Encyclopedia of coffee beans

Coffee beans are washed and dried, flat beans and round beans. The coffee beans are dark and light in color. Through deep roasting, the coffee beans explode, doubling in volume and reducing their weight by nearly 1 inch 4. In the process of roasting, coffee beans gradually produce volatile flavor oil, so that various flavors can reach a perfect balance. Coffee beans, even in the same producing country, will have subtle effects on the flavor and quality of coffee beans and produce their own characteristics because of the differences in climate, altitude and soil quality in different regions.

Coffee beans

Coffee beans are washed and dried, flat beans and round beans. The coffee beans are dark and light in color. Through deep roasting, the coffee beans explode, doubling in volume and reducing their weight by nearly 1 inch 4. In the process of roasting, coffee beans gradually produce volatile flavor oil, so that various flavors can reach a perfect balance. Coffee beans, even in the same producing country, will have subtle effects on the flavor and quality of coffee beans and produce their own characteristics because of the differences in climate, altitude and soil quality in different regions.

Coffee beans-Overview

Coffee beans

Small and round dark brown coffee beans, quietly emitting a fragrant fragrance in the grinder, injected into the cup showing the beautiful color of amber, these are the three very deep impressions of coffee.

As you explore the history and beauty of coffee, you can also see the coffee trees that are caressed by the tropical sun and whose leaves twinkle. It has a small white flower similar to jasmine, its fruit from green to yellow-green, and finally to red, coffee beans are the seeds in its fruit.

Moreover, if you go to the coffee bean refinery, you will surely see the red pulp called coffee cherry and the fresh and green coffee raw beans with the endocarp and silver skin removed. These are the coffee beans for export.

At present, there are about 60 coffee-producing countries, most of which are located in areas with an elevation of 300 to 400 meters, and sometimes coffee trees are cultivated on highlands with elevations of 2000 to 2500 meters, but those planted on slopes above 1500 meters above sea level are said to be of better quality.

The most suitable conditions for the cultivation of coffee trees are areas with an average annual rainfall of 1500-2000 mm and an average temperature of about 20 degrees.

Coffee is an evergreen plant of the Akanaceae family. If it is wild, it can even grow to more than eight meters. However, in the farm, the height is cut to about two meters to ensure the quality of coffee beans and facilitate management.

At present, the main tree species planted are Arabica species, Robusta species (Carneva species) and Liberika species. It can be subdivided into dozens of varieties, which will be distinguished in production, circulation and trading.

Even in the same producing country, it will have a subtle influence on the flavor and quality of coffee beans and produce their own characteristics because of the differences in climate, altitude and soil quality in different regions. Therefore, according to the variety, origin, brand, there will be different attributes; therefore, it is impossible to describe the characteristics of a country's coffee beans in one sentence!

Coffee beans-specifications

Coffee beans washed coffee beans

A. Washing / non-washing

Washing type: in the sink, after rubbing with water and utensils, the pulp and colloid are removed and dried, which is called washing coffee bean with uniform quality.

Non-washing type: after the sun is naturally dried, the pulp and peel is removed by a sheller, and its quality is unstable.

B. Flat beans / round beans

The fruit of coffee consists of two oval seeds opposite each other. The connecting side of each other is a flat joint, which is called flat bean. But there is also a round seed called a round bean, which tastes no different. Ripe and red coffee cherries have multiple structures. In the middle is the predecessor of the coffee bean, the light green seed.

Generally speaking, the fruit of coffee is made up of two oval seeds opposite each other. The side that connects with each other is a flat joint, so it is called flat bean. But some are made up of a round seed, and its taste is no different.

C. The size of coffee beans

Filter number (mesh no.)

Flat bean

20-19 large, 18 large, 17 quasi-large, 16 ordinary, 15 medium, 14 small, 13-12 extra-small

Round bean

13-12 big, 11 quasi-big, 10 normal, 9 medium, 8 small

D. Altitude

According to the elevation of the cultivated land, it can be divided into three, four, seven and other grades. Generally speaking, the quality of highland beans is better than that of lowland beans, and the price is higher because of the increase in freight.

Grade name elevation (m)

1 special grade beans 1.500 ~, 2 high grade beans 1.200 × 1.500, 3 medium beans 1.000 × 1.200, 4 grade water washed beans 900 × 1.000, 5 grade water washed beans 760 × 900, 6 special grade water washed beans 610 × 760, 7 excellent water washed beans ~ 610

e. Quality

According to the statistical method, the type and quantity of dopants contained in a certain amount of samples are converted into percentage "defect number", and the basis for determining the quality class is that the smaller the defect number is, the higher the quality is.

f. Taste

Brazil, Haiti, Kenya, say and other countries all have their own taste testing methods, which can be exported only after taste testing.

From harvest to shipment

After the fruit is harvested, the outer skin, pulp, endocarp and silver skin should be removed before shipping. There are two kinds of methods: drying (also known as natural or non-washing) and washing. The drying method is relatively simple.

First of all, spread the freshly harvested fruit on the exposure field for a week or two until the fruit crackles and dries naturally.

After that, the dried pulp, endocarp and silver peel are removed by a sheller.

Coffee beans refined in this way are slightly sour and slightly bitter. Almost all coffee beans produced in Brazil, Ethiopia, Yemen and other places are obtained in this way. The disadvantage of this method is that it is easily affected by weather and is easy to be mixed with defective beans and other impurities. Therefore, it must be carefully screened.

Another way is to wash the fruit, in which the fruit to be harvested is put into a flowing trough. After the floating fruit is removed, the skin and flesh are removed by a pulp remover. Then put it in the sink to remove the emerging pulp. After that, move into the fermentation tank, soak for half a day to a day, and then dissolve the gum on the surface of the fermented coffee beans. After washing with water, drying it for a few days, drying it with a machine, and finally using a sheller to remove the endocarp to become a commercial raw coffee bean.

Water-washed coffee beans have more beautiful color and less impurities. Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala and other countries adopt this method for about 70% of their output.

Sometimes in the fermentation process, if not handled properly, it may give off fermentation odor and its unique sour taste, but if handled properly, all kinds of beans can give off their unique coffee aroma.

In order to be delivered completely to the destination, raw coffee beans are packed in sacks and placed in special containers for long-distance merchant shipping trips.

Coffee beans-Color

High quality coffee beans

The color of coffee beans is dark and light. Do you know what it means? A few days ago, at Starbucks'"espresso expert activity", brown fans finally got the hang of it.

Coffee beans range in color from grass green to yellowish orange, light jade cinnamon to dark brown, the most ideal of which is dark brown. Because the longer the high-quality coffee beans are roasted, the more natural volatile oil will be produced and will emerge from the surface, giving off a refreshing aroma, but the weight will also be reduced, which is why many coffee shops choose light roasting. Starbucks espresso roasted coffee, Italian roasted coffee and French roasted coffee use dark brown coffee beans. Through deep roasting, the coffee beans burst, the volume doubled, and the weight was reduced by nearly 1 inch 4. In the process of roasting, coffee beans gradually produce volatile flavor oil, so that various flavors can reach a perfect balance.

Coffee beans are roasted well, and the brewing method is also very important. Espresso is ideal for heavy-flavored deep-roasted coffee beans. It is made by pouring hot water into finely ground coffee beans and boiled under fine ground coffee and pressure rather than gravity. High pressure will completely emulsify the lipids inside the coffee and dissolve it into water, which is the main source of mellow flavor. At the same time, emulsification will make espresso taste thicker, making people drink like velvet, and stickiness will form a lower surface tension, which can invade the taste buds and make mellow reverberate in the mouth. If you want to taste the taste of espresso, it's best to try a rich vanilla latte with espresso as the core.

Coffee beans-Select

Coffee beans

Choose fresh coffee beans. When buying, pay attention to whether the color of the beans and the size of the particles are the same. Good coffee beans are shiny and have a strong aroma without being mixed with peculiar smell. No matter what kind of coffee beans, freshness is an important factor affecting the quality. When shopping, grab one or two coffee beans in your mouth and chew them with a crisp sound (indicating that the coffee is not damp) and the fragrance of the teeth and cheeks is the top grade, but it is best to squeeze it with your hands to feel whether it is solid, rather than buying crispy coffee. If the coffee bean has lost its fragrance or smells stale, it means that the coffee bean is no longer fresh and is not suitable for purchase.

Freshly fried coffee beans are not suitable for immediate consumption and should be stored for a week to completely release the gas from the beans.

Generally speaking, the best drinking period for coffee is a week after stir-frying, when the coffee beans are the freshest and the Aroma taste is the best.

In addition, the purity of coffee beans is also another consideration. The expert candidate for coffee is not necessarily to look at the size of the particles, but to grab a handful of individual coffee beans (RegionalCoffee), about dozens of portions, to see whether the color of each single bean is the same, and whether the particles are similar in size and shape, so as to avoid buying shoddy products disguised as mixed beans. But if it is a synthetic bean (BlendedCoffee), it is a normal phenomenon that the size and color are different. In addition, heavy heat and medium-deep roasting will cause coffee beans to produce oil, but if the lightly roasted beans produce oil, they have gone bad, not only reducing aroma, but also astringent and sour taste. In short, when buying coffee, we should pay attention to its freshness, aroma and whether it is stale or not, and the ideal purchase quantity is to be able to drink it in half a month.

Coffee beans-making tips

Coffee bean size coffee production

Coffee lovers all know that good coffee beans are the premise of making good coffee, but the correct storage, grinding and preparation is also the key to determine the taste.

1. In order to avoid bitterness, never boil coffee. The ideal temperature should be between 90 ℃ and 96 ℃.

two。 Don't heat the coffee again. It is recommended to determine how much to make according to the amount of drinking each time, and make sure you get fresh coffee every time. The temperature to maintain the best flavor of coffee is 86 ℃.

3. Use fresh, cold water to make. The water content of each cup of coffee is 98%. If there is a strange smell in the water, consider switching to filtered or bottled water.

4. Used coffee powder should not be used again. These coffee residues contain only bitter ingredients.

5. Select the coffee powder with the appropriate grinding degree according to the coffee maker. Because the coffee is ground too fine, it will cause excessive extraction, produce bitterness, or block the coffee maker; if it is ground too coarsely, it will cause the coffee to be as light as water. If a coffee drip filter is used, proper grinding should ensure that the coffee is dripped within 2-4 minutes.

6. No matter how much coffee is made, it is recommended that the ideal ratio is: every 10 grams (two tablespoons) of coffee powder, with 180 milliliters of water.

7. Keep the coffee on the stove for up to 20 minutes. If it takes too long, the flavor will change. However, if the vacuum flask is used, the flavor can be maintained for a long time.

Coffee beans-production

Coffee beans

After harvest, peel, pulp, racing peel and silver peel should be removed before shipping and listing. There are two kinds of methods: drying (also known as natural or non-washing) and washing.

Dry type:

The method is relatively simple. First of all, spread the freshly harvested fruit on the sun field for a week or two until the fruit crackles and dries naturally. After that, the dried pulp, endocarp and silver peel are removed by a sheller.

Coffee beans refined in this way are slightly sour and slightly bitter. All coffee beans from Brazil, Ethiopia, Yemen and other places are obtained in this way. The disadvantage of this method is that it is easily affected by the weather and is easy to be mixed with defective beans and other impurities. Therefore, it must be carefully screened.

Washing type:

The fruit that is about to be harvested is put into a flowing trough. After the floating fruit is removed, the skin and flesh are removed by a pulp remover. Then put it in the sink to remove the emerging pulp. After that, move into the fermentation tank, soak for half a day to a day, and then dissolve the gum on the surface of the fermented coffee beans.

After washing with water, drying it for a few days, drying it with a machine, and finally using a sheller to remove the endocarp to become a commercial raw coffee bean. In this way, it will be more beautiful in color and less impurity than dried coffee beans. Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala and other countries use this method for about 70% of their production.

Coffee beans-benefits

Coffee beans

Coffee does have many uses besides drinking it.

(1) make the milk smell strong: put the coffee with sugar and water in the ice box and put it in the refrigerator. The coffee ice cubes made in this way will make the milk smell rich in cold or hot milk.

(2) roast rabbit meat: add 3 tablespoons of strong coffee to the rabbit meat wine to make the dish more delicious.

(3) except for furniture scratches: dark furniture has scratches, can be dipped in cloth on the coffee, in the scratched part of the wipe, dry, and then use a wet cloth to try to clean. Then apply it once more in accordance with the above method, and after this treatment, the scratches will not stand out.

(4) relieving alcoholism: coffee has a strong effect of excitement, cardiotonic, diuresis and antialcoholism. When there is a phenomenon of drowsiness after drunkenness, you can use boiled water to soak espresso and drink frequently, which has a better sober effect.

(5) Clean the sink: pour the coffee grounds into the sink and wash them away with water to remove the stench and grease from the drainage pipes.

(6) deodorizing odor: there is a scorched odor in the container, which can be wiped with coffee grounds and cleaned.

(7) drinking beer: add some coffee and a little sugar to the beer to make the beer bitter and sweet.

(8) exfoliating: when taking a bath, the coffee particles are mixed into the bath liquid, and the cutin can be removed by scrubbing the body.

Coffee beans-Origin

Coffee bean coffee grinder

Legend 1: the Story of the Shepherd

Legend has it that around the tenth century AD, on the Ethiopian plateau of Africa, there was a shepherd named Karl. One day he suddenly looked excited and excited when he saw the goat. He thought it was strange, and then after careful observation, he found that the sheep were excited after eating some kind of red fruit. Carl tasted some curiously, and found that he was refreshed and excited after eating, so he picked some of the incredible red fruit home and distributed it to the locals, so its magical effect spread.

Legend 2: Arab monks

Legend has it that Shek, the chief expelled by his people for crime, was deported from the mountains of Yemen in 1258. Omar, who was exiled to the remote city of Vasaba (in Arabia), when he was walking exhausted on the mountain, he found the birds on the branches making a very sweet cry after pecking at the fruit of the tree. So he boiled the fruit with water, but unexpectedly sent out a rich and attractive fragrance, and the original feeling of exhaustion was eliminated after drinking, full of vitality. Later, Omar collected many of these magical fruits, and when someone got sick, she made the fruit into soup for them to drink, refreshing them. Because he did good everywhere and was loved by believers, his sins were soon forgiven, and when he returned to Mocha, he was revered as a saint for finding this fruit. It is said that the magic cure at that time was coffee.

Coffee beans-Classification

Botanical classification of coffee beans

Coffee bean coffee tree

Coffee tree belongs to the evergreen tree of Rubiaceae. Since ancient times, most of the plants of Rubiaceae are plants with special effects, such as quinine tree, which is regarded as a specific drug for malaria, and Dugan, which is used to treat amoeba dysentery. Coffee is defined as the most unique alkaloid drinking flora.

Generally speaking, after two to three years of sowing, coffee trees can grow to a height of about five to ten meters, but in case coffee beans lose their aroma, taste bad, and are easy to harvest, farmers often repair them to about 1.5 to two meters. The change begins to bear fruit three to five years after sowing. The harvest period will be 20 years after the fifth year.

Coffee tree evergreen leaves, the leaf tip is more pointed, and is two opposite groups. The surface of the leaf is dark green, the back is light green, and the blooming flower is pure white. There are five stamens and one pistil in the flower, and the petals are usually five, but some have six or even eight petals. The flowers will give off a jasmine-like fragrance, but the flowers will wither in about three or four days. At first, the fruit is the same dark green as the leaf surface, but as it becomes more and more mature, it will turn yellow, then red, and finally crimson.

The fruit of coffee is formed by the outer skin, pulp, endocarp, silver skin, and the seeds wrapped in the innermost layers (coffee beans). The seeds are located in the center of the fruit, and the parts outside the seeds are of little use. Generally speaking, there are two pairs of seeds in the fruit, but occasionally there is only one seed in the fruit, which is called fruit bean. In order to show symmetry, we call the fruit with two pairs of seeds as female beans. There are at least 40 "species" of the genus Coffee, among which the more practical cultivated species are three original species: plateau cultivation, lowland cultivation, and minimum cultivation.

The circular zone at the tip of the north-south regression line, which we call CoffeeZone or CoffeeBelt. Because the area is rich in rich organic matter and volcanic ash soil, the average temperature is about 20 degrees, the average annual rainfall is between 1000 and 2000mm, and there is no large temperature difference during the year, so it has become an ideal place for coffee production. Growing coffee should be strictly protected against cold, hot and dry wind and defrosting.

Taste Classification Table of Coffee beans

Coffee beans Mexican coffee beans

Sour mocha, Hawaiian sour coffee, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica high real estate, Gillimanjaro, Colombia, Zimbabwe, El Salvador, Western Hemisphere washable high-grade new beans.

Bitter Java, Mantenin, Bogota, Angola, Congo, Uganda all kinds of old beans.

Sweet Colombian metenin, Venezuelan old beans, Blue Mountains, Gillemazaro, Mocha, Guatemala, Mexico, Kenya, Santos, Haiti.

Neutral Brazil, El Salvador, lowland Costa Rica, Venezuela, Honduras, Cuba.

Mellow Colombian metenin, Mocha, Blue Mountains, Guatemala, Costa Rica.

Generally speaking, coffee beans with sour taste, especially high-quality new beans, are best roasted shallower, while those with bitter taste are less roasted, and then sweet details are mostly selected beans produced in the highland. Baking often constitutes the key to whether it can be tasted after it can be integrated into the soft bitterness. Neutral flavor, even if not highland coffee beans, but also need to have a stable quality of stable treatment. Coffee beans with fragrant and mellow effect.

Coffee beans-species

After harvest, peel, pulp, racing peel and silver peel should be removed before shipping and listing. There are two kinds of methods: drying (also known as natural or non-washing) and washing.

Dry type:

A selection of coffee beans

Judgment of appearance

Delicious coffee can be known from the shape of its roasted coffee beans, as shown in the following picture. Of course, there can not be bad coffee beans mixed in, it is more important to note that normal beans will also be mixed with high-quality coffee beans and cause hindrance. A fried roasted bean that can brew delicious coffee must first be big and fat, and crepe evenly, followed by the same size and colorless and spotless. These are the main points of visual discrimination, and if you look at them carefully, it should not be difficult to separate them.

Bad bean species

Fermented coffee beans that fall from the soil before harvest. The moldy smell will have a great impact on the taste of coffee.

Dead beans, also known as unripe beans, or affected by the climate due to red, the development is not perfect. Fried spots will be produced after baking, making the coffee have a green and astringent taste.

Black beans fermented beans, coffee beans that have rotted and blackened. Because it is black, it can be distinguished from normal coffee beans at a glance.

Moth beans. Coffee beans damaged by insects. Defective beans may be stuck during work, or carelessly handled during handling, resulting in incomplete coffee beans. Will cause fried spots when baking, and will produce bitter and astringent taste.

Other remaining thin-skinned beans, stunted beans, dried beans that do not completely produce moldy flavor, only shell beans (shell beans)

Coffee beans-picking

Coffee beans

After 3 or 4 years of growth, the coffee tree matures and begins to bear fruit, and the fruit will be arranged in clusters or clustered together along the branches. The coffee beans we see are the seeds of the coffee tree. The outside of the seed is a layer of pericarp, with the maturity of coffee beans, the pericarp will change from green to red, as soon as it turns red, it can be harvested. The structure of coffee fruit is usually a layer of pulp (mesocarp) under the exocarp, a small thin layer inside, and then a layer of parchment-like substance-endocarp. In all of these peels, there are usually two beans with opposite planes, and the beans have a thin film or skin on the outside.

The ripening period of Arabica coffee beans is 6-8 months, and that of Robbard special coffee beans is 9-11 months.

The harvest time is also different in different regions, and the north of the equator is generally harvested from September to November. The main one south of the equator is in April or May, but it can last until August. Countries in some equatorial regions can harvest throughout the year. So you can have new coffee beans for most of the year.

There are usually two ways to pick coffee. One is picking in pieces, that is, picking without choice, which can also be picked mechanically if conditions permit. The other is selective picking, which has a large amount of labor and high picking cost, which is only used in Arabica and washed Arabica coffee beans.

Coffee beans-country of origin and name

1. Brazil

Coffee beans Brazilian coffee beans

Brazil is the most important coffee producing area in the world, accounting for 1x3 of the total output in the world. Brazil has 10 states producing coffee beans. Due to differences in region and climate, the quality of Brazilian coffee beans is inevitably intermingled. Therefore, Brazilian coffee beans are divided into No.1-No.3,Screen 18 and screen 19 according to the grade, so that the quality is neat and stable, and the processing and roasting can also have a better effect. Brazilian coffee is medium-fragrant, sour and mellow, has a mild bitter taste and is famous for its smooth taste. Among all kinds of Brazilian coffee varieties, Santos Coffee is more famous. Santos Coffee can also be called Bourbon Santos. Bourbon Santos is of good quality and has a round taste with moderate acidity and strong sweetness. Bourbon Santos is considered to be an indispensable ingredient for mixed coffee.

two。 Blue Mountain

Blue Mountain is a mountain range with an elevation of 2256 meters. Coffee trees are planted on a steep hillside about 1000 meters above sea level. Blue Mountain coffee beans are full in shape and slightly bigger than ordinary beans. Sour, fragrant, mellow, sweet taste is uniform and strong, slightly bitter taste, harmonious taste, excellent flavor, suitable for individual coffee. Due to the low output, most of the products sold on the market are "special blue mountains", that is, mixed coffee with other coffee beans at the bottom of the blue mountains.

3. Colombia

Colombia is the second largest coffee producer in the world, accounting for 12% of the world's total output, second only to Brazil and the largest producer of Colombian Mild. Colombian coffee trees are planted in the highlands and have a small cultivated area in order to take care of harvesting. The harvested coffee beans are refined with water washing (wet method). Colombian coffee beans are of neat quality and can be called the standard beans among coffee beans. Colombian coffee beans are large in shape, light green, with a special thick flavor, and are widely favored for their rich and unique aroma. The taste is sweet in the acid and low in bitterness, which can lead to multi-level flavor with the different degree of baking. Medium baking gives full play to the sweetness of beans, with mellow acidity and bitterness; deep baking increases bitterness, but the sweetness still doesn't disappear much. Generally speaking, medium-deep roasting will make the taste more personalized, not only as a single drink, but also suitable for mixed coffee.

4. Manning

Indonesia is a big coffee producer. Coffee is mainly produced in Java, Sumatra and Sulawi, with ROBUSTA species accounting for 90% of the total production. Manning is one of the few Arbica species. The granule of Mantenin is large, the bean quality is very hard, and the rate of defects in the planting process is on the high side, which is usually selected manually after harvest. If the control process is not strict enough, it is easy to cause a mixture of good and bad quality, and different baking degrees also directly affect the taste. Therefore, it has become a more controversial single product. Before Blue Mountain was discovered, Manning was regarded as the best coffee because of its rich and mellow taste, not astringent but not sour, mellow and bitter; moderate roasting will leave a moderate sour taste and unique flavor; if the roasting is too shallow, it will be powdery and astringent.

5. Kona.

Hawaiian coffee beans are grown on volcanic terrain. At the same time, there is a high density of artificial farming, so each bean can be said to be spoiled, the price is naturally expensive, second only to the Blue Mountains. Hawaiian Kona beans are evenly shaped and have a strong sour and sweet taste. The palate is moist and smooth. Moderate baking makes beans sour, while deep baking aggravates both bitterness and mellow taste. This coffee bean grows from sea level to 6000 feet. Gourmet coffee generally grows only in mountain areas, growing at a height of about 4000 to 6000 feet requires annual rainfall of about 80 feet and is obvious in dry and wet seasons. The soil for growing gourmet coffee beans should be very fertile and usually have volcanic rock, and light cloudy or cloudy weather is also necessary in the growing environment of high-quality coffee beans. The daytime temperature needs 15-20 °C. This climate results in a longer growth process, a unique growth and climatic environment that leads to a stronger coffee flavor.