How to pair cold brew coffee with desserts? Start with the roasted taste

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The flavor of coffee varies depending on the processing method and roasting depth. How can it be best paired with snacks?

(Photo source: Happiness Culture)

The impact of coffee bean processing methods on flavor

Traditionally, the processing of raw beans after they are picked can be divided into two methods: sun drying (Natural) and washing (Washed) according to the local climate conditions. Simply put, places with little rainfall will use the sun drying method, and areas with frequent rain and unstable weather will use the washing method.

The water-washed method is soaked in a water tank and fermented by microorganisms (similar to making wet-fermented soy sauce), so the flavor is relatively refreshing, the fruit acid is relatively obvious, and the aroma is light. The sun-drying method is dried together with the peel and pulp, so the beans have more time to absorb nutrients, sugars and other substances in the peel and pulp, and are not soaked in too much water (similar to making dry-fermented soy sauce), so the fruit acid is not obvious compared to the water-washed method, the flavor is richer, and the aroma is more like a soy sauce.

The third method is the honey processing method. Its purpose is to produce a product that combines the clean taste of the washed method and the rich flavor of the sun-dried method. As long as it is not the traditional sun-dried or washed method, other processing methods are considered honey processing methods. The effect is roughly between sun-dried and washed, that is, cleaner than sun-dried and richer than washed.

(Photo source: Happiness Culture)

The effect of coffee bean roasting depth on flavor

Ice and hot coffee are extracted from roasted beans. The addition of roasting factors will change the flavor a little, but it will still follow the flavor direction of the raw bean variety and processing. However, roasting does not have much impact on Robusta coffee (editor's note: the name of the coffee variety), because the flavor of Robusta coffee is malty and grainy, not sour, but bitter; Robusta coffee beans will not be sour no matter how lightly roasted, but the darker the roasted Robusta beans, the more obvious the oiliness and body (editor's note: mellowness) will be, and the more intense the bitterness will be.

However, roasting will have a relatively large impact on the flavor of Arabica coffee. When Arabica coffee is lightly roasted, the aroma will emphasize floral and fruity notes, and the taste will emphasize the sweet and sour shock of fruit acid (the interactive taste of sweetness and sourness). If it is dark roasted, the floral aroma will become less obvious, and the fruity aroma will be retained, but the fruit acidity will also be reduced, and instead the bitterness will increase, and the body will be thicker than light roasting.

Since coffee beans are seeds, the oil in seeds is richer than other parts of the plant. Therefore, no matter which variety of coffee beans, the darker the roasting degree, the more oil will appear on the surface of the beans and in the taste.

Light roasted coffee has a lighter taste, a more juicy texture, more obvious fruit acidity, and a rising floral and fruity aroma, and does not smell like the coffee we imagine; dark roasted coffee has a heavier and richer taste, a deeper aroma, and smells closer to the "coffee flavor" we imagine.

The flavor of coffee interacting with factors such as origin, variety, processing and roasting is very complex, which is briefly summarized in the following chart.

(Photo source: Happiness Culture)

All coffee beans are suitable for cold brewing

The extraction temperature of cold brew coffee is not as high as that of hot coffee, so it is not easy to extract off-flavors and bitterness. Therefore, the cold brew method will faithfully reflect the post-processing method and roasting degree of the beans in the performance of the flavor. Therefore, any post-processing method or roasting degree of coffee beans can be chosen, but small molecule flavors are easy to dissipate. Therefore, although the cold-brewed coffee is stored in a low-temperature refrigerator, small molecule flavors such as floral aroma will become less obvious as the storage time increases.

The principles of cold brew coffee with snacks

If you want to have afternoon tea with dessert, whether it is light roasted, medium roasted or dark roasted cold brew coffee, it is a good choice to pair it with desserts containing milk or cream flavor, such as cheesecake, biscuits or chocolate. On the one hand, dairy products and coffee go well together, but on the other hand, eating too much dairy desserts usually makes you feel a little greasy. It would be very suitable to pair it with a cup of light roasted cold brew coffee with fruit acid.

(Photo source: Happiness Culture)

We have talked about how dark roasted coffee beans are more bitter than light roasted coffee beans, how the brightness of fruit acids in washed beans is more significant than in sun-dried beans, and how African Terroir beans have a rich fruity flavor. So here you can choose cold brew coffee made from light roasted, washed Ethiopian Yirga, or medium-light roasted, washed Kenyan coffee beans. The slightly sour taste can remove oil, relieve greasiness, and refresh the mind.

If you are pairing it with a sweeter dessert or one containing nuts, such as Turkish delight or Japanese wagashi, you can choose a more refreshing cold brew coffee. Therefore, ice brewed coffee with a tea bag or cold brew coffee that is quickly stirred and extracted for a short time has a watery, tea-like taste and is more suitable.

This article is excerpted from "Cold Brew Coffee Science", published by Xingfu Culture.