How to judge the roasting degree/concentration/filtration method of coffee beans from the color of coffee soup? What is the difference between dark and light roast coffee?

Today, some friends are discussing a very interesting problem, that is, how to make "wine red" coffee. That's right, the burgundy color refers to the soup color of coffee, because friends discussing this topic found that burgundy coffee seemed to taste better than other soup colors, so they launched such a discussion.

But to be reasonable, Qianjie does not recommend using soup color as a measure of whether coffee is delicious, because there are many factors that affect coffee soup color. If we use it as a criterion to judge how to make a cup of delicious coffee, then it will actually be more difficult for us to make a cup of delicious coffee.

The factors affecting the color of coffee soup were shared by Qianjie in previous articles. The degree of roasting of coffee, the concentration/extraction rate of coffee, and the filter equipment of coffee are all factors affecting the color of the soup. The degree of roasting of the coffee beans determines the color of the coffee we brew. With the same powder amount, extraction rate and concentration, the deeper the roasting degree of the coffee beans, the darker the color of the brewed coffee will be, and vice versa.

The above is the coffee brewed by Qianjie Essi Huakui (left), which was lightly baked in the bean list, and Sumatra Jinjin Mantonin (right), which was deeply baked in the bean list. Although their parameters, extraction rate, and concentration are roughly the same, we can see that the color of one cup of coffee is black, and the color of another cup is red. The reason for the difference is baking! The deeper the roasting of the coffee beans, the more chemical reactions the coffee beans will produce during the roasting process. These chemical reactions will increase the melanoid content in the coffee beans, gradually deepening the appearance of the coffee beans and the color of the extracted coffee.

In addition, coffee concentration can also affect the color of the soup. Concentration affects the brightness of coffee soup color. Coffee concentration refers to the proportion of soluble coffee in the liquid that we brew. When the coffee concentration is higher, the higher the soluble content in the liquid will be. At this time, the soup color of the coffee will look less bright, and then the color will be darker, and vice versa.

Finally, the coffee filter! The choice of filter material for hand-brewed coffee will change the proportion of insoluble matters in the coffee, which will affect the transparency, or cleanliness, of the soup color. When the filter performance of the appliance you use is higher, such as filter paper, there will be less coffee powder and oil in the coffee, and the coffee will look very transparent; if the appliance you use is not as high as the filter performance, such as a filter or filter cup, then the coffee will contain more oil or fine powder, which will make the coffee look less transparent and a little turbid. But it should be noted that this does not mean whether a cup of coffee is delicious or not.

So to sum up, everyone should know why Qianjie would say that it is best not to use soup color to judge coffee extraction, because there are many influencing factors. Although it is true that the concentration and extraction rate can be judged by the color of the soup, if we replace a coffee bean with a different roasting degree or replace the filter material, the original standard will no longer apply. We can understand that the reason why the friend at the beginning of the article thought that burgun-red coffee would taste better was because the taste and concentration of the coffee he used and parameters were just in line with his preference, and the roasting degree and concentration of that bean just made the color of the coffee soup in burgun-red. When using other parameters or brewing other beans, it was not this color, and the taste was not so in line with his preference. So he had the misunderstanding that burgun-red coffee would taste better.

But in general, Qianjie still recommends that everyone judge the quality of a cup of coffee based on the taste and taste of coffee. This can help us quickly discover the problem and adjust the parameters in a timely manner. The color of the soup can only be used as a reference indicator for brewing a certain bean, not a criterion for judging the taste.

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