What is the difference between “siphon” and “pour over”?

Based on the traditional Chinese perception of drinking coffee, most people prefer coffee with a strong but gentle bitter taste rather than a strong stimulating bitterness. Siphon coffee can fully achieve this, and although hand-brewed coffee is full of flavor, most people may not be able to accept coffee with fruity or citric acid, especially medium-light roasted coffee.

In fact, whether to use filter paper, flannel, siphon or moka pot, it all depends on your own preference for coffee flavor, or what kind of tool coffee shop practitioners prefer to use to express specialty coffee. There is no fixed standard...

A brief description of the difference between siphon coffee and hand-poured coffee

Hand-brewed coffee is the mainstream brewing method of specialty coffee today and is the favorite of many coffee fans. Hand-brewed coffee has always been known for being able to produce coffee with distinct flavors in just a few steps. In comparison, siphon coffee is a little more low-key, so much so that many people think that siphon coffee is a fancy version of hand-brewed coffee. In order to "whitewash" siphon coffee, let's briefly describe the difference between the two through the following points:

1

Filters have different

Making hand-brewed coffee requires a filter cup, filter paper, a narrow-mouthed pot, and other utensils, while making siphon coffee requires a siphon pot, an alcohol lamp, or a light wave oven. The difference in the utensils used also leads to differences in the filtering methods of the two. In terms of filtering utensils, hand-brewed coffee uses filter paper, while most siphon pots use flannel as a filtering tool. Although disposable filter paper is more in line with modern people's hygiene habits, it also has a stronger adsorption capacity for coffee oils. This also makes siphon coffee taste slightly thicker than hand-brewed coffee.

2

There are differences in extraction methods

The two have different requirements for the coarseness of coffee powder. For the same coffee bean, the siphon grind will be a little finer, preferably to the coarseness of white sugar. The grinding degree of hand-brewed coffee is generally medium, the size of coarse salt. Coffee coarseness and quantity: The two have the same requirements for coffee coarseness and quantity. According to the SCAA cupping standard, it will be too light. You can drink a little more. Xiaowei recommends using 25 grams of coffee beans for 250 ml of water, and the grinding scale is more appropriate at 3.

The difference is that the two have different extraction methods. Hand-brewed coffee uses the filtration method; while the siphon pot uses the physical air pressure changes caused by thermal expansion and contraction to extract, just like using air pressure to extract the essence of coffee powder. Therefore, the coffee produced by the siphon pot has a stronger taste.

3

There are differences in production time

The time for making hand-poured coffee is about 2 minutes and 30 to 45 seconds (many coffee companies in Japan prefer to brew for more than 4 minutes), and the water temperature is about 90 degrees. The extraction time of a siphon coffee pot is at least 2 minutes shorter than that of hand-poured coffee, and the extraction is usually completed after 45 to 50 seconds.

4

Differences in taste

Due to the unique extraction method, siphon coffee tastes more fragrant than hand-brewed coffee. It is very suitable for coffee fans who like strong coffee.

Water temperature and brewing time:

The approximate time for hand-brewed coffee is 2 minutes 30 to 45 seconds. Many coffee producers in Japan like to brew coffee for more than 4 minutes, and the water temperature is roughly around 90 degrees. Lower water temperature or coarser grind will lengthen the brewing time.

The extraction time of a siphon coffee pot should be at least 2 minutes shorter than that of a hand brew. Usually, the extraction is completed in 45 to 50 seconds. Although the time is short, the water temperature is about 10 degrees higher than that of a hand brew. It almost uses boiling water over 100 degrees. Therefore, if the soaking time is too long, it will definitely affect the flavor.

In addition, the hand-poured filtration method is more variable, and differences in technique, temperature, and water flow rate will affect the variation of flavor. On the contrary, the siphon pot is less variable, and the room for adjusting the flavor of the coffee beans is not as rich as that of hand-poured coffee. As long as the production is not failed, it is almost easy to standardize.

My opinion on taste differences:

Hand brewing is in vogue and unstoppable. The greatest appeal of hand brewing is that you can taste a variety of other flavors of coffee that are commonly known, whether it is fruity acid or firm taste, which are rich and multi-layered, with very obvious front, middle and back flavors.

The coffee liquid extracted from siphon coffee is not just the same as brewing. Due to the effect of thermal expansion and contraction of the atmosphere, the coffee essence in the coffee beans seems to be drawn out. Therefore, although the siphon extraction time is short, it is very thick and has a high caffeine content.

Comparison of the flavors of siphon coffee and hand-brewed coffee:

Coffee brewed in a siphon pot can fully reflect the original flavor, aroma, sourness and bitterness of the coffee beans. If brewed well, you can fully taste them, so the key is what kind of coffee beans you use.

The coffee flavor of hand-poured coffee is softer, brighter, smoother and more layered than that of siphon coffee, and the sweetness is no less. However, the thickness of hand-poured coffee is slightly inferior to that of siphon coffee, which should be related to the fact that the filter paper of hand-poured coffee will filter out some oil. If you use filter cloth for hand-poured coffee, the thickness can be improved.

Siphon coffee is known for its mellow and thick taste, while hand brewed coffee is known for its light, sweet and sour aroma, each with its own merits.