What is the change of coffee extraction by choosing "wave type" or "conical type" paper filter?

UNiUNi (Nanjing, China) Barista (World Brewers Cup 2019 Champion) / Du Jianing


Our guest this time is Du Jianing (Du hereafter), a barista at the UNiUNi cafe in Nanjing, China, who used an ORIGAMI dripper when she became World Champion at the 2019 World Brewers Cup Boston.

ORIGAMI drippers are compatible with two types of paper filters, "wave type" and "conical type," and Mr. Do used the wave type paper when he won the Boston competition.

In this interview, we talked about the changes in extraction when using ORIGAMI drippers in combination with "wave type" and "conical type" paper, and the key points in using each type of paper.
The spread of the new coronavirus is still causing turmoil around the world. Has your work been affected?

I happened to be on a business trip to Panama when the epidemic first broke out, and then I was stuck in the airport for a while because my flight was cancelled several times when I was supposed to return via France.

I then managed to return to China, and after two weeks of quarantine, I was finally able to return to my store in Nanjing.

At the time, the whole of China was in lockdown and our store was closed for about a month.

During the lockdown period, we provided free coffee beans and online training to many of our competitors amidst difficult industry conditions.

We must all continue to overcome difficulties together.

Now that you have overcome the most difficult moments, do you have any new goals for the future?

While there were significant difficulties in store sales, the store's e-commerce sales grew quite a bit during the lockdown period.

The company plans to continue to focus more on e-commerce sales, rebranding, and toB wholesale sales.

For me personally, there was a period of about 4 months when my training work (Do also works as a trainer for baristas of various levels at "M2M COFFEE TRAINING & EDUCATION") was interrupted by the Corona Disaster, but I am now aiming to further develop my training content.

We develop appropriate courses for each demographic, from beginners to professional baristas, and after mastering basic skills, we provide more specialized training for those who wish to advance their careers as cup testers, roasters, store managers, quality control masters, and so on.

This well-developed training system is very valuable for those who want to enter the industry.
From here, I would like to move on to the topic of ORIGAMI drippers and paper filters.
One major advantage of ORIGAMI's drippers is that they can be used with two types of filters: wave and conical.
When using ORIGAMI drippers, can you tell me the difference in extraction and how to use the two types of filters?

When the same amount of coffee powder is added, the thickness of the powder layer varies depending on whether the filter is wave or cone shaped. The conical shape has a thicker powder layer, while the wave shape has a thinner layer due to the more uneven filter shape.

When using the wave type, in which the layers of coffee powder are thinner, the hot water takes less time to pass through the powder layer, and the extraction conditions of the upper and lower layers of powder are almost the same.

In contrast, if a conical shape with thicker layers is used, there will be a difference in the extraction state between the upper and lower layers of the powder. This leads to a certain change in the taste of the coffee.

To elaborate on the differences between them, wave-type filters are easier to achieve uniform extraction.

The taste of extracted coffee is more consistent, and depending on the bean and other factors, either acidity, bitterness, or sweetness should be particularly pronounced.

On the other hand, it is difficult, if not a weakness, to excel in uniform extraction, which makes it difficult to bring out complex and rich flavors.

The difference in extraction conditions between the upper and lower layers of the conical filter results in a difference in the substances dissolved from the upper and lower layers of powder. By making good use of this, we can create more complexity in the taste of the coffee. We call this complexity "controllable non-uniform extraction.

To summarize the points, when using a wave-type filter, the coffee tastes clearer with one flavor more pronounced. When using a conical filter, the taste is more complex and full-bodied.

So you wanted to achieve a uniform extraction, which is why Doe used the ORIGAMI dripper and wave-type filter combination at the 2019 Boston World Championships?
Why did you choose uniform extraction instead of "controllable non-uniform extraction"?

Yes, it is.

My extraction philosophy at the World Championships was to extract as evenly as possible

This also relates to my choice of coffee beans.

The beans themselves already had good complexity and rich flavor. We thought that by focusing on uniform extraction, we could bring out the flavor of the beans in a consistent manner and achieve a high consistency of flavor.

However, in everyday use, there is no need to think of it in such a complicated way.

Whatever the flavor of the coffee bean, if you want to get a more complex flavor, use a conical filter. If you prefer a single flavor, use a wave-type filter.

There are no set rules for choosing filters.

This is a matter of personal preference.

However, depending on the coffee beans, the shape of the dripper may be chosen.

For example, when selecting coffee beans that need to be extracted in a faster time, it is better to choose a dripper with a faster flow rate of hot water.

On the other hand, if you want the coffee beans to come into full contact with the hot water and be extracted slowly, you should choose a dripper with a slow flow speed of hot water.

The coffee beans we used for the World Championships that I mentioned earlier were super-rapid roasted (large expansion) beans, which have characteristics such as bitterness that comes out when the extraction time is longer.

This requires a short extraction time.

This is one of the reasons why we chose the ORIGAMI dripper.

So the key is to take advantage of the characteristics of the dripper in order to control the extraction time.

If you want to master the taste of coffee, you must also consider the roasting process.

As the roasting process changes, so does the extraction method.

Faster brewing is appropriate for shorter roasting times, as the temperature rises faster and the substances in the beans are more easily extracted.

For example, the roasting time of the beans I used for the World Championships was 4-5 minutes, a very short time, so I employed an extraction time of 1 minute 30-40 seconds.

If the roasting time is long, the beans are harder and less puffy.

A relatively slow rhythm is good for extracting the substance inside, so pass the water through slowly.

It is profound. This is valuable information for coffee fans. Now for the last question of the day.
We are currently developing a new resin version of the ORIGAMI dripper.
What do you think about resin drippers?

I often use resin drippers, too.

Resin materials do not have high heat absorption properties and are therefore suitable for extraction at higher temperatures in the initial stage.

Porcelain drippers, on the other hand, absorb the temperature of hot water more slowly (compared to other materials) and then dissipate it more slowly, making them suitable for extracting coffee beans that do not require high temperatures in the early stages but need to be kept hotter for a longer time in the later stages.

Thus, since the material of the dripper affects the temperature of the hot water, it would be helpful to have a curve parameter comparison chart of the temperature change for each material published for reference when making a selection.

Thank you for your valuable input.We hope you will continue to patronize ORIGAMI.
We hope to see you at our plant in Japan after the Corona is settled.

By all means! I am looking forward to it.

PROFILE

UNiUNi (Nanjing, China)

Barista / Du Jianing


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