Is it okay to brew coffee beans directly? What is the reason?

The feasibility and reasons of brewing coffee beans directly

Coffee is a must-have drink for many people every morning, and coffee beans are the main raw material for making coffee. Usually, we mix ground coffee with water and make delicious coffee by drip, pressure or immersion. However, some people may wonder if it is possible to brew coffee directly from unprocessed coffee beans. This article will explore this question and explain why brewing coffee with whole coffee beans may not be feasible.

1. Raw material processing

First of all, you need to understand that in the production process, unprocessed whole coffee beans are generally called "green beans". These green beans need to go through a series of processing steps to become finished products suitable for brewing and eating.

The first step is to remove the outer skin and pulp. This process usually involves washing, peeling and fermenting the whole cherry fruit.

Then, after removing the outer layer, the pectin inside needs to be removed. This step is called "washing" or "wet processing", and the pectin is separated by soaking and stirring the coffee beans.

Finally, the coffee beans need to be roasted. During the roasting process, the green beans are subjected to high temperatures, which evaporates the moisture inside and produces a special aroma and flavor.

2. Caffeine Extraction

In the normal coffee brewing process, we use ground coffee powder. This finely divided particle can better contact with water and release the aroma, oil and dissolved substances contained in the coffee.

In contrast, the surface area of ​​whole unprocessed coffee beans is small, and the outer skin and inner pulp will prevent water from entering the beans. Therefore, it is difficult to fully extract all the aroma and dissolved substances when brewing directly with whole unprocessed coffee beans.

3. Taste and flavor

Another issue is that brewing coffee directly from whole beans may produce an undesirable taste and flavor. The grinding process can be adjusted according to personal preference, from coarse to fine, to suit different brewing methods and equipment.

With whole coffee beans, you can’t control particle size, which can cause some issues during brewing. For example, if the beans are too big or too small, the water flow often can’t pass through them evenly, and can result in uneven extraction or over-extraction.

Additionally, there are internal gases present in unprocessed coffee beans. When these gases are released, they can negatively affect the taste and make the coffee more bitter or acidic.

4. Conclusion

In summary, under normal circumstances, we do not recommend using unprocessed coffee beans to brew coffee. There are certain problems in raw material processing, extraction effect, taste and flavor.

However, some people think that using whole unprocessed coffee beans can bring a more original and unique coffee experience. It depends on personal taste preference and understanding of coffee. If you are interested in trying new things, you might as well give it a try, and you may find something unexpected.

In short, although it may not be feasible to brew coffee directly from whole, unprocessed coffee beans, it does not affect our enjoyment of delicious coffee. Choosing the grind size that suits your taste and equipment, and using the correct brewing method, can help us make a satisfying cup.