Is caffeine the source of coffee bitterness? The bitterness of coffee comes from roasting

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Everyone thinks that caffeine is the cause of the bitter taste of coffee, but in fact, caffeine accounts for only 10% of the bitter ingredients. As we said earlier, the concentration of caffeine in roasted beans is not affected by the degree of roasting, and decaf coffee also tastes bitter, so we can be sure that caffeine is not the whole cause of bitterness. So what is the remaining 90% bitterness?

One of the root causes of the bitterness of coffee is brown pigment. Brown pigments are also roughly classified according to molecular size, and macromolecular brown pigments are more bitter. With the deepening of the baking degree, the amount of brown pigment will increase, and the proportion of macromolecular brown pigment will also increase. So deep-roasted coffee beans are more bitter and textured-which is consistent with our daily impressions.

The bitterness and texture of Arabica and Robeska are different, which is caused by the difference in the quantity and molecular size of brown pigment. Because the sugar content of Robeska is lower than that of Arabica, it is not easy to "caramelize", so it is easy to form macromolecular brown pigment, so the baked Kanefa is more bitter.

Another reason for bitterness is the "cyclic diaminic acid" formed by amino acids and proteins after heating. If the molecular structure is different, the degree of bitterness is also different. In addition to coffee, this ingredient is also found in the same bitter cocoa and dark beer.

Unbaked coffee is called raw beans or mung beans (green bean). In addition to water, other ingredients of raw beans are carbohydrates (also known as carbohydrates), proteins, lipids, organic acids, minerals, trigonelline, and other acidic substances (mainly chlorogenic acid).

What does the raw bean taste like? If someone asks this question, he can probably only answer: "the taste of raw beans is the taste of raw beans. When you taste it, this is the taste of raw beans." "

The taste of raw beans is very different from that of cooked beans, so someone once said, "80% of the taste of coffee is determined by raw beans, while the other 20% depends on roasting." "

Doesn't it taste bitter?

In fact, the bitter taste is not so bad. In fact, if the coffee is not blended with bitter taste, it may taste too sour or too sweet. The key is "balance". A little bitterness can bring out more rich and diverse flavor levels, as long as the bitterness is not too heavy.

What is interesting, however, is that for most people, we can accept more bitter coffee than sour coffee.

However, coffee with too much bitterness is really bad, so let's look at what bitterness is and how to avoid bitterness when brewing.

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