Taking hand brewing as an example—how to brew a cup of coffee beans that you've never tried before, I believe there are two key elements:
- Bean information
- Bean condition
Bean Information#
A bag of roasted coffee beans usually contains relevant information about the coffee beans on its packaging. Taking this particular one as an example.
This is an Arabica bean originating from Bali's Pupuan, processed by sun-drying, at an altitude of 1200-1300 meters, with flavor descriptions of: berries, bananas, peaches. The MIX in the bean variety information means it is a mixed planting and mixed harvest, rather than a single bean variety, such as Typica or Catimor. The roast level is light-medium.
It sounds complicated, and a lot of information may not be friendly to beginners. From a personal perspective, there are three points worth paying attention to:
- Altitude
- Processing method
- Roast level
Regarding altitude, you can remember one formula: the higher the altitude, the higher the acidity, the more complex the flavor, leaning towards tropical fruits, floral notes, and wine aromas; the lower the altitude, the more full-bodied, lower acidity, with flavors leaning towards cocoa, nuts, wood, or earth.
An altitude of 1200-1300 meters is considered medium altitude in coffee growing environments, with a balanced flavor profile, moderate acidity and sweetness, possibly accompanied by floral notes.
However, altitude is not the only factor determining flavor; bean variety, processing method, roast level, extraction method, etc., will all affect the flavor profile of the coffee. At the same altitude, washed coffee beans have a clean flavor with brighter acidity, while sun-dried beans exhibit rich fruit and wine aromas.
Returning to this bag of beans, as a sun-dried, medium altitude, light-medium roasted coffee bean, we can roughly conclude that this is a coffee bean with a rich aroma, noticeable acidity, and a fruity flavor profile. Additionally, this is a bag of beans that has been roasted for over a month, meaning there are no issues with degassing, but it may not be fresh.
Bean Condition#
Degassing generally refers to the process of roasted coffee beans releasing carbon dioxide. There are many methods to accelerate carbon dioxide release, and as a coffee bean that has been roasted for over a month, we can rule out the issue of carbon dioxide residue, meaning the first stage of "blooming" in hand brewing needs to be adjusted. The focus should be more on extracting the flavor compounds from the coffee beans themselves.
At the same time that carbon dioxide is released, the flavor compounds of the coffee beans themselves will also diminish. As a coffee bean that has been roasted for over a month, if I want to taste its origin flavor as much as possible, using high temperature and fine grind can extract more of the front-end flavors of the coffee beans, making its aroma and acidity more pronounced. Then, adjust the water to rebalance the taste.
Taking 15g of coffee grounds as an example, with water at 92℃, in the first stage, pour water in a circular motion directly to 120g, wait for the drip to finish, then pour water evenly at the center with 80g, for a total water amount of 200g, ending extraction at this point. Subsequently, additional water can be poured to balance the taste based on the first flavor, keeping the total water amount within the range of 1:14 to 1:16.
Conclusion#
For a long time, I haven't had the opportunity to work with roasted coffee beans. As someone who drinks a cup of coffee every day, my source of caffeine comes from purchasing green coffee beans online and roasting them myself. Due to relatively primitive equipment and methods, I have experience but find it difficult to summarize universally applicable insights. Mature, commercial roasted coffee beans have a traceable path, with controllable roasting and professional cupping translating into readable bean information, providing a framework and ideas to work with.