What are the key factors that determine coffee quality?

Whether in the morning or afternoon, more and more office workers have a cup of coffee in their hands. However, have you gradually ignored the quality of coffee in your busy schedule? So, what are the key factors that determine the quality of coffee?

1. Freshness

There are four major factors that affect the freshness of coffee beans: light, oxygen, temperature, and humidity. Therefore, storing coffee in a cool, dry, light-proof, heat-insulated, moisture-proof, and away from strong odors environment can effectively maintain the quality of the coffee.

The advantage of coffee powder is convenience. Especially if you always oversleep in the morning and don’t have time to grind the coffee slowly, coffee powder allows you to quickly enjoy a cup of good coffee.

But roasted coffee is very easy to deteriorate. Even if it is fresh out of the oven, after it is ground into powder, its contact surface with the air increases greatly, and it oxidizes very quickly, and the freshness of the coffee will be lost immediately, and the original mellow flavor of the coffee will gradually disappear. The flavor of freshly roasted coffee beans will change completely within two or three days after they are ground into powder.

So, if you don't just want to drink a caffeinated beverage, but want to taste the aromatic coffee that represents the true spirit of coffee, it is recommended not to buy coffee powder directly, unless you consume it quickly within a day or two. Otherwise, buy coffee beans and a grinder, and grind the beans before brewing.

2. Grinding

Good coffee grinding is important. Coffee starts to lose its aroma and flavor immediately after it is ground. The best coffee flavor is when it is ground and prepared immediately before brewing.

The most common reason for bad brewed coffee is that the grind is too fine. Unless you are making Turkish coffee, the grounds should never look like mud after brewing. Most filter extraction devices are suitable for a grind size of fine sugar. If it takes more than a minute for the water to flow out after you have poured it in, then it proves that the coffee grind is too fine and the filter holes are blocked.

The degree of grinding must match the brewing method to ensure accurate brewing time. The degree of grinding that is roughly the same size as the sugar particles is the most widely applicable degree of grinding. You can use your fingers to rub the sugar particles and coffee powder particles to compare.

In addition, most professional coffee lovers like to pursue expensive grinders, but in fact, ordinary people only need a medium-priced electric grinder for daily use. In addition, expensive grinders are often very picky about coffee beans and are best suited to the application. Don't forget to turn on the grinder first and then add the beans during the grinding process, because this can reduce the coffee fines generated by the instantaneous torque and avoid bean jams.

3. Equipment cleanliness

No matter how good the grinder is, there will be residual coffee powder when grinding, and the residual coffee powder will affect the quality of the coffee you grind next time. The natural oils and fine particles in the coffee will stick to the equipment. If you are grinding beans A now, the next time you grind beans B, the coffee powder of A will be mixed in. This will affect the original quality of the coffee. Therefore, you can prepare a small amount of beans B before grinding beans B to "clean" the grinder.

You can also purchase a brush or blower to do basic cleaning and maintenance. Disassembly for cleaning is not recommended, as it may not be able to be reassembled and the original warranty may be voided.

4. Water quality

98-99% of coffee is water, which means that the chemical composition of water will have a great impact on the taste of coffee. Therefore, the water used to brew coffee must be neutral, the temperature and amount must be just right, and the water used to brew coffee must not have any odor.

If your water is too hard, too much high carbohydrates will mask most of the coffee acidity, and the coffee will easily become bitter and bland in flavor; if your water is too soft (less than 100ppm), the coffee may be too acidic and stimulating.

The best solution is to buy a water purifier, water softener, or bottled mineral water, but not all mineral water is suitable... It should be noted that soft water or distilled water may not produce enough extraction power to extract the flavor of coffee - the minerals in the water, especially the perfect ratio of calcium and magnesium, are very important. Mineral water rich in magnesium and calcium minerals is sometimes more suitable for brewing sweet coffee.

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