Which Coffee Beans Are More Acidic_Acidity Coffee Bean Growing Regions Recommendations_How Much Do Acidic Coffee Beans Cost Per Bag

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Understanding Acidity in Coffee

Many people dislike acidity in coffee, preferring very rich and even strong-flavored coffee. However, if you want to become a coffee connoisseur, the key to entry is understanding acidity in coffee. It must be noted that the more acidic a coffee is, the better it is not necessarily. The sweet and acidic substances in coffee are components that contribute to the complexity of coffee flavor. Some coffees have high acidity that makes you pucker your mouth, receiving very low scores in professional cupping. Other coffees may contain acidity, but it's that comfortable, rounded acidity that combines with sweetness, which receives higher scores.

The Acidity of Coffee

Raw coffee beans contain components related to sour taste such as citric acid, malic acid, quinic acid, and phosphoric acid. However, these are not the source of the acidity we taste when drinking coffee. The acidity created during roasting is the main source of sour flavor.

Once raw beans undergo roasting, various components undergo chemical reactions, creating new acids. The most representative reactions include the breakdown of chlorogenic acids to produce quinic acid, and the breakdown of oligosaccharides to produce volatile formic and acetic acids.

What Makes Coffee's Acidity Appealing?

First, the acidity in coffee is related to both the raw coffee beans themselves and the degree of roasting. Certain African coffees, in particular, have soft and bright acidity—like sweetness and silky smoothness. When combined with some bright acidity, they appear full-bodied with rich mouthfeel. Some coffees have very stimulating acidity that creates a sharp sensation, belonging to extreme acidity.

If a cup of coffee has nothing but bitterness or acidity with no other flavors, then it's a very poor coffee. There's an essential difference between acidity and astringency. Acidity is felt as the sensation of saliva production in the lower sides of the middle and back of the tongue after drinking coffee. Astringency, however, is the numbing and rough feeling on the tongue's surface, throat, and palate after drinking—like the feeling of drinking coffee with gauze strips.

Astringency is an undesirable taste in coffee, representing defects from raw beans to roasting and even preparation. A good coffee should not be bitter and astringent.

For example, we might say African beans have "bright acidity" or "fruity acidity." Pleasant acidity gives coffee more rich connotations.

Quality Categories of Acidity

Poor Quality: Rotten acidity, sharp acidity, very high acidity that makes you pucker, vinegar-like acidity

High Quality: Fruity acidity, fresh acidity, rounded acidity, soft acidity

Coffee Beans with Acidity are Mostly from African Regions

Flavor Characteristics: Captivating Fruity Acidity

African bean flavors: Ethiopian coffee has strong citrus aromas, while Kenyan coffee has rich berry aromas, along with sour fragrances of plum juice and grapefruit, as well as the sweet fragrance of sugarcane. The citrus aroma of Ethiopian coffee and the berry fragrance of Kenyan coffee are the greatest characteristics of African beans, and what fascinates coffee enthusiasts most.

The general characteristics of African coffee are rich aroma and captivating fruity acidity. Their bright acidity is lively and refreshing, but African coffee often lacks somewhat in body richness, and sweetness is not very prominent. Due to drought and water scarcity in Africa, sun-drying methods are often used to process raw beans. The bean shapes are often not uniform and attractive, with higher defect rates.

Recommended Brands of Acidic Coffee Beans

FrontStreet Coffee roasts acidic coffee beans: washed Yirgacheffe coffee, Kenyan AA coffee, Panama "Flor" coffee, and others—all with full guarantees in brand and quality. More importantly, they offer extremely high value. A half-pound (227 grams) package costs only about 80-90 RMB. Calculating at 15 grams per pour-over coffee, one package can make 15 cups of coffee, with each single-origin coffee costing only about 6 RMB. Compared to the dozens of RMB per cup sold in cafés, this represents extremely high value.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find various famous and lesser-known beans. They also provide online store services: https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473