[Beginner's Guide] What should I do if I don't know how to pour water in circles when pouring coffee? Then don't do it in circles!

Click to follow | Daily boutique coffee culture magazine Coffee Workshop

I believe that friends who are new to hand brewing coffee will encounter such questions: how to make a circle? How to make a constant speed and pour water evenly? If you don’t make a circle and pour water, will it taste bad?

Today, I will teach you how to make delicious brewed coffee without stirring or circling. First, we need to prepare a filter cup with a slower flow rate. I chose a [trapezoidal single-hole filter cup] to do the experiment.

Features of this filter cup:

1. Trapezoidal filter bowl, the ribs are straight lines.

2. Single hole and the hole is small.

3. The fit between the filter cups is not high, which helps with exhaust and drainage.

4. The cup wall is thicker and has better heat preservation performance.

Let’s first take a look at the flow rate of this [trapezoidal single-hole filter cup] !

The editor directly poured in 300ml of water, and it took 51 seconds for the water to completely drip through. The water was in a soaking state for most of the time, which shows that the flow rate of this filter cup is relatively slow.

In this experiment, the editor chose two beans, the flavorful [Costa Rica·Pirón Processing Plant] and the mellow-tasting [Brazil·Queen's Estate] , and carried out two sets of experiments respectively.

The editor first uses the commonly used circle method as a flavor reference, and then does a center water injection method to test the flavor.

【Circle Technique】

【Center water injection technique】

Experiment 1

【Costa Rica·Pirón Treatment Plant】

Origin: Taraju, Costa Rica

Altitude: 1700-1800 meters

Treatment method: sun treatment

Variety: Typica

Roasting degree: light roast

【Circle Technique】

Parameters: 89℃/1:15/BG-5Z/15g coffee powder/

Method: Steam 30g of water for 30 seconds, add 125g until powder bed appears, then add 228g, remove the filter cup when powder bed appears, total time is 1'58"

Flavor: Fermented wine aroma, citrus, plum, caramel, hazelnut, preserved fruit, ripe fruit flavor after cooling, rich and mellow overall texture, sweet aftertaste.

【Center water injection technique】

Parameters: 89℃/1:15/BG-5Z/15g coffee powder/

Method: Steam 30g of water for 30 seconds, add 123g until powder bed appears, then add 225g, remove the filter cup when powder bed appears, total time is 1'49"

Flavor: lemon, rice, sucrose, floral aroma. The overall feeling is a balance of sweet and sour, with a more obvious sense of juice, but the mellowness in the latter part is not enough and the taste is slightly thin.

Experiment 2

【Brazil Queen's Manor】

Producing area: Brazil Mogiana

Altitude: 1400-1950 meters

Treatment method: sun treatment

Variety: Yellow Bourbon

Roasting degree: medium roast

【Circle Technique】

Parameters: 87℃/1:14/BG-6M/16g coffee powder/

Method: Steam 30g of water for 30 seconds, add 122g until powder bed appears, then add 224g, remove the filter cup when powder bed appears, total time is 2'03"

Flavor: Herbs, cream, caramel, chocolate, tobacco, roasted almonds, berries, light citrus acid, the overall taste is mellow, rich in nutty flavor, and weak sourness.

【Center water injection technique】

Parameters: 87℃/1:14/BG-6M/16g coffee powder/

Method: Steam 32g of water for 30 seconds, add 128g until powder bed appears, then add 225g, remove the filter cup when powder bed appears, total time is 1'53"

Flavor: licorice, cocoa, nuts, caramel. The overall flavor is relatively simple, with obvious fruit acidity and a slightly thin taste.

After comparing the above two groups, it was found that the more prominent flavors of [Pilon] and [Queen] under the [center water injection method] can also be extracted, although the layering and mellowness are not as good as the [circle water injection method]. The sourness will be more lively and the taste will be slightly thinner.

I think we can try to increase the extraction rate by slightly raising the water temperature and changing the height of the water column in the center to see if the flavor and taste will be better.

【Center water injection, high water injection】

【Costa Rica·Pirón Treatment Plant】

Parameters: 90℃/1:15/BG-6M/15g coffee powder/

Method: Steam 30g of water for 31 seconds, add 126g until powder bed appears, then add 226g, remove the filter cup when powder bed appears, total time is 1'35"

Flavor: Loquat, apple, fermented aroma, red wine, nuts, cream. The overall flavor is balanced, with high sweetness and rich aroma.

【Brazil Queen's Manor】

Parameters: 89℃/1:14/BG-6M/16g coffee powder/

Method: Steam 30g of water for 31 seconds, add 123g until powder bed appears, then add 224g, remove the filter cup when powder bed appears, total time is 1'50"

Flavor: Nuts, cocoa, cream, black berries, almonds, incense, spices. The overall taste is mellow and smooth with a sweet aftertaste.

Summarize​

Through the above experiments, the editor found that in the [trapezoidal single-hole filter cup] with slow water flow, the [circle brewing method] will have a richer layering and a higher mellowness. First of all, the [center water injection method] will have a faster flow rate than the [circle water injection method]. This may be because the water flow directly hits the bottom, and the coffee powder is impacted by the water flow and rolls inward with the water injection point as the center. This center is close to the filter cup hole at the bottom, so the coffee powder will not settle and block the water filter hole, and the filtration will be smoother. When the water level drops, we will see that the grooves of the powder bed are deeper, the surrounding powder layer is higher, and the powder bed is not very flat. This may be caused by the uneven impact of the water flow during the water injection and the different rolling speeds of the coffee. Even so, there is no uneven extraction with the help of the [trapezoidal single-hole filter cup] because the soaking time is longer, which makes the flavor extraction more balanced. This is also one of the reasons why a slow flow rate is chosen. It can reduce or avoid uneven extraction in the brewing method.

Secondly, when using the [center water injection method], the height of the water column has a relatively large impact on the extraction rate. When the height of the water column is similar to that of the [circle water injection method], the taste will be thin and sour. This may be because the water column does not have enough impact on the coffee powder, and the coffee powder rolls slowly and with a small amplitude, so the extraction rate is not high. So when the editor raises the water column and increases the water temperature, the coffee powder rolls faster and with a larger amplitude. High temperature can help improve extraction. The coffee liquid obtained by both methods will be obviously richer in flavor than the one with a lower water column, and the taste will also become mellower.

Finally, the editor recommends that friends who have just started to practice hand pouring can try to use the [center pouring technique] to extract a cup of coffee with good flavor, but practicing the [circle pouring technique] is also necessary. After all, the [circle pouring technique] will make the coffee more layered, flavorful, and mellow.

Disclaimer: Some of the pictures in this article are from the Internet. For some of the content on the website, such as pictures, we will respect the copyright of the original work and indicate the source, but due to the large number of pictures, some pictures and texts may not be indicated in time, please forgive me. If the original author has any disputes, please contact the website to deal with it. Once verified, we will correct it immediately. It is edited by "Coffee Workshop". Please indicate the source when reprinting. This article is intended to spread coffee culture. If there is any infringement, please inform us to delete it. Thank you~!