Common Misunderstandings and Experience Sharing of Hand-Pour

Hand brewing coffee is a complex process involving many variables. Every detail in the brewing process is overwhelming. Here are some common misunderstandings that many people make.

Common Misconceptions

1. Choose the right filter cup to extract the corresponding amount of coffee. Why are there filter cups of 01 and 02? They mean that the 01 filter cup is for 1-2 people, and the 02 filter cup is for 3-4 people. In particular, don't use a 02 cake cup for multiple people to make one cup of coffee. There is only a thin layer of coffee powder. Are you sure you are making coffee and not filter paper?

2. What is the difference between different coffee grinding degrees? Generally, the most suitable extraction method for extremely coarse grinding is cold brew, the most suitable extraction method for coarse grinding is French press, the most suitable extraction method for medium-coarse grinding is drip filter, the most suitable extraction method for medium grinding is hand brewing or conical filter bowl drip filter, the most suitable extraction method for fine grinding is espresso, and the most suitable extraction method for extremely fine grinding is Turkish coffee.

3. Why do we always say to pour water around the middle of a coin-sized filter cup like the V60? Why don’t we say to pour water to the edge? Because although there are patterns on the design and the filter paper is fitted to prevent “side leakage”, people still often make the mistake of flushing the filter paper. It may be that the impact force is too great or it may be too far outside. In short, if the coffee layer attached to the inner wall of the filter paper is penetrated, a “channel” will be formed, and the coffee will be bland.

The vase CHEMEX in the coffee world is a little different. First of all, it is designed for multiple people to brew, so don't use a single dose of powder! And it is more immersion-oriented. Looking at such a "long" extraction area, if you want to use a large water flow to hit the bottom, it is recommended to use the American violent brewing method to only inject water in the center to let the bottom coffee powder roll a little, and then inject it at a time to the appropriate water-to-powder ratio and let it filter the coffee~

The coffee used is usually darker roasted beans. If you use very lightly roasted coffee, you will find that it is easy to clog, and the coffee powder does not "climb" up to the wall of the cup to form a filter layer, causing the coffee to be weak. However, if the grinding degree is coarser, water will easily escape and extraction will be insufficient.

Kalita filter cup, common single hole and three holes. The single hole Kalita is more suitable for medium to dark roasted coffee, and like CHEMEX, it can be soaked and filtered by injecting the required amount of water at one time, which is an immersion-dominated extraction;

The three-hole coffee maker is suitable for coffees of various roasting degrees. Since the flow rate is faster than that of the one-hole coffee maker, it is necessary to brew in sections and stir the water flow according to the situation. For example, the barista used a V60 to operate the single-hole Kalita filter cup at the beginning, which was incorrect from the result.

The last misunderstanding, which will make the barista innocent - the use of coffee beans

1. Sometimes we are too blind to think that coffee beans roasted by a champion or a well-known roaster are good, but when we serve them to customers, we are slapped in the face that "the coffee is not good". After being disappointed, we adjust the brewing and serve another cup, but the result is still not good. To put it bluntly, this is a problem with the brewing but the roasting, but as a barista, I did not analyze the beans (perhaps because I don't know enough about coffee). This may be a mistake caused by being misled, because as we said in the article on the importance of sensory perception, some coffee beans that are originally roasted with defects are described as the correct flavor.

2. In addition, due to insufficient knowledge of coffee beans (this is a problem faced by many roasters), the coffee beans provided by the raw bean vendor may not be the same as the ones advertised - this is a very "commercial" practice, and the result is that the roaster gives the wrong roasted coffee beans to the barista to brew, and the flavor will definitely be problematic. Nowadays, hand-brewed coffee is about expressing the "regional flavor", but if the beans are not the right ones, how can it be done? Therefore, the barista should at least have a certain understanding of roasted coffee beans, at least be able to judge whether the roasting is defective, and it is best to be able to distinguish whether the coffee is the right one (this requirement is relatively high).

Summary of experience

If the weight of the coffee powder you use is for one person (about 15 grams), you can refer to the following suggestions .

1. Grinding degree: The grinding degree that is about the same size as the sugar particles is suitable for a wide range of applications. You can use your fingers to rub the sugar particles and coffee powder particles to compare.

2. Brewing time: Generally, the brewing time is between 1 minute 40 seconds and 2 minutes. The longer the brewing time, the more substances will be extracted from the coffee, and the stronger the coffee taste will be when the amount of water injected remains the same, but it will also increase the risk of the taste becoming noticeably bitter.

3. Brewing temperature: You will need to adjust your brewing temperature according to the degree of roasting of your coffee beans. You can refer to the following data for how to adjust it:

Light roast: 90-92 degrees Celsius

Medium light roast: 87-90 degrees Celsius

Medium roast: 85-87 degrees Celsius

Medium-dark roast: 83-85 degrees Celsius

Dark roast: 80-83 degrees Celsius

Generally speaking, the roasting degree will be marked on the outer packaging of coffee beans. If you feel that the coffee brewed at a certain temperature is obviously bitter, you can try to lower the water temperature. If it is too light and the taste is thin, you can try to slightly increase the water temperature. Adjusting 2 degrees at a time is a good choice.

4. About the amount of water to be injected (water-to-powder ratio): The ratio between the amount of water you are going to inject and the coffee powder you are using is the water ratio. Adjusting this ratio can easily change the concentration of your coffee liquid. If you are using a general or entry-level grinder and are just starting to learn hand brewing, it is safer to use a ratio of 12:1 to 14:1 between water and powder (that is, 15g of powder is injected with 180-210g of water). This will ensure that the coffee has sufficient concentration without being easily bitter.

5. Rules for hand brewing: Generally speaking, when hand brewing, with a fixed amount of coffee and water-to-powder ratio, the higher the water temperature, the longer the brewing time, and the finer the grinding, the more substances in the coffee will be brought out, making the brewed coffee stronger and showing a more complete coffee flavor, but it will also be more bitter. Therefore, you need to try a few times to find a balance.

The factors mentioned above are the more important factors in the process of brewing good hand-brewed coffee. If you are also interested in hand-brewed coffee, you might as well be a barista yourself and truly define the taste of a cup of coffee.

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