「From Crop to Cup」What factors affect the taste of coffee?

Did you know that the same type of coffee beans from the same bag can taste different before and after a cup of coffee due to various factors?

The flavor of a cup of coffee is influenced by about 60% of the raw beans, 30% by roasting, and 10% by production. Of course, this is a rough analysis. Specialty coffee often mentions "from crop to cup", which means "from seed to cup". From planting to producing a cup of coffee, the life of coffee beans is so long that it is conceivable that the factors that affect the taste of coffee are infinitely subtle.

We often use our sense of smell and taste to judge the aroma and sweetness of coffee, as the main basis for judging whether a cup of coffee is delicious and mellow, but in fact we often ignore the influence of "body" on a cup of coffee. So, today we will explore what factors affect the taste of coffee.

Coffee bean varieties

The first thing that affects the taste of coffee is the variety. Basically, coffee is divided into three major varieties: Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica, and there are hundreds of smaller varieties.

Arabica accounts for about 60% of the world's coffee production and is also one of the more difficult varieties to grow. However, due to its excellent aroma, balanced taste, and relatively low caffeine content, it still accounts for the largest amount even though it is not easy to cultivate.

Robusta accounts for 40% of the world's coffee production. It is resistant to high temperatures, cold, moisture, drought, and even mold. Unfortunately, the coffee beans have poor aroma, strong bitterness, insufficient acidity, and high caffeine content. They are mostly used for mixed blends or instant coffee.

Liberica accounts for 1% of the world's coffee production. It is resistant to high and low temperatures, humidity, dryness, and has strong fertility, but has poor flavor and is prone to leaf rust, making it difficult to survive in the market. It is generally used in research and cannot be planted and produced in large quantities. It can be dark roasted to cover up flavor problems or added with creamer to enhance the flavor, which is two-in-one coffee or three-in-one coffee.

Geographical and climatic factors of coffee beans

The second factor that affects the taste of coffee is the geographical climate, including soil, precipitation, humidity, temperature, and special environmental factors. Generally speaking, sandy soil with good drainage is good for coffee growth, and volcanic soil rich in nutrients is the best condition. The suitable temperature for coffee growth is generally maintained at an average of 20-30 degrees per year. Conversely, frost weather below 0 degrees is a devastating blow to coffee growth. In addition, sufficient sunlight and timely and appropriate precipitation also have a great impact on the development of coffee fruits.

Coffee bean cultivation and processing

In addition to the origin, the method of coffee bean cultivation and the process of coffee bean picking are also important factors that affect the taste of coffee. Sometimes, a good coffee tree may produce bad beans. The processing process of coffee beans after harvest is equally important. Common processing methods are: washing, sun drying and honey processing. Sun-dried coffee beans are rich in fruity aroma, sweet aftertaste, and high in alcohol; washed coffee beans have fruity or floral aroma, higher acidity, and lower alcohol; honey-processed coffee beans have a sweeter aftertaste, delicate fruity aroma, and medium alcohol.

Freshness of green coffee beans

Generally, coffee beans are divided into "new crop" and "old crop" according to the year they are harvested. Although newly harvested coffee beans tend to show excessive astringency and sourness, new beans have a more refreshing acidity and richer taste than "old crop" beans that are more than one year old. As long as they are roasted properly, you can get the rich taste of coffee. In addition, coffee beans are the fruit of a plant, so it is normal to have acidity, but if you drink a strange sour taste, it is likely that the coffee is not roasted well. You may want to split the coffee beans to see if they are evenly ripened.

Coffee Bean Roasting Process

The roasting process basically accounts for 30% of the coffee flavor, which is indeed crucial. Not to mention the complexity and subtlety of roasting technology, even the same bean will show completely different flavors at different roasting degrees. In addition, freshness is the life of coffee beans. Real boutique coffee must be fresh. Generally, the beans enter their best flavor period three to seven days after roasting. If properly stored, they can be used within a month. However, the aroma of coffee is always volatile. Beans that are more than one month old have basically lost most of their aroma, and only some bitterness and miscellaneous flavors remain.

Coffee bean grinding process

The key to brewing delicious coffee is to properly extract the various components of the beans. The finer the coffee beans are ground, the larger the surface area of ​​the beans, the more components are extracted, and the bitterness becomes stronger. On the contrary, the coarser the coffee beans are ground, the lighter the concentration of the coffee will be, the less bitter it will be, and the acidity will become more obvious instead; it is not only important to adjust the coarseness of the coffee powder, but also to grind it evenly as a whole. If fine powder is produced during grinding, the coffee will easily have a bitter taste, so the key point of choosing a grinder is to choose a model that is least likely to produce fine powder and least likely to produce friction heat that damages the taste and aroma.

Coffee taste preferences

The understanding of the taste of coffee and personal physical qualities will subjectively affect the evaluation of the taste of a cup of coffee.

Water for brewing

The effects of water quality on coffee can be divided into four categories:

(1) Water pH: Coffee is a weakly acidic beverage with a pH value between 5 and 6. If you use water with a pH value above 6 to brew coffee, the pH value will increase and the acidity of the coffee will be reduced. The higher the pH value, the greater the effect of reducing the sourness.

(2) Soluble substances in water. The higher the ppm value, the more soluble substances there are in the water, so the coffee extraction rate will be lower. On the contrary, the lower the ppm value, the less soluble substances there are in the water, so the coffee extraction rate will be higher.

(3) The hardness of water (calcium and magnesium ion content) has a great impact on coffee. Soft water has a softer taste, and the coffee brewed with it is also rounder and softer, which will increase the sweetness of the coffee to a certain extent, but the sweetness is often not as high as that brewed with hard water.

(4) Water temperature. Generally, the water temperature suitable for brewing coffee is between 88 and 92 degrees Celsius (depending on the roaster and personal preference). If the water temperature is too low, the flavor of the coffee will not be apparent. If the temperature is too high, the coffee will tend to be bitter.

Brewing process

Although it only accounts for a tiny 10%, this factor is at the bottleneck position, so if it is produced properly, the previous 90% can be more perfect, while improper production can completely ruin the long list of previous efforts.

Basically, the process before coffee becomes raw beans is beyond our control, but we can study and handle the subsequent roasting and brewing. If you are interested, you might as well find a roaster who can match or roast beans for you. It will be very fulfilling to have him participate in your coffee life from selecting beans to making your own coffee.

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