What is good coffee? - Yirgacheffe

Hello everyone, Coffee Fat is here to meet you again as scheduled!

Today, I’m here to continue telling you what good coffee is!

Many people have asked me what is good coffee. The answer I once gave was: " The coffee you like is good coffee ." Many people told me: " Your answer is too smooth ." But facing the reality of verbal battles, I really don't dare to introduce a so-called good coffee to everyone. Today, Coffee Fat will officially launch a series - " What is good coffee "

First of all, let's talk about a major premise. Maybe many people will refute it, but since we are going to write it, it is better to make it clear. That is, if you want to define the quality of coffee, the major premise is - don't drink instant coffee!!!

As for why, I have talked about this issue many times when answering other people's questions. Instant coffee, regardless of the quality of its raw materials, many of its pleasing flavors, such as silky milky aroma and sweet taste, are produced by factories to cater to the taste standards of the public. The reason is very simple, just like KFC and McDonald's, I believe that even those who say how unhealthy they are must admit that their taste and mouthfeel are very delicious. The same is true for instant coffee. I have to admit that among those who like to drink coffee, the vast majority of people actually prefer the sweet and silky taste brought by instant coffee. Rather than tasting the mellowness of a cup of coffee. Because most of the aroma of coffee has been covered by this innate preference. And the production of this flavor is what we know as synthetic (tian) synthesis (jia) things (ji).

Next, let’s talk about another element that good coffee needs to have - flavors other than bitterness.

Many people always say "This coffee is so bitter!" when they drink freshly ground Arabica coffee for the first time. Yes, people who don't often drink black coffee are quite sensitive to the bitter taste. This ability is also innate! Science shows that in the process of human evolution, we use tongue tasting to distinguish whether food is poisonous. The conclusion shows that toxic substances often taste bitter. Therefore, when there is 0.5g of bitter substances in every 100ml of water, our taste buds will capture such signals and transmit them to our brain. And our definition of non-toxic food is often sweet, so when more than 5g of sugar is added to 100ml of water solution, normal people will perceive sweetness. Therefore, even if it is the best coffee, the first reaction people will feel when they try it for the first time is bitter! This is not surprising. However, in order to distinguish the quality of a coffee, the standard we have to judge is sweetness. But for people who have not undergone a lot of training, this sweetness is often not felt. Therefore, I define this judgment standard as - other tastes except bitterness.

Generally speaking, there are only two types of coffee. One is the Robusta bean variety . The taste of this type of coffee is particularly easy to distinguish, that is - "bitter". Apart from this taste, there is basically no other taste. The other type of coffee is the Arabica bean variety . In addition to the bitter taste of this type of coffee, you will also taste other flavors besides bitterness when you taste it carefully. Of course, this is also collectively referred to as flavor .

If there is anything that can make people taste other flavors when they first take a sip of coffee, I think Yirgacheffe is probably the best example. When many people drink Yirgacheffe for the first time, they usually taste a little bit of sourness in addition to bitterness. And this little bit of sourness just proves my point. It's just that in Chinese food culture, sourness may be another taste that people don't like very much after bitterness. But it should be noted here that this sourness is not the acetic acid we usually come into contact with. It is a taste similar to fruit acid. If you want to describe it, its sourness will be closer to yellow lemons, or green apples, and the sourness and sweetness of green plums. So, this is why I wrote " Yirgacheffe " in the first article.

If other flavors besides bitterness can represent the quality of a cup of coffee, I think this may be why I choose Yirgacheffe as the beginning of good coffee.

Yirgacheffe, if you are a young person who likes to drink ground coffee, I think you must have heard of this name. It is produced in Ethiopia in northern Africa. This name is just for the convenience of us to remember this Arabica coffee and distinguish its taste. In fact, in the local area, this kind of coffee has only one name, that is - Arabica .

When it comes to Yirgacheffe, acid is its typical characteristic. However, in addition to the taste, it is also worth mentioning its processing method. In fact, there are many ways to process coffee. Different processing methods also bring different tastes and flavors to coffee. For example, the citric acid we just mentioned, this pure fruit acidity, is usually brought by the washed processing method. When the coffee beans are mechanically peeled and transferred to the fermentation tank for fermentation, its other impurities are processed cleanly. Its most authentic taste is retained. After the washed Yirgacheffe is completely processed, you can not only feel the sourness of lemon in the coffee, but also the faint aroma of jasmine. These are the special flavors brought by this coffee variety grown in the mountains of northern Ethiopia.

The reason why Yirgacheffe is admired and loved is not only because of the cleanliness and purity brought by the washing process. I think it also comes from the wildness and boldness of the sun-drying process! The dry and hot climate in Africa makes the people there have black skin that is naturally resistant to ultraviolet rays. The original coffee processing method also brings an unexpected specialness to coffee. The ripe coffee beans are picked and spread on an open space similar to a threshing floor, so that the sun can fully expose the coffee, and the excess water is taken away with the heat. The sugar produced on the skin is precipitated in the coffee beans as it dries. After being roasted, the acidity of the sun-dried Yirgacheffe is not so pure, but instead becomes an aroma similar to red wine. The taste makes everyone who has drunk it amazed and intoxicated!