Many novice friends will always have some questions after drinking the coffee they brew. Obviously the beans, parameters, and brewing techniques they use are the same as those in the store, but why can't they brew as delicious coffee as in the coffee shop?
So, a friend came to the Front Street store with this problem, and found that the culprit of the problem actually came from the spout of the hand-made pot! Although the brewing method is exactly the same, due to the difference in the spout, the water column poured out is completely different! Therefore, what Front Street wants to share today is how to choose the spout of this hand brewing pot!
What is the difference between the spouts of hand brewing kettles?
The shape of the water outlet of a hand brewing kettle is an important factor that can affect the state of the water column. If you are not yet proficient in brewing, the control of the water flow is mainly controlled by the spout. The size and width of the spout will directly affect the shape of the water column and the difficulty of filling. Therefore, for novice friends, when choosing a hand-made pot, the choice of spout is very important!
The most common spouts on the market are mainly divided into flat spouts, flat spouts, eagle beaks, crane beaks, and elephant trunk spouts! Different forms have different functions. People also distinguish between narrow mouth and wide mouth according to the diameter of the spout.
Narrow mouth kettle
As the name suggests, the spout of the teapot is very slender, and there is less space for the water to pass through. Therefore, the water column that comes out is smaller, concentrated, and full of impact! Compared with wide-mouth pots, spouts of this caliber are more friendly to newcomers. They can pour even and powerful water without much practice! The only drawback is that the narrow spout cannot pour out a large flow of water, and the operating space is relatively small. Moreover, because the water flow is relatively concentrated, it is easy to form a parabola and the water drop point is deviated.
wide mouth pot
A wide mouth pot is more playable! Because the spout has a wider diameter, once you become proficient in using it, you can control the size of the water flow at will to meet the tricky brewing techniques that require large amounts of water! The disadvantage is that it is not very friendly to beginners. Due to the wide diameter and large water flow, it takes more practice to master the control of the water flow.
Eagle beak kettle
The tip of some spouts will have a larger arc diversion design. This shape can help baristas better form a vertical water column. Compared with other types of spouts, with the same amount of water, the body of this type of pot does not need to be tilted too much to easily create a vertical water column! Moreover, because the spout is hooked downward, it can avoid water flowing back.
Flat mouth
To be honest, Front Street thinks the Pingzui is the most difficult to control! The flat spout means that the opening of the spout is generally flat on a horizontal plane. It does not have a curved guide port, and it is difficult to form a vertical water column as easily as other spouts. Once the water is injected improperly, it is easy for the water column to become a parabola! But if you can "tame" it, then controlling other pots will be easy. After all, the big BOSS has been defeated, will the rest still be difficult?
Smooth mouth
Viewed from the side, this kind of spout has a very flat bevel, as if it has been cut flat with a knife. Compared with the flat spout, it is easier to pour out vertical water columns, can accommodate both large and small water flows, has wider applicability, and is moderately difficult to operate. Therefore, most hand brewing pots in recent years have adopted this type of spout.
crane's beak
The name Crane's Mouth comes from the spout of this pot, which looks like a crane's mouth from the side! The neck of this type of pot ranges from thick to thin, allowing the water flow to concentrate and penetrate. Of course, the operation difficulty is also relatively high, and it requires continuous practice to improve your proficiency before you can use it stably!
elephant trunk mouth
Like the elephant trunk beak and the crane's beak, the spout is named based on the analogy of its appearance! Its neck is also in the shape of a triangular streamline, from thick to thin, the body of the pot to the tip of the spout gradually converges, and the spout is narrow. Therefore, its water flow will be softer than that of a crane-billed pot!
I have bought a hand brewing kettle, but what should I do if it doesn’t fit my hand?
Many friends only discovered that the pot did not fit in their hands after they bought it and put it into use. However, since used products cannot be refunded, most friends can only make it more comfortable through continuous use and improvement of proficiency. However, in addition to improving proficiency, there is actually a way to make it "behaved"!
For example, the picture above is a hand-pour pot used in the Front Street store. It is a Hario copper hand-pour pot with a flat spout. If you are not skilled in using it, it is easy to pour out the parabolic water column, causing the water flow point to deviate and affecting brewing! So Front Street gave it a makeover!
(The left is before the renovation, the right is after the renovation)
The specific operation is to use a file to polish it until the spout is curved, forming an eagle beak with the tip of the mouth hooked downward. The transformation is complete! The modified hand brewing kettle not only has the beauty of its own design, but also has a more usable eagle beak feature, which is not too fragrant! Of course, Front Street is just sharing an idea. It is still somewhat difficult to modify. If it is bent (broken) by accident, it will be difficult to correct it! Therefore, Front Street suggests that if your hands-on ability is not very strong, improving your proficiency would be a better choice.
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
