How to taste the flavor of hand-brewed coffee during the high, medium and low temperature stages? What temperature is the best to drink black coffee?

Coffee tasting is like wine tasting. There are always some industry tricks. When we drink a cup of fine coffee, there are naturally many different perspectives to analyze its quality. For example, the difference between hot and cold coffee is a relatively simple entry point.

Many baristas like to say when describing a certain bean,"It will be at high temperatures... at medium temperatures... at low temperatures..." This is because the human body's senses can feel five kinds of taste: acid, sweet, bitter, salty and fresh. Taste substances, among which coffee most often expresses sour, sweet and bitter, and each taste will show different effects with different temperature stages.

Bitterness: Suffering has always ranked first in human sensitivity to taste. High temperatures will temporarily reduce the taste buds 'perception of bitterness, because the heat of liquid contacting the mouth will conceal it, but as the temperature drops, it will continue to become obvious, so freshly brewed deep-roasted coffee will always have the lowest bitterness. When it cools completely, it becomes difficult to taste.

Sweetness: When the sweetness is above 50℃ and below 35℃, our perception of sweetness is relatively slow. Only when it is close to the normal body temperature of the human body will the sensitivity of taste buds to sweetness reach its peak, and it is also the easiest time to capture it. Return to sweetness.

Sour taste: We all know that the lighter the roast, the higher the coffee acid value. The sour taste will not show obvious differences with the temperature of the coffee liquor. However, since the temperature below 35 ° C, the sweetness is no longer active, so some lightly roasted coffee The sour taste will be extremely prominent after cooling.

It is precisely because of different temperatures that we have obvious differences in our perceptions of sourness, sweetness, and bitterness. Therefore, when Qianjie measures a coffee bean in a cup, in order to find out its "details", we will pass three stages: high temperature, medium temperature, and low temperature. Make comprehensive judgment.

High temperature (50~75℃)

Usually, the temperature of brewed coffee will be between 65 and 75 ° C. If this temperature is too high, it will be difficult for us to drink in large gulps. One will easily burn. Moreover, at this temperature, the tongue's feeling of taste will be suppressed. In addition to the smell brought by baking, there will be no other characteristics to drink. In fact, studies have shown that different coffees brewed with the same degree of roasting may taste very similar at higher temperatures.

But the aroma of coffee is the richest and fullest at high temperatures, because the large amount of heat it releases can enhance the dissipation speed of volatile substances, thereby improving our olfactory experience.

Therefore, it is best to smell the brewed hot coffee first, then wait for the temperature to drop to about 60 - 65 ° C, and sip or sip it. Just drink a small amount of coffee and inhale the air to quickly cool the liquid, so that you can be better., feel the flavor performance of coffee more comprehensively.

Moderate temperature (35~50℃)

At temperatures below 55 ° C, you will feel significant changes in the flavor and aroma of coffee. First of all, the aroma of smell will be weakened, mainly because part of it has evaporated during the high temperature stage, and at the same time, the cooling of the coffee reduces the heat. In addition, coffee has become palatable, and it is also at a temperature where sweet and sour taste is sensitive, so that more complex and delicate characteristics can be felt.

So when tasting the moderate temperature zone, we can sip coffee in large gulps to feel its touch, acidity, sweetness, richness, aftertaste, etc., or hold it in our mouth for 1 - 2 seconds, use our tongue to feel its weight, and then quietly wait for its aftertaste after swallowing.

Low temperature (<35℃)

When coffee turns to about 35 ° C and reaches room temperature, some negative flavors can easily begin to appear at this time, such as grass flavor and wood flavor. Therefore, only when drinking it to the low temperature area during cup testing is the most comprehensive taste of a coffee bean. More importantly, compared with the temperature range above 35℃, the coffee after cooling has lost a large part of the aroma, and the taste buds have become sensitive to bitterness, but have decreased their sweetness, which makes the whole cup of coffee. Either "bitter" or "sour."

Then after understanding the changes that temperature brings to coffee flavor, we will begin to enter the tasting process. For comparison, Qianjie selected a lightly baked bean-Qianjie Walk Manor Rose Summer and a deeply baked bean-Qianjie Queen Manor, brewed them normally with corresponding parameters, and then divided them into three stages from hot to cold. Record their flavor performance.

High temperature zone:

In terms of smell, Qianjie Walk Manor exudes the sweet aroma of jasmine, lemongrass and honey. If you sip it, you can taste the sourness of orange-like. It is low in bitterness and has a smooth taste; the aroma of Qianjie Queen Manor is obvious. Stir-fried peanuts, baked bread, and the sense of balance at the entrance is good.

Mid-temperature zone:

The aroma of Qianjie Manchu Estate turns into light flower flowers and yellow lemon, which is extremely sweet when drinking it with a big sip. The flavors of brown sugar, sweet orange and yellow peach are particularly prominent, with the tail rhyme of matcha; the aroma of Qianjie Queen Estate is still fried nuts. It has the flavors of chocolate and maple syrup at the entrance. It tastes mellow, moderate bitterness, and long-lasting sweetness.

Low temperature zone:

In addition to significantly weakening the aroma of the two pots of coffee, the richness of the flavor has also been greatly reduced. The flavor of Rose Summer Walking on Qianjie is only maintained at the sweetness and sweetness of yellow lemon and brown sugar, with a slight tea feeling; Qianjie Queen Estate can be drunk. It has obvious almond flavor, higher bitterness, and a hint of smoke in the aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou China, selling freshly roasted beans from its own farm in Yunnan as well as dozens of carefully selected single-origin beans from around the world for both pour-over and espresso. The products deliver consistently excellent quality and great value, with shipping within 24 hours. Guangzhou’s FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers, and the beans are now available online at the Tmall 。

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473