What does the 4-6 brewing method of coffee mean?

Hand brewed coffee is easy to learn but difficult to master. Only by constant exploration, learning from others’ experience, and combining your own tasting experience can you find the brewing method that suits you best.

Today I’m going to share a video of the 2016 World Brewing Champion, a wonderful performance from Japan’s Tetsu Kasuya. The four-six brewing method he advocated is simple and clear, and very valuable for reference. Just watch it and try it!

2016 World Coffee Brewing Championship Champion Kasuya Tetsu

(Testu Kasaya, Japan)

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Introduction

Kasuya Tetsu entered the coffee industry in 2013, and within two years, he won the Japan AeroPress Championship. In 2016, he continued to work hard and won the 2016 Japan Brewing Championship, and won the world championship at the WBrC in Berlin at the end of June.

The reason why people brew bad coffee is often because they can't find the right extraction rate. The extraction logic that Tetsu wants to tell everyone is actually the operation method that everyone who has studied brewing knows - that is, fixed variables. Usually, the equipment at home will not change much, so as long as you fix the grinding scale for the single-origin beans used each time, and then adjust other conditions, and match your personal brewing rhythm, you can try out the so-called good-tasting range. Tetsu adjusted his own exploration process into a context as a simple guide to guide beginners to understand coffee liquid extraction, and developed this "four-six brewing method".

The so-called four and six refers to the ratio of brewing water to 4:6. He explained that the molecules dissolved during the extraction process, the front part includes aroma, acidity, and sweetness, which determine the overall flavor; the middle and back end affect the concentration of the coffee liquid, that is, the taste. He used data to allocate the water ratio of the front part, the middle and back parts, and then used the traditional steelmaking method to repeatedly test, and finally decided that the brewing of this bean should be divided into several intervals to achieve the ideal taste and mouthfeel.

Take the sun-dried Geisha used by Tetsu in the World Championship as an example. A slightly coarser grinding scale was selected and the water injection was divided into 5 times. If the total brewing water volume is 300 grams, the first two injections are 120 grams. If the first injection determines the sourness of the extracted coffee, and the second determines the sweetness, the distribution of these two injections can affect the acidity or sweetness. The remaining water is divided into three injections. The strength and speed of the injection can be adjusted to adjust the thickness of the taste.

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I am Afei, I have been engaged in promoting coffee culture for more than 6 years. I have been to coffee farms in Indonesia, Yunnan, Taiwan, and coffee consuming cities in Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, and France. I love specialty coffee and want to make friends who love coffee as much as I do. Welcome everyone to follow my Toutiao account and my new book "Fall in Love with Coffee in 3 Minutes", where I will share and exchange knowledge about specialty coffee, latte art, and store opening. Love coffee, let's get together. Share a wonderful life with you every day.