How to Eat, Drink, Grind, Brew, and Filter Coffee Beans: What Equipment to Use

Professional Coffee Knowledge Exchange and Coffee Bean Information

For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

How to Select Specialty Coffee Beans: First Look at Green Beans, Then Roasted Coffee Beans

Many internationally renowned coffee manufacturers go through great efforts before roasting coffee beans to provide high-quality products. Cuppers search for "premium sample beans" according to their desired taste profile and flavor characteristics. Afterward, the coffee beans are roasted, and cuppers use cupping methods to determine whether the roast degree needs adjustment. Through layer upon layer of quality control, they reconfirm whether the taste and flavor characteristics differ from their own products. Therefore, they consistently seek large-scale coffee plantations for long-term cooperation to enhance the quality stability of their established brands.

International coffee manufacturers hire cuppers to evaluate coffee beans and find large-scale coffee plantations for long-term cooperation. Unfortunately, domestic coffee consumption is considerably lower compared to international standards, making it impossible to cooperate with large-scale coffee plantations as they do abroad.

In recent years, many small coffee plantations, through farmers' diligent cultivation and fair trade practices with COE certification, have encouraged coffee farmers to participate in high-quality coffee rating competitions. They have gradually begun to cultivate high-quality specialty coffee beans. Not only that, but they also emphasize the freshness and storage issues of green beans. We advocate for fresh and diversified coffee beans, adopting small-batch refined roasting and providing customized services that can be tailored to different customer groups with customized roasting. The goal is to seize the "freshness" advantage—something that current international coffee manufacturers cannot achieve!

How Are Coffee Beans Classified?

Why Do Coffee Beans Need Classification?

There is no standard value for coffee bean classification. To indicate coffee quality levels and facilitate trading convenience, coffee classification has become a very important indicator. Many coffee-growing regions still trade according to classification systems today. There are various classification methods, some based on processing methods (washed, natural), coffee bean size, defect rates, growing altitude, etc. However, an increasing number of single-origin beans are labeled with the producing estate or cooperative name, and some even include their botanical species name.

Although coffee bean sizes are generally similar, when grading and classifying coffee beans, they are still distinguished by size and color depth.

Coffee Bean Classification Examples:

Kenyan Coffee Beans

AA, A, B, C, and PB grades. AA is the highest grade, followed by A, B, and C in descending order. Additionally, there's a type called Peaberry (abbreviated as PB). These beans are smaller in size, have special flavors, rare production, and usually command higher prices.

Indonesian and Ethiopian Coffee Beans

These are classified based on defect point counts. Indonesian beans are mainly classified into 6 grades: Gr1-Gr6, while Ethiopian beans are divided into 5 grades. Gr1-Gr2 are reserved for washed beans, where Gr1 represents only 0-3 defective beans per 300g of green beans, and Gr2 represents 4-12 defective beans per 300g. Natural process beans are graded as Gr3, Gr4, or Gr5 in descending quality order.

Guatemalan Coffee Beans

SHB: Grown at 4,500-5,000 feet altitude (Strictly Hard Bean); HB: Grown at 4,000-4,500 feet altitude (Hard Bean); SH: Grown at 3,500-4,000 feet altitude (Semi-Hard Bean); GW: Coffee beans selected from mountains below 2,000 feet altitude.

Costa Rican Coffee Beans

SHB: Grown at 3,900-5,400 feet altitude (Strictly Hard Bean); GHB: Grown at 3,300-3,900 feet altitude (Good Hard Bean); HB: Grown at 2,600-3,300 feet altitude (Hard Bean); LGA: 500-2,000 feet altitude (Low Grown Altitude).

Hopefully, through this introduction to coffee bean classification systems, everyone can gain a deeper understanding of the importance of coffee beans.

How to Select Coffee Beans

How should one select coffee beans? Let me help clarify your questions. You can start with the freshness, purity, and appearance of the beans. To purchase high-quality beans, refer to the following information, and you can transform yourself into a coffee bean connoisseur!

Freshness

Place one or two coffee beans in your mouth and chew. If the sound is very crisp, it indicates the coffee beans haven't been affected by moisture. Then, take a deep sniff with your nose to clearly smell the aroma of the coffee beans.

Purity

Observe whether each coffee bean's color, size, and shape are consistent. Italian blend beans, which have been popular in recent years, are made from various coffee bean types, so different brands have unique taste profiles, making variations in size and color normal. Dark and medium roasting will cause coffee beans to release oils, while lightly roasted beans that show oil indicate they have deteriorated.

Appearance

Pay attention to whether the coffee beans' surface is complete, avoiding broken or chipped situations. Beans with black cracks are generally better.

Steps for Selecting Good Coffee:

Step One: Choose Fresh and Flavorful Beans

1. Select fresh coffee beans from specialty stores or small coffee roasting workshops that roast coffee beans daily.
2. Choose stores that properly store coffee beans. Placing coffee beans in sunlight or dirty containers is unacceptable. Roasted coffee beans are easily affected by oxygen in the air, which causes oxidation, deterioration of contained oils, and loss of aromatic compounds. Temperature, humidity, and sunlight further accelerate deterioration. The correct method is to store coffee beans in a cool place, choosing containers with one-way exhaust valves to prevent air from entering.
3. Reputable coffee shops or small coffee roasting workshops usually maintain certain quality standards for their products and roasting methods. Moreover, you can gain considerable knowledge about coffee beans from them.

Step Two: Purchase One Month's Supply at a Time

When buying freshly roasted coffee beans, the principle of purchasing small quantities is best. Otherwise, if you buy too much at once, coffee beans stored for extended periods will lose their original flavor. When buying by gram, purchasing half a pound (approximately 230 grams) at a time is the most appropriate amount.

Step Three: Proper Refrigeration to Preserve Coffee Flavor

The shelf life of roasted coffee beans at room temperature is approximately 2-3 weeks maximum, but they should be kept away from air as much as possible and stored in airtight containers. If the storage period exceeds 3 weeks, it's best to store them in the freezer. However, remember to use sealed containers or multiple layers of plastic bags when storing in the refrigerator to prevent coffee beans from absorbing food odors. This way, the quality of coffee beans won't change significantly, but it's still recommended to purchase fresh coffee beans and consume them while fresh for optimal enjoyment.

Coffee Bean Composition Analysis

Fat

Fats in coffee are divided into several types, with the most important being acidic fats and volatile fats. Acidic fats refer to fats containing acids, whose acidity strength varies depending on the coffee variety. Volatile fats are the main source of coffee aroma, emitting forty aromatic substances, making them extremely complex and subtle components.

Sugar

Coffee beans contain approximately 8% sugar. After roasting, most of the sugar converts to caramel, giving coffee its unique brown color.

Extract

Can be divided into several types, accounting for nearly one-third of roasted beans.

Caffeine

Caffeine is the most noticeable component among all. Its effects are extensive, influencing various parts of the human body including the brain, heart, blood vessels, gastrointestinal tract, muscles, and kidneys. Appropriate amounts of caffeine stimulate the cerebral cortex, promoting sensory perception, judgment, memory, and emotional activities. It makes heart muscle function more active, dilates blood vessels to enhance circulation, and improves metabolic function. Caffeine can also relieve muscle fatigue and promote digestive fluid secretion. Additionally, it promotes kidney function, helping the body excrete excess sodium ions. Due to its diuretic effect, unlike other narcotic or stimulating substances that accumulate in the body, caffeine is typically excreted within about two hours.

Tannic Acid

Refined tannic acid becomes light yellow powder that easily dissolves in water. When boiled, it decomposes to produce pyroligneous acid, which worsens coffee taste.

Minerals

Include lime, iron, sulfur, phosphorus, sodium carbonate, chlorine, etc. However, because they constitute a small proportion, they don't significantly affect coffee flavor, only bringing a slight astringent taste.

Crude Fiber

Fibers in green beans carbonize after roasting. This carbonaceous material combines with caramelized sugars to form coffee's color, but powdered fibers significantly affect coffee flavor.

How to Taste Coffee

There's no fixed "correct" way to drink coffee. You can drink pure black coffee or add sugar and milk. In African and Arab regions, people even add spices like cinnamon to coffee. People unaccustomed to coffee's bitterness usually add sugar and milk to counteract it. However, drinking a cup of pure black coffee allows you to experience the rich flavors of the coffee itself and is considered the mark of a coffee connoisseur. Regardless of how you drink it, tasting coffee still requires some etiquette and knowledge.

Steps

When a cup of coffee is served, don't rush to drink it. Like tasting tea or wine, there should be a gradual process to achieve relaxation, refreshment, and enjoyment.

Step One: Smell the Aroma

Experience the rich fragrance that wafts from the coffee.

Step Two: Observe the Color

Coffee should ideally呈现 deep brown rather than pitch black and opaque.

Step Three: Taste

First take a sip of black coffee to experience the taste of pure coffee. Coffee should have some sweetness, slight bitterness, slight acidity without astringency. Then take small sips, don't rush to swallow the coffee in one gulp. Hold it in your mouth briefly, allowing the coffee to mix slightly with saliva and air before swallowing.

Temperature

The optimal temperature for drinking coffee is 85-88°C. Because regular coffee's texture isn't very stable, it's best to taste it while hot. To prevent the coffee's flavor from diminishing, preheat the coffee cup in hot water. The appropriate temperature for coffee is 83°C at the moment of brewing, 80°C when poured into the cup, and 61-62°C when reaching the mouth, which is ideal.

Generally, tasting the coffee served by your host while it's hot is basic coffee etiquette. If it's a high-quality coffee, after cooling, although the aroma may decrease, the taste performance remains consistent with when hot, or even improves.

Flavor

Coffee beans contain approximately 5-8% sugar. After roasting, most converts to caramel, which is the source of aroma and bitterness. Unconverted sugar retains slight sweetness. Tannic acid released during roasting combines with caramel to produce a slightly bitter sweet taste. Therefore, people generally perceive coffee flavors as bitter, sour, sweet, aromatic, and astringent.

Quantity

Drinking coffee isn't like drinking alcohol or juice. A full cup of coffee can be visually unappealing. Typically, filling to seven or eight tenths full is appropriate. Moderately portioned coffee not only stimulates the taste buds but also leaves no heavy feeling after drinking, instead providing endless aftertaste. Meanwhile, appropriate amounts of coffee can moderately help the body recover from fatigue and refresh the mind. Coffee has variations in strength, so unlike drinking tea or cola, you shouldn't drink several cups continuously. Generally, 80-100cc is an appropriate amount for coffee consumption. If you want to drink three or four cups consecutively, you should dilute the coffee concentration or add large amounts of milk to avoid discomfort. Also, don't hesitate to vary the sugar content to make coffee more delicious.

Why Coffee Cupping is Necessary

Cupping! This term is likely familiar to coffee enthusiasts. Cupping is generally needed in three situations: for coffee farmers or traders evaluating green bean grades, for roasters assessing roasted coffee, and for baristas evaluating brewed coffee. Should ordinary people cup coffee? Of course! When we taste a cup of coffee, what exactly are we experiencing in the cup? Are the aroma, mouthfeel, and flavors brought by the coffee truly what we want? Is the so-called "Taiwanese coffee" that claims to be not sour, not bitter, and slightly sweet really good coffee? Does the price of roasted coffee beans directly correlate with good-tasting coffee? This is often complex and subtle. I can only say that "freshly" roasted beans are more important, and what is so-called "specialty coffee"? Is it extremely expensive estate beans with special flavors in very limited quantities? This definition is too narrow. What's important is how we know the true flavors brought by the cup of coffee we're drinking. Even the cheapest Brazilian beans have their own delicious qualities. Therefore, I divide the factors that truly determine a good cup of coffee into the following four items and their impact levels:

1. Mastery of green bean origin flavors: 40%
2. Control of coffee bean roast degree: 30%
3. Storage of fresh roasted beans: 20%
4. Brewing method: 10%

Therefore, when we taste a cup of coffee, we can understand the coffee's characteristics in aroma, mouthfeel, and flavor through cupping, helping you find a coffee you love. Of course, professional cupping has specific requirements for coffee roast degree, cup brewing, and cupping procedures. If ordinary coffee lovers use professional cupping methods to find good coffee, you'll be greatly disappointed. This is beyond the three professional cupping scenarios mentioned above. Ordinary coffee lovers can also understand coffee's expressed characteristics through the cupping process. Cupping can be both simple and difficult, but it's best to approach it with a normal mindset. Never let drinking coffee become a painful experience. For us, the purpose of cupping is to present the flavors we experience in the form of data scores, allowing everyone to understand coffee bean characteristics. At the same time, through cupping, everyone can better understand coffee bean flavors and choose their favorite coffee beans.

You can use any roasted beans you want to taste, appropriate grinding methods, and your chosen brewing method to prepare coffee. By recording the grinding, brewing, and tasting process step by step, you achieve what's called "coffee tasting cupping." Generally, coffee tasting cupping is divided into the following items for scoring:

1. Dry Fragrance

After grinding fresh coffee beans into powder, carbon dioxide inside the cells releases these aromas. Smell this aroma forcefully. Aroma characteristics express the essence of taste. Sweetness indicates acidity, while pungency indicates stimulating flavors. Aroma intensity reflects coffee freshness from roasting, grinding, to brewing.

2. Wet Aroma

The coffee aroma released during the brewing process or immediately after pouring coffee into the cup. You can detect fruity, grassy, and nutty aromas that should be consistent with the coffee beans. Aroma intensity is related to coffee freshness.

3. Acidity

Coffee beans are fruits, so they naturally contain some fruit acidity. Coffee's fruit acidity varies in intensity depending on bean variety and origin, but the roast degree primarily determines the strength of coffee acidity. The darker the roast, the less acidity; the lighter the roast, the more acidity. Acidity also has good and bad aspects. Fresh, bright fruity acidity indicates fresh coffee. Vinegary acidity suggests it's been stored too long and isn't fresh. Under-roasted coffee will have astringent acidity, like eating unripe fruit.

4. Bitterness

Coffee is a fruit with bitterness, similar to cocoa beans. High-purity chocolate also has bitterness. Therefore, bitterness in coffee is normal. The key factor affecting bitterness intensity is still roasting. The darker the roast, the more complete the caramelization. Roasting not only affects acidity and bitterness but also increases sweetness as roast level increases. However, during the caramelization process, if it exceeds the limit, caramel becomes carbonized—meaning it's burnt. Burnt bitterness isn't a flavor that should be present in coffee.

5. Body

Explore the mouthfeel of coffee liquid. Gently slide your tongue over the roof of your mouth. Oils in coffee create a smooth sensation. Proteins express thickness. Coffee concentration and body consist of these two sensations, similar to the body variation from pure water to yogurt. Creamy, rich coffee doesn't necessarily represent optimal body, and lighter coffee sometimes doesn't indicate insufficient body. The optimal body for coffee still interacts with other coffee flavors.

6. Flavor

Coffee flavor mainly comes from the inherent qualities of green beans from different origins. A truly good coffee is one that can truly express its original应有的 flavors, such as Mocha's wine-like and fermented flavors, Mandheling's grassy notes, Central American beans' nutty flavors, and Yirgacheffe's jasmine-like floral and citrus peel acidity. These special flavors are what we pursue in coffee tasting—this is the true essence of drinking "specialty coffee." Whether a cup of coffee can truly express the flavor characteristics of its coffee-producing region can be measured by this item. This flavor information often provides feedback on the appropriateness of the coffee roasting process. Aromatic coffee beans are suitable for light roasting, while grassy and fermented flavors are suitable for darker roasting.

7. Aftertaste

After drinking brewed coffee, hold it in your mouth for a few seconds, then forcefully swallow a small portion, causing water vapor to rapidly pass through the back of the palate into the nasal cavity. It may leave chocolate-like sweetness or even campfire or tobacco aromas. Aftertaste might have clove-like pungency or pine resin flavors, or even a combination of these aromas. When coffee beans aren't fresh, unpleasant flavors will appear in the aftertaste process. Fresh, clean coffee has an endless aftertaste experience. Have you ever had the experience of tasting a coffee whose aftertaste lingered for days, unforgettable? This is the aftertaste item of coffee.

8. Correction

When we drink a cup of coffee, it should at least score 60 points. If there are slight mistakes, we might taste "bad" coffee. Therefore, when we taste coffee, we start from 50 points, adding the previous 7 items totaling 50 points, finally obtaining a tasting score for a cup of coffee. Whether you're a coffee roasting professional or a coffee enthusiast, record all the coffees you usually drink... Let yourself better understand that tasting coffee is such a profound art!

How to Drink Ground Coffee

1. Water Temperature for Brewing Coffee

Before brewing coffee—you need good water. Mountain spring water is best. Fresh water after boiling contains appropriate amounts of carbon dioxide that can enhance coffee aroma, but continuous boiling causes carbon dioxide to evaporate and decrease. Therefore, the optimal water temperature is 95°C. Water temperature that's too low prevents complete flavor extraction, while water that's too high causes coffee components to deteriorate. Both excess and deficiency are undesirable.

2. Filter Brewing Coffee

Starbucks recommends that you can actually use the simplest French press without buying expensive coffee makers.

French Press Brewing Method

Coffee Bean Amount

Use 20g of coffee beans to 180-200cc of hot water. You can adjust the amount of coffee beans according to your preferred taste strength.

1. First, remove the lid and filter from the French press and pour the freshly ground coffee powder into the pot.
2. Pour in the appropriate amount of hot water according to the ratio and start timing.
3. Let it sit for one minute. Then stir briefly with a stirring spoon to ensure all coffee grounds are evenly moistened.
4. Place the lid on but don't press down yet, and let it sit for another minute.
5. Slowly press the filter to the bottom.
6. Complete. Pour out the coffee and drink! (Note: Don't remove the filter when pouring coffee, otherwise coffee grounds will float up.)

What Are Male and Female Coffee Beans?

Actually, coffee beans have no male/female distinction—many people call peaberries "male beans" and flat beans "female beans." Botanically speaking, this is an extremely absurd statement. In the plant kingdom, some species truly have male and female distinctions, known as "dioecious," such as bischofia and creeping fig. Male plants don't flower and bear seeds. Some are "monoecious" with separate male and female flowers, requiring cross-pollination for female flowers to produce fruits and seeds, such as most gourd plants.

As for coffee plants in the Rubiaceae family, they can "self-pollinate." A single flower possesses both male and female reproductive organs, with no distinction between male/female plants or male/female flowers. There are two ovules in the coffee flower's ovary. Self-pollination results in extremely high pollination rates. Usually, both ovules are successfully pollinated and develop into coffee fruits (commonly known as coffee cherries) containing two seeds called "flat beans." Extremely few coffee fruits have only one ovule successfully pollinated, developing into a single round seed called "peaberry" (not "male bean").

Only 5% of beans on a single coffee tree are peaberries, with the rest being flat beans. Peaberries aren't particularly precious or variant beans—just because they constitute only about 5% of the total, they require special selection. Due to their small quantity and more labor-intensive processing, their prices naturally become higher than beans of the same grade. Many people believe that because nutrients are completely enclosed in a single peaberry, the aroma is more concentrated, with no astringency or bitterness and optimal flavor, making them the best among coffee beans.

Whether flat beans or peaberries, since they are seeds, they are all "female." How absurd is the concept of "male seeds"! The "male bean/female bean" theory originated in Indonesia as a sensational gimmick to fool foreign tourists. Knowledgeable people shouldn't be deceived. It's understandable for ordinary laypeople to follow this view, but if you're in the coffee industry, you should spread correct knowledge.

Coffee Brewing Methods

Siphon Method

Using the siphon principle, heated water rises through the siphon tube to mix with coffee grounds, then flows back to the lower pot after complete extraction. The entire process is full of performance charm, allowing guests to taste coffee in an atmosphere of appreciation and enjoyment.

Paper Filter Method

The paper filter coffee maker was invented by a German housewife in 1908. Paper filters can remove fine coffee grounds, maintaining good coffee texture. Additionally, paper filters are disposable and very hygienic. The paper filter method has specific requirements for coffee grind size—too fine and it will clog the filter holes; too coarse and water will pass too quickly, resulting in insufficiently rich coffee flavor.

Drip Method

Using extremely fine coffee powder and cold or ice water, extraction occurs slowly at a rate of 40 drops per minute. Coffee brewed by the drip method contains extremely low caffeine and has an exceptionally clean taste. Its price is three times that of regular iced coffee and requires advance reservation.

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