Is it right to choose expensive coffee beans? Actually, the secret lies in this

More and more people like coffee, but they are a little confused when choosing coffee beans. They don’t know which coffee beans are of good quality and taste. Some people simply judge based on the price, thinking that the more expensive the price, the better the quality.

Are expensive coffee beans really better?

In essence, coffee is an agricultural product. Like many foods, its taste will gradually change over time. For coffee lovers, when should a bag of beans be drunk to taste the best? Most of them will also add a "tasting period" recommendation.

So, how should we determine the shelf life of coffee?

Why does coffee have a shelf life?

The freshly roasted beans have a "dry feeling", which is mainly manifested in the sharp sour taste, which is not round enough, the sweetness has not reached a good state, and there is a slight astringency lingering in the mouth.

The baking process is a complex chemical and physical reaction process, and there are variables that we do not understand, but the dry feeling is a real taste.

Each kilogram of coffee beans, in an unsaturated environment, will release about 6 to 10 liters of carbon dioxide, equivalent to 1% to 1.2% of the total weight of the beans. Thirty-five percent of this is emitted three days after roasting. The same amount of aromatic volatiles (flavor ≠ aroma) are then emitted along with the carbon dioxide.

Therefore, brewing coffee beans immediately after roasting will not produce good flavor.

After coffee is bagged, although it is isolated from the outside air, it will continue to react chemically with the air in the bag, for example:

The chlorogenic acid and oxygen in the coffee produce chemical changes, releasing the fragrance of the coffee beans. The coffee beans will continue to emit nitrogen dioxide (exhaust) for about 48 hours after they are roasted. Therefore, the aroma and taste of the coffee will change over time.

Most single-origin coffee beans begin to lose their aroma after one month (for example, Butterfly has a floral aroma, Yirgacheffe has a fruity aroma), and the fruity aroma is one of the charms of single-origin coffee.

So what is bean farming?

The so-called coffee bean cultivation is actually a process of releasing gas. Freshly roasted coffee undergoes drastic chemical changes, and roasted coffee beans will release a large amount of nitrogen dioxide. These gases will affect the contact between coffee powder and water during brewing, and if brewed immediately, it will affect the flavor of the coffee.

Therefore, bean cultivation is an inevitable process.

What is the use of growing beans?

Although the flavor composition of roasted coffee beans is roughly determined, many people attribute the change in flavor of coffee beans to the fact that coffee beans change every day.

In fact, everything will deteriorate slightly after oxidation, affecting the taste. You may not have such a delicate taste sensation on fruits, but you can clearly feel the change in taste of coffee.

Don’t think that coffee bean cultivation is unimportant. Coffee that is not cultivated well will have an unclean taste.

▆ If the roasting time is too short, the flavor of the coffee will be incomplete and it will be difficult to brew, which cannot be considered a good roast;

▆ If the food is kept for too long, it will definitely affect the maintenance of freshness from the perspective of freshness, resulting in the risk of staleness being pushed to consumers, which is certainly not good.

How to grow beans?

How to grow beans: Keep unopened coffee beans in a cool, dry, dark, and odor-free environment. After the bean growing period, cover the one-way exhaust valve (use transparent tape).

According to most experts, it is best to wait more than 6 hours for coffee extracted without a pressure device (such as hand-brewed coffee) (cupping requires 8-12 hours), and Espresso coffee requires more than 5 days.

The degassing of coffee beans only begins three hours after roasting. Coffee beans that do not release any carbon dioxide will have a very unstable taste after brewing.

If you have ever poured hot water into freshly roasted and ground coffee powder, or used it to make a cup of espresso, you will find that the taste is very sharp and stimulating, with over-extracted bitterness and obvious acidity. It will be difficult for you to associate it with the smooth and sweet taste.

Therefore, in any case, time is absolutely necessary for coffee to release carbon dioxide and stabilize its taste.

What is the best way to brew coffee at different growing stages?

To bring out the best flavor of coffee beans, you must calibrate and confirm the coffee grinding coarseness and adjust the amount of powder used. The longer the beans are stored, the more holes they will have, and when you grind these coffee beans, they will be easier to break.

At the same time, the weakening of the exhaust reaction makes it easier for water to contact the coffee powder for extraction, and hot water can dissolve substances more easily.

Therefore, generally speaking, the longer the beans have been stored, the more careful you should be about over-extraction. You can try lowering the water temperature, coarsening the grind, reducing the extraction time, and reducing stirring to achieve a balanced extraction.

The best time to enjoy coffee

It takes 15 to 30 days from the time the coffee is roasted. Some coffees can be extended to about 45 days under proper storage conditions. Therefore, the "expiration" we mentioned is generally based on 30 days. At this time, the exhaust of the coffee beans has basically disappeared, and the coffee beans of medium-dark roasting to dark roasting will slightly "exude oil".

However, if improper storage causes the coffee to become severely oily or smell only of wood, it means that the coffee beans are no longer suitable for tasting.

Beans that have passed their best-seller period = not fresh, not only do they lose their good flavor, but they also produce bad flavors. Although there is no specific statement about the current specialty coffee, it has generally been determined that the roasting of specialty coffee is between medium-light and medium-dark, and more than 80% of them are medium-light or medium roasted, and there is no Japanese roasting.

Because the heavier the roast (the longer the roasting time and the higher the temperature), the shorter the shelf life; medium-light or medium-roasted, which is what many people call the floral, fruity, nutty, chocolate, cream, etc. flavors, will lose their aroma over time.

Fresh coffee lasts two to three weeks

Freshly roasted coffee will maintain its peak flavor for about two to three weeks. Once roasted, the beans will need several days to release the gases (carbon dioxide) before they can be brewed and consumed.

About a week after roasting, the coffee flavor reaches its peak. The aroma and flavor of the brewed coffee are the strongest, and it also shows the best body and acidity of the coffee.

But once it's been sitting for more than a few weeks, most coffee will no longer be fresh.

suggestion:

▆ It is recommended to buy about 2 weeks’ worth of coffee beans at a time. It is also recommended to use up the coffee beans stored indoors within 2 weeks as this is when the flavor is the best and most fragrant.

▆ Buy freshly roasted coffee. If possible, buy roasted beans and grind them yourself. No matter how good the coffee is, don’t stock up. Just buy enough for a month. It’s best to buy drip coffee for 15 days and buy more after you finish it.

Things to note when buying coffee beans

A. Origin

On the Internet, some stores may use coffee beans that are not from the origin. For example, some Blue Mountain coffees are not produced in Jamaica. There are also bags that only say Colombia or Brazil, but no specific information about the estate. Usually, they are coffee beans from major producing areas. Coffees from origin are also divided into commercial and boutique grades.

Therefore, not all beans labeled Ethiopia are fine beans. It is best to be able to trace the specific production area. Beans that can be traced back to their place of origin are usually not too bad. If you are not very picky, it is okay to taste beans from different origins.

B. Packaging date (baking date)

Pay attention to whether the packaging date is recent. Generally, the shelf life of green coffee beans is one to two years, and the shelf life of roasted beans is within two months. Therefore, you should choose freshly roasted coffee beans and use them up within the shelf life after purchase. Only in this way can you enjoy the most charming aroma and rich taste of coffee.

Freshly roasted coffee beans contain a lot of gas and have active respiration. During extraction, the gas in the beans is released, and what we see are beautiful and plump bubbles. However, for some lighter roasted beans, the bubbles are not so obvious.

C. Stores and brands

Some coffees may be mixed with other types of coffee to reduce costs, such as mixing cheaper coffee beans with more expensive coffee beans, or mixing coffee beans of the same variety but poor quality with good quality coffee beans, which will seriously affect the taste of the coffee.

Therefore, when buying coffee beans, try to choose a guaranteed store or brand. The home-roasted beans that are popular in China will be fresher than the beans bought in the supermarket. Choose a coffee shop you can trust.

Other factors that affect coffee taste

Many people wonder why the drink tastes good when they try it on site, but tastes bad when they cook it at home. This is probably due to the following factors:

▆ The particle homogeneity of home grinders and commercial grinders is different in terms of uniformity and coarseness;

▆ The water quality used by some coffee shops may be relatively better than the tap water at home;

▆ For hand-brewed coffee, the material of the filter cup, the material of the hand-brew pot, etc. will have some impact.