Hand pouring utensils | Detailed explanation of famous hand pouring coffee utensils

As a beginner who is as ignorant as can be, what kind of coffee making equipment should I choose? I want to find some hand-poured coffee equipment, but I don’t know how to use it? What should I do? Today, let’s talk about some basic coffee equipment for beginners.

What is hand pouring?

Hand-brewed coffee is a solution of coffee substances extracted through the combination of water and coffee powder. Hand-brewed coffee seems to be simple to operate, but in fact it requires a lot of skills to avoid easily brewing away the coffee. A good extraction can intuitively highlight the flavor of the coffee's origin and taste the different flavor characteristics of each bean.

Let’s first get to know some of the coffee utensils we often see.

Italian coffee machine

The principle is to use a mixture of high-pressure steam and water to quickly pass through the coffee layer to extract the aroma and taste. Usually, a boiler is used to produce hot water, which is pressurized to about 9 atmospheres and then flows through the powder in the metal filter to brew coffee. The coffee brewed with this pressurized hot water is thicker than usual and has a layer of golden oil, which is usually called Italian coffee or espresso.

The golden rule of extraction for an Italian coffee machine is to use 15-20g of finely ground coffee powder, 90-91 degrees Celsius water at a pressure of 9 bar, and extract 25ml- 30ml of espresso in 25-30 seconds. Because different coffee beans have different densities, the parameters will also be adjusted according to the situation.

Drip coffee machine

The drip coffee machine is very easy to use. Even if you have never made coffee before, you can easily drink a cup of American drip coffee. The operation is very simple. First, put the filter paper in the filter cup, pour the ground coffee powder into the filter cup with the filter paper, install the filter cup on the drip machine, add pure water or soft water on top of the coffee machine and set the temperature you want. When the water reaches the temperature you want, it will be evenly extracted.

French Press:

A simple brewing device that originated in France around 1850 and consists of a heat-resistant glass body (or transparent plastic) and a metal filter with a pressure rod.

Initially, it was mostly used for brewing black tea, so some people also called it a tea maker.

principle:

Use the immersion method to release the essence of coffee through the stewing method in which water and coffee powder are fully in contact with each other.

When using a French press to make coffee, the coffee powder should be ground very coarsely to prevent the filter from being blocked by the coffee powder, resulting in over-extraction and unclean filtering. In addition, the French press takes a long time to make coffee, from soaking to filtering, which takes about 3-4 minutes.

The French press is also very flexible and versatile to use. You can also use it to make cold brew coffee and tea.

The easiest thing to control when playing with a press pot is the time. The same beans, grinding, and water temperature will have different effects at different times.

Generally speaking, the longer the time, the stronger the taste, but it is more likely to have bitterness, astringency, and other flavors.

Siphon pot

The main principle of coffee extraction using a siphon pot is through pressure difference. First, heat the lower cup of water to boiling, then insert the upper pot, making the lower pot in a high-pressure state. Due to the pressure difference between the lower and upper pots, the hot water flows upward to mix with the coffee powder in the upper pot and be extracted. After the extraction process is completed, the fire source of the lower pot is removed, so that the pressure difference between the lower and upper pots is instantly reduced. The siphon between the upper and lower pots will cause the coffee extract to flow back to the lower cup.

Siphon coffee can best show the original flavor of coffee, with a richer, mellower taste and higher aroma.

AeroPress

Aeropress was invented by Aerobie in 2005. It is a simple coffee maker that resembles a syringe. It combines the immersion extraction method of a French press, the filter paper filtration of hand-brewed coffee, and the Italian pressurized extraction. After the coffee powder is mixed with hot water, the air is squeezed out with a press cylinder, and the coffee passes through the filter cover and is filtered out.

The water temperature required by "AeroPress" is relatively low - 80 degrees, so that it can extract a smoother taste. Put coffee particles in the press barrel and add water to soak. Due to the low water temperature and short extraction time, the manufacturer's experimental test shows that the acidity of coffee extracted by "AeroPress" is one-fifth of that of drip coffee. For many coffee drinkers, it has a more comfortable taste, is lightweight and easy to carry, and is a must-have for home and travel.

Moka Pot

The lower pot is filled with hot water. After being heated on the stove, the steam generated by the boiling hot water will use air pressure to push the hot water through the duct of the coffee container in the lower pot, filter out the fragrant coffee through the coffee powder, and remain in the upper pot. Pour it out and it will be espresso.

Steps:

① Pour cold water into the lower pot of the Moka pot; the water level should be about 0.5 cm below the pressure relief valve.

② Pour the coffee powder in slowly and shake it appropriately to make it evenly distributed, or scrape it flat with a spoon.

③Tighten the upper and lower parts of the Moka pot and heat it over medium-high heat. When you hear a popping sound, turn off the heat immediately and move the Moka pot away.

④Finally, pour out the coffee.

Smart Cup

Smart cup is simple, convenient and easy to use. It extracts coffee by immersion, which does not require too many skills and can reduce the negative impact on the coffee flavor caused by mistakes in brewing techniques.

The piston valve at the bottom of the filter cup, after boiling water is poured into the filter cup, the water pressure will automatically close the piston valve, allowing the coffee powder to be fully immersed in it;

After the soaking is completed, move the filter cup to the sharing pot or mug. Pressing the bottom of the filter cup will cause the piston valve to open, and the coffee will immediately flow slowly into the cup.

The smart pot combines the advantages of the French press pot and the hand-poured filter cup. It can provide a complete immersion environment for the French press pot, retaining the coffee oil to make the flavor full and round. At the same time, it also takes into account the filtering function of the hand-poured filter cup, which can completely filter out the coffee grounds to avoid interfering with the taste.

Ice drip pot

Ice drip coffee, on the other hand, must be extracted at a temperature below 5 degrees or even close to the freezing point. As a result, the various ingredients contained in the coffee are not easy to extract in the ice water, so a fine grinding and slow extraction method must be adopted. The specific method is to soak the coffee powder in ice water for a long time and extract it at a very slow drip speed.

The general standard speed is 1 drop per second, 45-50 drops per minute, and it usually takes about 8-12 hours.

Although it takes a long time to wait, its biggest advantage is that the tannins we hate the most will hardly be decomposed in low-temperature ice water. Although caffeine will be decomposed in a small amount in ice water, it is reduced by about 90% compared to hot water extraction. Therefore, the ice-brewed coffee tastes particularly pure, and there is no astringency in the ice-drip coffee.

So what utensils are needed for hand-brewed coffee?

1. A hand brewing kettle

2. A filter cup

3. Filter paper, thermometer, scale

4. Share Pot

5. Coffee beans and grinders

| Hand brewing kettle

The choice of hand-poured kettle is very important. Using different hand-poured kettles will also have different effects on the flavor of brewed coffee.

There are many materials for hand-poured kettles, such as copper, stainless steel, enamel, iron, etc. For durability, you can choose iron, for good heat preservation, you can choose stainless steel, and for appearance, you can choose enamel (but be careful, it will be hot)~

The mouth of the hand brewing teapot is also very important. It will affect the amount of water injected and the strength of water stirring during hand brewing. Of course, the penetration of the powder bed is also related to the mouth of the teapot.

If you are just starting to brew coffee by hand and have not yet learned how to control the water flow, you can choose to use a narrow-mouthed pot with an inner diameter of the spout of less than 5mm. The water flow is easy to control and there will not be excessive water flow. It can also increase the success rate of coffee extraction and you can brew a cup of good coffee in a shorter time.

For example, the Bonavita gooseneck narrow-mouth wooden-handled hand-brewed kettle can effectively control the water flow speed, flow rate and direction, and the lines of the kettle are smooth and the feel is comfortable.

| Filter paper

Used to filter coffee powder, it is mainly to bring out the soluble substances in the coffee. Good filter paper can filter out impurities, making the coffee taste cleaner and smoother.

Filter paper is mainly divided into bleached and unbleached. The difference between the two is whether the taste of the filter paper is strong or light. Unbleached filter paper often has a heavier paper smell. The types of filter paper include cone filter paper (V60 filter cup), fan filter paper (kalita trapezoidal filter cup), and cake filter paper (cake cup).

| Filter cup

Hario V60 filter

Hario V60 filter cup (most popular with hand-pour) The Hario V60 series filter cup has a larger mouth, and a unique spiral rib, which makes it easier to guide the airflow and improves the extraction quality.

When using a gooseneck kettle to pour water, the large round filter hole at the bottom will also change the final flavor of the coffee depending on the size of the water flow.

The cone filter cup is more expressive, and the rib design allows the soluble substances to be extracted in a short time during the extraction of coffee, thus increasing its concentration. With different water injection methods and techniques, you can also get coffee with different tastes and flavors, which is quite playable.

KONO

Conical filter cups all have straight radial grooves, which limit the exhaust space and air flow. This will increase the time it takes for coffee powder particles to absorb water. The coffee brewed using the KONO filter cup will have a full taste and a good, sustained flavor, and is suitable for medium-deep roasted or dark roasted coffee beans.

Kalita three-hole trapezoidal filter cup

The widely used Melita filter cup and the Kalita filter cup from Japan. The earliest Melita filter cup had only one hole at the bottom. The disadvantage was that when the coffee was filtered, the hole would often be blocked by fine powder, causing the coffee to be soaked in water for too long and become bitter. Therefore, for this type of filter cup, a brewing method of adding water all the time is adopted, with the aim of allowing the coffee particles to float on the water surface all the time. However, a relatively derived problem is that the long-term immersion of coffee particles in water will affect the emission of carbon dioxide and reduce the extraction rate, so the Kalita filter cup with three holes was derived later.

The kalita trapezoidal filter cup has many ribs on its wall, which are distributed in a straight line and the distance between the ribs is consistent. The purpose is to increase the speed of exhaust and water flow.

At the same time, its flow rate is relatively slow, and it is mainly extracted by immersion.

key diamond filter cup

The diamond filter cup is diamond-cut all around, with a relatively large water outlet in the center.

The diamond pattern design of the filter cup can make the flow rate more uniform;

The design of the large circular hole in the center of the filter cup can increase the flow rate and compensate for the uneven extraction to a certain extent.

The filtration speed changes due to the area of ​​the hole on the filter cup. The hole is smaller than that of V60, so the filtration speed is slower than that of V60.

Kalita Wave Cake Cup

The cake filter cup, mainly has three holes at the bottom. The flat design allows the water to flow evenly, and the flow rate is not as fast as the cone-shaped one, so it is more suitable for some coffees that are more resistant to extraction.

The cake cup uses the creases of the filter paper to replace the special design of the guide groove. It does not directly fit the filter cup, which reduces the area of ​​direct contact between the paper and the filter cup and creates the largest extraction area. On the one hand, it can help concentrate the extraction, and the hot water can drip down evenly and smoothly, making the coffee extraction smoother. On the other hand, it can also slow down the cooling rate.

| Bean grinder

There are two types of coffee grinders: manual crank and electric. Manual crank can increase the fun of brewing, but manual rotation is more time-consuming and labor-intensive. Wooden hand crank is more difficult to clean. After grinding for a long time, the residual coffee powder or oil will affect the flavor of the coffee.

Helor 101 Hand-cranked grinder】:

Stainless steel spindle, portable, high precision, all parts can be replaced, the price is higher.

The electric coffee grinder you can choose is [Fujiroyal Fuji Electric Coffee Grinder R-220 Ghost Tooth] 220V. The ghost tooth grinding disc can grind out more uniform coffee powder, while producing less fine powder and higher grinding efficiency.

The coffee powder particles ground by ghost teeth are closer to round, and the ratio of coarse powder to fine powder is more uniform, so the coffee tastes cleaner and the flavor is more three-dimensional and full, but the price of the machine is higher.

|Electronic scale

The powder-water ratio in hand-brew extraction is very important, as it directly affects the concentration and blandness of the coffee. Accurate weighing and timing, as well as the amount of powder and water injected, can all be accurate. It is recommended to purchase a timer with a timing function.

|Thermometer/Timer

If your hand brewing kettle is not a temperature-controlled kettle, it is recommended that you use an electronic thermometer. Every time you brew coffee, you need to insert the thermometer into the kettle to observe whether the water temperature reaches the extraction temperature. Water temperature is a major variable factor in hand brewing coffee. If the water temperature is too high, the extracted coffee will easily have a burnt and bitter taste. If it is too low, the coffee will become sour or the coffee flavor cannot be fully extracted, resulting in insufficient extraction.

If your electronic scale does not have a timing function, you may need a timer to record the brewing time, the so-called steaming time, and the stop extraction time.

But you don't have to buy this timer. Come on, pick up your phone , start timing, and then manually start the coffee extraction time~~

Knowing these tools, or owning them, are you still afraid of not being able to make coffee?

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