Does black coffee have a caramel flavor? What parameters can be used to break out the caramel feeling of coffee?

When it comes to caramel, what food does everyone think of? For Qianjie, in addition to shredded sweet potatoes, caramel biscuits, caramel pudding, caramel peanuts, flying fish crispy ice cream, sugar paintings... these snacks that filled my childhood, the fastest thing that comes to mind is the "caramel feeling" in coffee.

What is the caramel feeling in coffee?

Caramel is a food formed by melting sugar at high temperatures and gradually charring it. This process is also called caramelization. Its results are mainly reflected in the browning of sugar and the production of "caramel aroma."

The main sugar content of green coffee beans is sucrose, accounting for about 6 - 9%, which is the main source of sweetness in a cup of coffee.

When the temperature reaches about 170 ° C, the caramelization reaction will begin. The high temperature will further decompose the carbohydrates in the coffee beans and continuously deepen the color of the beans 'surface. At the same time, it will produce pleasant aromas such as honey, caramel, maple syrup, fried nuts, chocolate, etc. When the aroma of this kind of coffee reaches a certain concentration and makes us smell or drink it, the memory of eating caramel will automatically appear in our minds, so we describe this feeling as "caramel feeling."

Which coffee beans are more prone to "caramel feeling"?

Compared with the "ethereal" flavor of elegant floral flowers, it is obviously much easier to capture the caramel flavor in coffee. Normally, the charred aroma pointing to the sweetness is mainly concentrated in the aroma emitted by the coffee powder, while the caramel aroma often appears at the end of the drinking process, and sometimes it is "hidden" in the sweetness. The slight bitterness brought by the coffee liquid is accompanied by the inhalation during swallowing, which brings a sweet aroma such as caramel-flavored melon seeds.

Since during the roasting process of coffee beans, whether it is the caramelization reaction or the Maillard reaction, it will actually reduce the sweetness in the coffee and increase its bitterness, so if you want the coffee in the cup to have a rich aroma, it will also have a moderate caramel feel, and it is particularly important to choose the right degree of roasting.

According to the experience of the former street, as a common flavor descriptor in coffee, caramel flavor mostly appears in moderately roasted coffee (including medium lightly roasted and medium deeply roasted). It is also the most obvious taste characteristics of this type of beans. one.

If we combine the origin of origin, the caffeine climate and climate of Central and South America, as well as the influence of the varieties, often carry many positive caramel aromas. The flavor descriptions are mostly roasted nuts, toffee, maple sugar, honey, dark chocolate, almonds, cocoa, etc., such as Costa Rica strawberry candy, Colombia Whelan, Panama Emerald Manor Diamond Mountain, Arida Manor Kaduai, Brazil Queen Manor and other coffees on the front street bean list. This trait can be easily demonstrated when extracted with the right brewing plan.

How to break out the caramel feeling of coffee?

Considering that the caramel feeling is mostly related to the performance of mellow, roundness, and strong body, Qianjie suggested that when setting a brewing plan, the focus can be placed on the three aspects of "reducing the water injection point, less agitation of the powder layer, and more use of soaking"., and appropriately extending the extraction time, the purpose is to release more substances that can reflect the ending rhyme. Here, Qianjie uses the new Peruvian washed rose summer recently as a reference to show everyone how to wash out its caramel feel.

Coffee beans: Peru·washed rose summer

Powder amount: 15 grams

Powder to water ratio: 1:16

Filter cup: ceramic cake cup

Water temperature: 88~89℃

Grinding degree: fine sugar/EK 43s scale 10 grids

Water injection technique: four-stage style

In the first section, Qianjie still injects 30g of hot water clockwise outwards from the center with a small water flow and steams it for 30 seconds to allow the coffee powder to enter an exhausted state; in the second section, we first lower the spout, and then Inject 80g with a slightly larger water flow at a height of about 2cm, and also continuously circles it from the center outwards. Pay attention not to flip the powder layer as much as possible, and use the soaking characteristics of the filter cup to fully contact the hot water and the coffee powder;

When the coffee liquid in the filter cup is about to run out, and the time is close to 1 minute and 25 seconds, then inject 80g of hot water into the third section with a small water stream. Remember to maintain the same low water level as the front, in order to make the middle section sweet. The material is released in an orderly manner;

There is no need to wait for the water to dry up in the last section. Instead, when the liquid level drops to halfway, a small water flow is used to inject 50g into the last section from the center, and it is all poured in 1 minute and 45 seconds. Finally, the dripping time of the coffee liquor will be slightly longer than usual, and the extraction will be completed in about 2 minutes and 13 seconds.

In this way, you can feel the flavors of caramel, cocoa, prunes, and black tea at the entrance, accompanied by a slight white flower fragrance. The three flavors of sour, sweet and bitter are balanced and comfortable. When the temperature drops slightly, the acidity of dark berries and grapes becomes obvious, and the charm of caramel and chocolate begins to be released. Especially when swallowed in large gulps, the aroma of toast is emitted from the throat, making the entire taste richer.

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