Coffee Brewing | How to Use Flannel to Pour Over Coffee?

Do you only know filter paper when brewing coffee? Let's take a look at the difference between flannel filter cloth and filter paper! Flannel filter cloth can carefully and slowly extract the delicious ingredients of coffee beans. The filtered coffee has a mellow and deep taste, which is the greatest charm of flannel filter cloth. Generally speaking, filter paper and flannel have many similarities, so they are roughly equivalent in use.

The word flannel is a foreign word, which is a soft and velvety (cotton) wool fabric woven with carded (cotton) wool yarn. It was created in Wales, England in the 18th century. In China, it generally refers to a coarse-spun (cotton) wool fabric with a clip-pattern style woven with mixed-color carded (cotton) wool yarn, one side of which is covered with a layer of rich and fine fluff, without revealing the weave pattern, and feels soft and smooth, and is slightly thinner than Melton.

Because flannel has larger pores than filter paper, it can retain some of the oils in the coffee, unlike filter paper which usually filters out all the oils. Therefore, coffee brewed with flannel will be mellower and have a smoother taste than coffee brewed with filter paper.

In addition, during the brewing process, because the flannel pores are coarse and can filter at all positions below the water level, unlike the filter paper which can only filter through the gap between the filter cup and the filter cup, the flannel water filtration speed is slightly faster than the general filter cup and filter paper combination. The flow rate is faster when the water level is high, and after the water level is lowered, it is blocked by the thicker wall of coffee powder on all sides, and the ultrafine powder will adhere to the mesh of the filter cloth, causing the flow rate to slow down.

Nel drip is rich, thick, and incredibly sweet, reminiscent of liqueur, but it's not easy to make good coffee this way.

Brewing steps

1. Let the hot water cool down slightly: After the water boils, turn down the heat a little and wait for the boiling bubbles to calm down a little before pouring the water. This is one of the tricks of the flannel drip brewing method.

2. Slowly pour in hot water: Start from the center and slowly pour in water drop by drop as if you want to let the hot water float on the coffee powder. Make sure that all the coffee powder is evaporated by the hot water.

3. Thoroughly 'steep' the hot coffee powder: Steeping is the most important stage of the entire brewing process. The best extraction time is 3 minutes.

4. The flannel filter bag must be moved in a 'の' shape: the hand holding the flannel filter bag must move slowly as if drawing the Japanese character 'の', while the kettle must remain in the same position, the water flow must be maintained at a constant speed, and water must be added carefully.

5. The coffee gradually drips: After the hot water completely soaks the coffee powder, the extra-strong coffee liquid will begin to drip slowly.

6. Increase the amount of hot water for extraction: After confirming that the coffee starts to drip, extract it in one go. At this stage, start increasing the amount of hot water. When pouring, remember to maintain a uniform speed.

7. Coffee liquid starts to flow out: After increasing the amount of water, the coffee will start to flow out continuously.

8. Finished: After extracting the appropriate amount of powder, you can stop injecting hot water and pour the brewed coffee into the cup. You are done.

Key Steps

1. The flannel filter should be kept in a soaked state: used filters are prone to residual coffee oils. Once dry, they will undergo chemical changes with oxygen, and the strange smell will be integrated into the coffee liquid. Therefore, it must be cleaned after use and kept in a soaked state.

2. Use coarsely ground coffee powder: Grind the beans before brewing coffee. This is the most basic and important point. If the coffee powder is ground too finely, the fine powder will fall into the coffee and add a bad taste to the coffee. Therefore, the best way to use the flannel drip method is to use a coarse grinding method.

3. Steep the coffee powder properly: In order to make each grain of coffee powder expand properly, it takes about two minutes to stew. However, if the time is too long, there will be impurities, which will reduce the original flavor of the extracted coffee liquid, so please be sure to control the time.

Precautions

1. The velvet side can be used on the outside or inside. The difference is the speed of water filtration. If the velvet side is used on the inside, the oil and fine powder of the coffee will adhere to it. The mesh of the flannel will be slightly clogged, resulting in slower water filtration. It depends on the condition of the beans and personal preference.

2. Do not pour water on the edge of the powder layer. When pouring water, it should not flush the filter cloth until the end. A powder pit should be formed, otherwise the brewing will be uneven.

3. The flannel filter cloth should be as close to the cup as possible, and the position of the spout should be as close to the surface of the coffee powder as possible to facilitate the adjustment of water output and water injection speed.

4. The filter cloth cannot be cleaned with detergent, but it can be reused about 50 times. When the coffee bean oil on the cloth cannot be washed off, it means it is time to replace it with a new one.

5. It is best to soak the flannel filter cloth in water after use. If it is summer, it is recommended to store it in the refrigerator. When you need to use it, wring it out to remove moisture. If you don't use it for a long time, air dry it and seal it for storage, otherwise the moisture contained in the filter cloth will affect the flavor of the coffee, so you must pay more attention.

Flannel filter storage

When using a new flannel filter, in order to remove the water paste or smell left on the cloth, you can use a brush to wash it with water (do not use soap or soap powder at this time because the smell cannot be removed). Then, boil used coffee powder in water for five minutes and then wash it with water.

How to store flannel filter

The filter cloth should be washed thoroughly with water after use, and in order to prevent oxidation, it should be placed in a refrigerator with water. And the water must be changed every day, otherwise scale will form and cause the cloth mesh to become clogged. When using, rinse it with warm water and wring it thoroughly before use.

The flannel drip method can easily reflect a person's personality. Although the brewing procedure is a bit cumbersome, it is easier to cultivate hobbies and interests with the help of the cumbersome procedure. It is still the favorite brewing method for coffee lovers.