) 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
