The origin of the taste of coffee (flavor and taste)

For those of you who love coffee, if you have drunk several different kinds of coffee, I think you may have some general understanding of the taste of coffee. Some coffee may be low, making people feel steady and rich, and some coffee is light, elegant and refreshing, while some coffee is mild, elegant and supple. These may be the attractions of coffee, but why can a coffee bean show such a taste? let's trace back to the "history" of coffee beans.

For most friends who like to drink coffee, they are expected to have more contact and know more about the last three steps in the process, that is, the roasted beans are ground into powder, and then brew the coffee in a corresponding way. In these steps, since what we get is already roasted coffee, what we can control the taste is the production itself, by adjusting the water temperature, the fineness of grinding, brewing and other production variables to get a cup of coffee.

So before you get the coffee, the coffee is baked by the roaster, and the rhythm, depth and utensils of the roast will also determine the taste of the coffee, but this is beyond the control of the maker. (if you are interested in the baking process, you can take a look at the article "what exactly is released in the coffee roaster?-- the roasting process of coffee beans (with video demonstration)" in this blog.

If the baker is a cook, then the raw material used by the "cook" is raw coffee beans. High-quality raw materials are naturally the basis of high-quality finished products, if the appearance, taste and freshness of the raw materials are not good, then it is hard to imagine that the food produced is an attractive feast.

The production process of this raw material is from coffee berries to coffee beans. The coffee green bean we see is actually the seed of the coffee tree, the bean in the coffee berry, so the process from berry to bean is the process of removing the skin and pulp and its appendages, and taking out the seed.

Generally speaking, if the pulp layer is removed effectively and properly, the coffee seeds will be clean, and the beans will taste clear when roasted, but can not be removed quickly, and some coffee berries may be left on the beans. If handled well, this will bring a hint of fruit to the baked coffee, but if it is not disposed of in time, the pulp will even be overfermented or even moldy. Then this bean will have a very bad smell and will no longer be a cup of coffee.

The traditional treatment methods have two kinds of water washing (wet-process) and solarization (dry-process) due to regional differences. The method of washing generally makes the coffee taste refreshing and sour, but it requires a lot of water resources and more steps, so the price is more expensive. Many African and South American countries use this method. On the other hand, the method of tanning is easier to operate, and the processed beans taste low, sometimes leaving some earthy or miscellaneous flavors. Some South American countries and Asia use this method to deal with coffee, such as Brazil and Indonesia. In the following articles, we will introduce the process of washing and sun treatment in depth.

Since water washing and solarization have their own advantages and disadvantages in the processing process, people later invented the treatment method of half-sun or half-water washing (semi-washed) by combining the two traditional methods. In Costa Rica, it is called honey process or Miel process, and in Indonesia it is called Giling Basah.

Finally, the source of a cup of coffee-coffee fruit, the environment in which it grows determines the flavor of the coffee. The soil, altitude, climate and microclimate where coffee trees grow all determine the flavor of coffee. Like the rice around us, the northeast rice, the soil is fertile, due to climatic conditions, can only be harvested once a year, but the rice is more flavor, more fragrant. The southern rice, although twice a year, or even more, but the taste of rice is flat, and the texture is not so close. The same is true of coffee beans. Coffee trees growing at high elevations are willing to mature slowly because of the temperature difference, but they can absorb more nutrients and form a flavor, while coffee grown on the plain can be ripe for more than a year and can be planted on a large scale. But the taste is greatly reduced.

In the whole coffee formation process, the first two steps, coffee berry growth and processing process determine the coffee flavor (flavor), the tone of this coffee is low and complex, or melodious frivolous, basically doomed in this link. The roasting of the coffee determines the taste of the coffee (taste). Whether the coffee is bitter, sour, or lingering, which is basically explained by the baker on the basis of the quality of the beans, the barista will adjust the variables in the production through the understanding of the beans themselves (including raw beans and roasting), properly present the coffee, and control the concentration at the same time.

Therefore, from the whole process above, we can see that the taste of a cup of coffee can not be determined by a single link, and only if each link is handled properly, can a cup of delicious, smooth and fragrant coffee appear in front of the coffee drinker. On the other hand, if any of the links are seriously inappropriate, it will completely destroy a cup of coffee.

In the end, a cup of sweet and memorable coffee will be cooked for you by coffee growers, bakers and barists. although they may have never met, they work together to bring you a cup of Ganqiong from heaven.