More and more Chinese people like coffee, and it even catches up with fast-food tea drinks, such as milk tea, but each has its own merits among consumer groups. When it comes to coffee, we have to mention Pour over(V60) coffee and espresso. Single-origin coffee is the most commonly used Pour over(V60) coffee. Hand-brewed coffee has the beauty of being unmodified, not rough, not disguised, not simple. It is another better interpretation of coffee. On the whole, hand washing should be gentler after all. This is only compared to espresso coffee.
In a person's afternoon, the simple combination of coffee, books, and soft chairs constitutes a kind of simple happiness. Just like the beautiful Pour over(V60) single-origin coffee, you can see the most authentic appearance of the coffee from extraction to the dripping drop. Compared with Italian style, such a pressure extraction of 9 atmospheres is the second reason why I say gentleness. It can be said that Italian style also has such a spring heartbeat, but you have never tasted it. That may be the third reason why this product is good, that is, it makes it easier for people who don’t like coffee to fall in love with coffee and enjoy its original appearance. There is no denying that for hand brewing, Italian style is more fool-proof in its production and easier to be accepted by people. But perhaps it is the unique beauty of hand brewing that attracts so many people.
Let’s take a look at the differences between pour-over coffee and espresso.
1.Coffee beans are different
hand brewed coffee
Generally, Pour over(V60) coffee uses single-origin coffee beans as the brewing raw material. There are not many requirements for the selection of coffee beans. If combined with current people's preferences, the roasting degree area is mainly light roasted and medium roasted, such as Front Street Oiran Coffee, Front Street Kenyan Cherry Tomato, Front Street Hija, Front Street Yirgacheffe, etc. Of course, some people also like to use dark roasted coffee beans. The most representative ones are Front Street Golden Mandheling, Front Street Queen's Manor, and Front Street Cymbidium coffee beans.
espresso
Italian coffee usually uses blended coffee beans, also called comprehensive coffee beans. We recommend Front Street Classic Italian Blend Coffee and Front Street Boutique Blend. 100% Arabica coffee and Front Street strawberry espresso coffee beans are mostly used to make Italian coffee tea drinks, such as cappuccino, Americano and latte. Most of them are roasted darker to match milk and hot water. This kind of coffee can only be ground using a professional Italian grinder, which is also the basis and key to making good quality Italian coffee.
2． The production method is different
hand brewed coffee
Basically, most Pour over(V60) coffee uses a filter cup, which means it is extracted under normal atmospheric pressure. If you use a Moka pot, Aeropress, etc., the pressure during extraction can also reach 3bar (three atmospheres)
espresso
When using an espresso machine to extract, the pressure of the machine will reach 9 bar (9 atmospheres) during extraction. The powder cake in the powder bowl will bear a weight of 133 kilograms, which will release a large amount of coffee substances, including some flavor substances that are difficult to dissolve under normal pressure. Therefore, espresso coffee has a thicker taste and is suitable for making latte with milk, or adding water to make American coffee.
3.Caffeine content varies
If the amount of powder and grinding thickness are the same, because caffeine is a water-soluble substance, the longer the brewing time, the more caffeine will be released. The brewing time for coffee is usually 1 to 3 minutes, and the brewing time for espresso is usually 20 to 30 seconds. Therefore, with the same amount of powder and grinding thickness, the caffeine content of Pour over(V60) coffee will be higher. It can be seen that the caffeine content of coffee brewed for a long time, such as iced drip coffee and cold brew coffee, will be much higher than that of other coffees.
As you can see, there is a huge difference in concentration between Pour over(V60) coffee and Espresso brewed coffee. When milk is added to single-origin coffee, the aroma and flavor of the coffee itself will be masked by the milk. Therefore, generally coffee shops do not recommend adding milk to Pour over(V60) coffee.
How to make espresso coffee
Many coffee lovers have unknowingly equipped their homes with a lot of coffee appliances, and friends who are obsessed with Italian coffee have even stocked up on Italian coffee machines in preparation for making their own coffee. Here on Front Street, we use the espresso coffee produced in the store as a reference to briefly describe how to make an Espresso.
The coffee machine in the Front Street store is a commercial single-head "Lelit Bianca" that can adjust the extraction by changing the pressure. The maximum pressure can be 11bar. A home coffee machine only needs to reach a pressure of 9 bar to meet the functions of extracting and frothing milk, and is paired with an espresso coffee grinder.
Front Street uses a double powder bowl capacity, and the amount of powder is about 18 to 20 grams. When Front Street produces coffee, 20 grams of coffee powder is used. Usually the ratio of coffee powder to coffee liquid is 1:1.5~1:2.5. The extraction ratio of Front Street is 1:2, that is, 20 grams of coffee powder extracts 40 grams of coffee liquid. The time is related to the flow rate of the coffee powder. Generally, the duration of a single extraction is controlled between 20 and 35 seconds, because within 20 seconds, the coffee usually tastes thin, and if it exceeds 35 seconds, it is easy to over-extract and produce a burnt and bitter taste. Most of the enrichments on Front Street are in the range of 28 to 30 seconds.
First, wipe the powder bowl dry, turn on the grinder, grind out a double amount of coffee powder, place it on the electronic scale and increase or decrease it to reach a weight of 20 grams. Then use tools to spread the powder evenly and fill the coffee powder cake tightly to ensure more stable coffee extraction. Then turn on the extraction switch and release water, moisten the brewing head and take away the stuck coffee grounds. Gently buckle the handle on the brewing head and start to pull down the brewing extraction. When the electronic scale shows that 40 grams of coffee liquid has been extracted, and it takes about 30 seconds, you can pull the extraction switch. Pour the coffee liquid into the Espresso cup and enjoy.
The taste and texture of espresso is related to the coffee beans used. The espresso coffee produced in the Front Street store is blended with the warm sunshine of Front Street sunflowers. It is made from Honduran sherry coffee and Ethiopian sun-dried red cherries in a ratio of 7:3. It is made into an Espresso with rich oil and a very obvious whiskey aroma. The entrance is vanilla biscuit, the acidity of the berries and the solid flavor. After drinking it, the whole mouth is filled with various aromas.
Espresso can also be diluted with water, which is the common Americano coffee on the menu. It is full of fragrance. Add milk to make latte coffee, which presents the sweet and delicious taste of chocolate and cream.
How to make hand brewed coffee
To make coffee by hand at home, we need the following equipment: hand brewing pot, filter cup, sharing pot, grinder, filter paper, electronic scale, and thermometer. The Yirgacheffe coffee beans here are medium-light roasted high-altitude coffee beans. Front Street hopes to extract more rich aromatic substances, so he chooses a No. 20 standard sieve with a pass rate of 80%. The corresponding store uses an EK43s grinder with a scale of 10. In addition, the lightly roasted coffee requires a higher water temperature to stimulate the aroma, so 91 to 93°C is used, and a V60 No. 01 filter cup made of resin is used for extraction.
On the Internet media, we can see various Pour over(V60) water injection methods, such as one-shot flow, three-stage flow, four-six-stroke flow, etc. Various techniques can make the flavor of coffee in the cup different. Based on past brewing experience, Front Street recommends that new players who are just getting started use the three-stage water filling method. The three-stage extraction is conducive to more fully dissolving flavor substances during extraction, increasing the taste level, and at the same time avoiding over-extraction of coffee caused by soaking for too long.
If there are 15 grams of coffee powder, a powder-to-water ratio of 1:15, and a total water volume of 225 ml, the three water levels are divided into: 30 ml, 95 ml, and 100 ml. The weight on the electronic scale will show: 30 g, 125 g, and 225 g.
Fold the filter paper and overlap it with the filter cup. Use a small amount of water to wet the filter paper and make them fit better. Pour out the water in the pot. Then pour in the coffee powder and tap gently to distribute the powder layer evenly. In the first stage, 30 grams of water is gently injected for steaming, and the steaming time is 30 seconds. In the second stage, about 125 grams of water is injected, and the water is evenly and smoothly circled outward. Then wait for the coffee liquid to drop, and when it drops to half, inject the last section of water to 225 grams. Wait for all the coffee to filter and drip. Generally, the total extraction time is about 2 minutes.
The reason why everyone likes Pour over(V60) coffee so much is when we take the initiative to explore the extraction and flavor performance of coffee, adjust the brewing method according to different types of coffee beans and roasting levels, carefully select brewing vessels to experience the different appearances of coffee brought by different extraction methods, and adjust the grinding degree, temperature, water flow size, water injection method and other factors to adjust the extraction of coffee. Each step brings a different taste and smell experience. This is 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
