HOW TO BREW COFFEE WITH AN ORIGAMI DRIPPER

Light, delicate, and complex—using Origami Drippers and other Origami brewing essentials is our favourite way to brew filter coffee (also known as pour over coffee) in the cafés! Now, we’re extending that joy to you with an ultimate breakdown of how to brew coffee with Origami at home.

“Japanese artisans craft Origami equipment with the professional barista in mind.”

WHY USE ORIGAMI WHEN BREWING POUR OVER COFFEE?

We love using Origami at Stitch Coffee as the brewing equipment—especially the drippers—enhance the coffee-making ritual while highlighting a brew’s unique properties. Given Mino (Gifu prefecture) in Japan is famous for pioneering traditional washi paper, the name ‘Origami’ is a nod to both the region's historical roots and the brand's array of cutting-edge designs!

First and foremost, Japanese artisans craft Origami equipment with the professional barista in mind. Made with precision and passing through several quality control checks before landing on our shelves, every Origami piece is equal parts functional and sophisticated.

The Origami Dripper is a good example of this. Each dripper sports twenty ‘ribs’ (also called grooves/pleats), which create space between the dripper and paper filter during the pour over process. This space serves to even the heat distribution emanating from the pour, ensuring a smoother and consistent flow rate of water. All of which contributes to creating the perfect filter coffee.

ESSENTIAL ORIGAMI BREWING EQUIPMENT

To make filter coffee at home, you will need the following Origami equipment:

We retail our drippers in various sizes, colourways, and two materials: resin and porcelain! Resin drippers have the added benefits of being lightweight, impact-resistant, and better than porcelain at maintaining consistent temperature during the brewing process.

However, porcelain drippers are still quite lightweight and durable. Moreover, they are a beautiful product that makes brewing coffee a more aesthetic experience. Please note that while we retail Origami paper filters, any brand of paper filter works with Origami drippers.

You will also require some brew gear that you most likely already have at home! We have our favourite products listed below:

*Please note that you only require a grinder if you’re purchasing your coffee as whole beans. If you do not have a grinder at home, simply request online or in the cafés to have your beans ground for filter. If you are grinding at home, a medium grind size will likely be best for most single origin coffees.

Similarly, a gooseneck kettle or dosing cup can be easily substituted for a normal kettle and any measuring cup; these are simply our preferences when brewing pour over coffee at Stitch Coffee.

In particular, a gooseneck spout on a kettle pours water at a slower rate, giving the brewer time to saturate coffee grounds (or tea leaves; it’s multi-functional!) evenly. This makes for a more aromatic and consistent end result.

1. WEIGH OUT YOUR COFFEE:measure out fresh grounded coffee using scales and dosing cup according to instruction (listed on each coffee’s label and product page). As a general rule of thumb, you’re looking for a ratio of 1:17. That means one gram of coffee for every 17g of water poured in. Therefore, a brew using 20g of coffee will require 340g (or ml) of water during its second pour. A 340ml coffee extraction is a good serving size for two people.

2. SET UP YOUR EQUIPMENT: from the bottom up, you want to set up your scale, server, dripper holder, dripper, and then paper filter. You’ll also want to heat your kettle in preparation, aiming for a temperature that’s just off the boil (97°C–100°C).

3. WET THE PAPER FILTER: most pour over aficionados recommend wetting your paper filter (pouring hot water over the paper until completely saturated) before beginning the brewing process. Discard residual hot water from the server and reset your brewing equipment. The logic behind wetting the paper filter is to prevent any papery taste from tainting your final brew. In saying that, Origami filter papers have neutral/no taste and no additive flavours; so if you’re in a rush, feel free to skip this step.

4. COFFEE GOES IN: start by taring the scales before adding in your coffee grounds. Once the scales confirm that the correct amount of coffee is sitting in the wet paper filter, tare again!

Our baristas are constantly taring in the cafes as this lets us know that we’re measuring correctly and achieving the perfect brew. Also ensure that the coffee sits as an even bed in the filter before proceeding to the next step. You can achieve this by lightly tapping the sides of the dripper until the coffee falls into place.

5. FIRST POUR (BLOOM): using a circular motion, make the first pour! You want to add just enough water to cover the coffee inside the filter; this will look like 30g on the scale if you're following the 20g coffee rule of thumb. After pouring, give the dripper a little swirl in the holder before letting it sit for approximately 40 seconds. The purpose of this ‘bloom’ pour is to release carbon dioxide gas. Without a bloom pour, the gas may impart a sour taste in your final brew as well as interfere with the brewing process (carbon dioxide repels water).

6. SECOND POUR: using circular motions again, make the second final pour! You’ll know to stop pouring once the final extraction reaches 340g (or whatever your coffee recipe's 1:17 ratio is). Pouring in a circular motion allows the even bed of coffee grounds to stay intact, making for a balanced cup. Should the bed ever become dislodged during the pour over process, a quick swirl should settle everything back into place!

7. TIME TO SERVE: Once extraction is complete, it’s time to serve! Dismantle your pour over set up and pour the coffee from the server into your favourite cup! Origami sensory flavour cups are our favourite as they have a unique coke-bottle shape that ‘traps’ aroma inside the cup. This allows the drinkers to ruminate in the coffee’s delicious scent for longer, making for the most enjoyable sip!