Why pick defective beans? What kind of coffee flavor will defective beans bring?

Professional coffee knowledge exchange More coffee bean information Please pay attention to coffee workshop (Weixin Official Accounts cafe_style)

Coffee is a crop, so raw coffee beans, naturally there may be many different defects, I believe you ask any producer or roaster, will tell you like this. Fortunately, these flaws can be identified with the naked eye, so as long as the roaster has enough experience, it is not too difficult to notice coffee beans with bad characteristics and remove them before serving.

Multiple central fractures

As the name suggests, these beans are spoiled by excessive fermentation during processing. It looks a bit rotten and has a tobacco-like color. One or two of these problematic beans are enough to ruin a cup of coffee because they have a strong rancid and sour taste. Even beans that are only slightly overfermented already have a distinct onion flavor.

diseased bean

Common coffee tree diseases include coffee berry disease and leaf rust. The fruits of diseased coffee trees are mostly stunted and dark in color. If coffee berries are picked carelessly or indiscriminately by machines, diseased berries and green beans can mix with normal, healthy coffee, potentially spreading disease.

The more you understand the flaws in raw beans, the more you know what steps to take to solve, prevent, and avoid them. Analyzing raw beans is one of many quality control measures in the specialty coffee industry. The better the cooperation between coffee producers and roasters, the less likely these defects will occur. It is also important to understand coffee growing areas and their environment, climate, changes, etc. Some regions may have just experienced drought, while another region is experiencing heavy rains, or coffee from some producing countries may be particularly vulnerable to coffee leaf rust or berry rot. The point is, as a baker, the more up-to-date and informative you are, the better able you are to make informed decisions about buying raw beans.

Usually at Front Street Coffee, we pick the defective beans at least three times, once before roasting, once after roasting and once before brewing.