Coffee review

How to get the perfect taste of coffee starts with understanding the taste of coffee.

Published: 2024-06-03 Author: World Gafei
Last Updated: 2024/06/03, To really understand what is good coffee, we must start by understanding the taste of coffee. The history of measuring the taste of coffee can be traced back to the 1850s, when Professor Lockhart (E. E. Lockhart), a chemistry professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, conducted a series of surveys on coffee taste preferences, and Professor Lockhart published his

To really understand what is good coffee, we must start by understanding the taste of coffee.

The history of measuring coffee taste dates back to the 1850s, when Professor Lockhart, a chemistry professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, conducted a series of surveys on coffee taste preferences, and Professor Lockhart published his findings in the form of coffee production control charts. The picture clearly divides people's judgment on the taste of coffee. This result has not changed much so far.

It is generally believed that the perfect coffee to drink is that the coffee extraction rate (Extraction) is between 18% and 22%, and the coffee brewing concentration (Brew strength) is between 1.15% and 1.35%. The following is Professor Lockhart's diagram of the effect of coffee extraction rate and coffee brewing concentration on coffee taste:

Note:

Extraction rate: refers to the percentage of coffee ingredients extracted from coffee beans. The extraction rate is affected by many factors, such as the soil in which raw beans grow, the technology of baking, etc.

Brewing concentration: refers to the percentage of coffee ingredients in the coffee cup.

So, according to the coffee brewing control table, we want to prepare the coffee with the best taste, which is to control the concentration and extraction rate within the perfect taste area, which seems more difficult to control. The simple way is to use the golden ratio: 1 gram of ground coffee beans mixed with 17.42 grams of water. For most coffees, the brewing concentration of 1.28% and the extraction rate of 20% can be achieved with this ratio. You can use this as a starting point to adjust the amount of coffee or water to achieve what you think is the perfect taste.

An easy mistake is to confuse the extraction rate with the brewing concentration, which refers to the percentage of the coffee ingredient in the coffee cup, and the extraction rate refers to the amount of coffee extracted from the beans. Therefore, espresso has nothing to do with bitterness, caffeine content or roasting, but with the ratio of coffee to water.

(this article is reproduced)

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