Five key tips for brewing coffee! A must-read for beginners

Some of the coffee shops that line the streets focus on the interior environment or the decorations on the coffee, selling the overall atmosphere and style. However, beyond these decorations, boutique coffee has slowly risen based on simple taste. More and more people are tasting coffee itself, and many people are starting to get involved in hand brewing. How can beginners step into the world of hand brewing? How to judge the so-called good and bad? What principles are the popular scientific processes on the market based on? This article will analyze them one by one.

According to the standards of different associations, it can be found that coffee extraction is basically based on a tic-tac-toe specification, with the horizontal axis being the extraction rate and the vertical axis being the concentration. When the extraction rate is low, the sweet and sour taste is more obvious, and vice versa, the bitter taste is obvious. From the perspective of a fixed amount of powder, the concentration will also increase when the extraction rate is increased. In addition to the final contact time of water and powder, the factors that affect the extraction rate and concentration can also be discussed from the five points listed below. Under the interweaving of variables, the middle block is defined as good coffee, and which point in the chart is the 100-point red heart varies from person to person. The sourness, bitterness, and intensity of each person's taste senses are different, and preferences are also different. Therefore, remember the taste you love, adjust towards the goal, and have a stable quality is the foundation of successful coffee.

Grinding degree and uniformity

In order to brew good coffee in a fresh state, most people will grind it into powder before brewing. Some people like the convenience of automatic, while others like the feeling of grinding by hand. Regardless of which type, the particle size can be adjusted. The quality of the machine depends on whether it can grind out a uniform size rather than the finer the better. If the particles are too coarse, the surface area of ​​the powder in contact is small, which will cause insufficient extraction and waste of powder, and the taste is thin and the concentration is low. If the particles are too fine, the contact surface area is large, and the flow rate of the water passing through will also slow down. If there are more extracted ingredients, it is easy to produce bitterness. If it is smaller than the pore size of the filter, it may overflow and affect the taste.

How to adjust the coarseness will vary depending on the extraction method, and a specific extraction rate can be achieved by matching time. For longer extraction times such as French press, coarse grinding can be used to slow down the extraction. Conversely, for shorter extraction times such as espresso machines, fine grinding can be used to bring out the flavor.

Powder-water ratio

It is a basic reflex that the more powder, the higher the concentration. However, for coffee, the amount of powder will also cause differences in taste such as sourness, sweetness and bitterness due to different extraction degrees. Therefore, a more specific statement is that if you want to maintain the same extraction degree and control the taste of sourness, sweetness and bitterness, more powder will take more time to extract and the concentration will also increase. Conversely, less powder will result in lower concentration.

The coffee powder to water ratio mentioned in the Golden Cup theory is the amount of coffee powder to the total amount of water rather than the total amount of extraction. The ratio of coffee powder to water is 1:10-1:20, and 1:12-1:15 is more likely to fall into the defined golden zone, that is, one gram of coffee powder to 12 to 15 grams of water. When coffee is extracted, the water-soluble substances in the powder are dissolved into the water. If 1 gram of substances is precipitated from 10 grams of coffee powder, it means that the extraction rate is 10%. If the extraction rate reaches 18-22%, the dissolved substances account for 1.15% to 1.45% of the coffee liquid, which is the appropriate concentration control. When the brewing time is fixed, the coffee with a high coffee powder to water ratio will tend to be rich and sweet and sour, while the coffee with a low coffee powder to water ratio will tend to be bitter and light due to the high extraction rate. It can be clearly seen that the concentration and taste affect each other, so when making adjustments, other factors such as time or grinding degree should also be taken into consideration. Each link complements each other, and only then can another dimension of adjustment be found in the linear relationship between concentration and taste.

For example, if the sour, sweet and bitter taste brought out by the extraction degree is what you like but the concentration is low, if you simply increase the amount of powder, it may not only increase the concentration but also cause a decrease in the extraction degree. At this time, you may need to extend the soaking time to meet your needs.

Temperature and coffee beans

There are a wide variety of beans on the market from different origins and with different roasting methods. The types and names of the beans in each store are different, but there will be basic classifications, from light roasted, light medium roasted, medium roasted, deep medium roasted to deep roasted and other different degrees of cutting. Simply put, light roasted is sour, but has more fruity and floral aromas to guide the taste buds, while dark roasted is bitter and has a heavier taste, with the taste of caramel or cocoa. In addition to the name, the store will attach a simple label and introduction to make it easier for buyers to imagine.

The main thing to do in temperature control is to achieve consistency. The recommended water temperature for hand-brewed coffee is around 90 degrees. The temperature for shallow brewing will be higher to increase the extraction degree, while the temperature for deep brewing can be lowered to a lower range between 80 and 90 degrees to avoid excessive extraction rate and excessive release of bitterness. Use temperature to control the speed of extraction and brew the flavor appropriately.

Extraction method

There are different ways to extract the aroma and taste of coffee, relying on temperature, pressure or time to achieve the effect. Different matching designs are produced based on these methods, and there are different choices based on region or personal preference. The moka pot commonly seen in Italy, the unique heating method of Turkish coffee, in addition to siphon type, French press, etc. The most common and easiest to get is the hand-brew combination, the choice of hand-brew pot, filter cup, bottom pot and other equipment, different schools and techniques, how to control the water flow, how to create disturbances, there is flexibility in change, and a sense of superiority in control, which brings a lot of discussion, exchange and learning challenges to coffee lovers, and is very suitable for in-depth discussion.

water

The last item is water. Water accounts for nearly 100% of the finished coffee. Indirect products such as planting and breeding all emphasize the importance of water quality, not to mention coffee. Different origins and different degrees of filtration have a deeper impact on the seemingly transparent and pure base. Less is more. The simpler and more prominent it is, the more complicated it is. Some people emphasize RO reverse osmosis water, some distilled water, or spring water. The hardness of water and the amount of minerals it contains are also the focus of coffee researchers. Water that is suitable for drinking and contains trace minerals is also a good helper to bring into beverages, which can bring out the flavor of coffee.

From the article, we can find that there are too many variables and they are closely linked. To make precise calculations, we need to design complex algorithms and then integrate personalized customization elements. The complexity is unimaginable. A little more, a little less, the changes caused by the slight difference can only be understood but not described. The most important thing is to do it yourself. After trying and feeling it yourself, you can discover the fun and create your own taste feast.

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