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

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

Many internationally renowned coffee manufacturers go through great efforts before roasting, so that they can offer high-quality products. Cuppers search for "premium sample beans" according to the taste profile and flavor characteristics they want. The beans are then roasted, and cuppers use cupping to decide whether the roast degree needs adjusting. Through layer after layer of quality control, they reconfirm whether the taste and flavor differ from their own products. That is why they consistently seek large-scale coffee plantations for long-term cooperation, to strengthen the quality stability of their established brands.

International coffee manufacturers hire cuppers to evaluate beans and find large-scale plantations for long-term cooperation. Unfortunately, domestic coffee consumption is considerably lower than international standards, which makes it impossible to cooperate with large-scale plantations the way 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 take part in high-quality coffee rating competitions, and have gradually begun to cultivate high-quality specialty beans. They also emphasize the freshness and storage of green beans. We advocate for fresh and diversified coffee beans, adopting small-batch refined roasting and offering customized services that can be tailored to different customer groups with customized roasting. The goal is to seize the "freshness" advantage - something 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 make trading more convenient, classification has become a very important indicator. Many coffee-growing regions still trade according to classification systems today. There are various methods: some are based on processing method (washed, natural), bean size, defect rate or growing altitude, among others. 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 them they are still distinguished by size and color depth.

Coffee Bean Classification Examples

Kenyan Coffee Beans

Grades AA, A, B, C and PB. AA is the highest grade, followed by A, B and C in descending order. In addition there is a type called Peaberry (abbreviated PB). These beans are smaller in size, have special flavors, are rare in 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 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 this introduction to coffee bean classification systems gives you a deeper understanding of why classification matters.

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 buy 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 means the beans have not been affected by moisture. Then take a deep sniff with your nose to clearly smell the aroma.

Purity

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

Appearance

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

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

When buying freshly roasted coffee beans, the principle of small quantities is best. Buy too much at once and beans stored for a long time will lose their original flavor. When buying by gram, 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 at most, 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 is best to store them in the freezer. Remember to use sealed containers or multiple layers of plastic bags in the refrigerator to prevent the beans from absorbing food odors. This way the quality of the beans will not change significantly, but it is still recommended to buy fresh beans and consume them while fresh for the best enjoyment.

Coffee Bean Composition Analysis

Component	Green Beans (%)	Roasted Beans (%)
Moisture	11.3	2.5
Fat	11.7	13.2
Sugar	8.0	1.8
Extract	17.1	29.6
Protein	11.8	12.8
Caffeine	1.3	1.3
Tannic Acid	6.0	4.0
Minerals	4.2	5.2
Crude Fiber	28.6	29.6

Fat

Fats in coffee are divided into several types, the most important being acidic fats and volatile fats. Acidic fats are fats that contain acids, whose strength varies with 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 of all. Its effects are extensive, influencing many parts of the 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 activity. It makes the heart muscle work more actively, dilates blood vessels to enhance circulation and improves metabolic function. Caffeine can also relieve muscle fatigue and promote digestive fluid secretion. It promotes kidney function, helping the body excrete excess sodium ions. Because of its diuretic effect, and 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 a 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 and others. Because they make up a small proportion, they do not significantly affect coffee flavor, only bringing a slight astringency.

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 is 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. Drinking a cup of pure black coffee, however, lets you experience the rich flavors of the coffee itself and is considered the mark of a coffee connoisseur. However you drink it, tasting coffee still requires some etiquette and knowledge.

Steps

When a cup of coffee is served, do not 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 be 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 and slight acidity without astringency. Then take small sips, without rushing 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 the texture of regular coffee is not very stable, it is best to taste it while hot. To prevent the 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 is hot is basic coffee etiquette. If it is a high-quality coffee, after cooling, although the aroma may decrease, the taste 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 is not like drinking alcohol or juice. A full cup of coffee can be visually unappealing. Typically, filling to seven or eight tenths full is appropriate. A moderate portion not only stimulates the taste buds but also leaves no heavy feeling afterwards, instead providing endless aftertaste. Meanwhile, an appropriate amount of coffee can moderately help the body recover from fatigue and refresh the mind. Coffee varies in strength, so unlike drinking tea or cola, you should not drink several cups continuously. Generally, 80-100cc is an appropriate amount. 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. Do not hesitate to vary the sugar content to make coffee more delicious.

Why Coffee Cupping is Necessary

Cupping. The 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 beans directly correlate with good-tasting coffee? This is often complex and subtle. 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? That definition is too narrow. What matters is how we come to know the true flavors brought by the cup we are 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%

So when we taste a cup of coffee, we can understand its characteristics in aroma, mouthfeel and flavor through cupping, helping you find a coffee you love. Professional cupping, of course, has specific requirements for roast degree, cup brewing and procedure. If ordinary coffee lovers use professional cupping methods to find good coffee, you will be greatly disappointed; this is beyond the three professional cupping scenarios mentioned above. Ordinary lovers can still understand a coffee's expressed characteristics through the cupping process. Cupping can be both simple and difficult, but it is 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 bean characteristics. At the same time, through cupping, everyone can better understand bean flavors and choose their favorite 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 is 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 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 has been stored too long and is not fresh. Under-roasted coffee will have astringent acidity, like eating unripe fruit.

4. Bitterness

Coffee is a fruit with bitterness, similar to cocoa beans, and 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. During the caramelization process, however, if it exceeds the limit, caramel becomes carbonized - meaning it is burnt. Burnt bitterness is not a flavor that should be present in coffee.

5. Body

Explore the mouthfeel of the 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 does not necessarily represent optimal body, and lighter coffee sometimes does not indicate insufficient body. The optimal body for coffee interacts with the 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 deserved 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 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 are not fresh, unpleasant flavors appear in the aftertaste. Fresh, clean coffee has an endless aftertaste experience. Have you ever tasted 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. So 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 are 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 is too low prevents complete flavor extraction, while water that is 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 do not 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: do not 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 do not 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 an extremely high pollination rate. 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 a "peaberry" (not a "male bean").

Only 5% of beans on a single coffee tree are peaberries, with the rest being flat beans. Peaberries are not particularly precious or variant beans - it is simply that, because they make up 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 should not be deceived. It is understandable for ordinary laypeople to hold this view, but if you are 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 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 it requires advance reservation.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For anyone building a home setup, FrontStreet Coffee's 2013 Yunnan Natural Typica is a dependable everyday bean. Medium roasted to keep its balanced, gentle character, it carries soft nut, brown sugar and black tea notes and works with pour-over, cold brew and drip machines, all at a very friendly price.

If you prefer something sweeter, FrontStreet Coffee's Strawberry Candy blends a honey-processed Costa Rican coffee with a washed Panama Geisha. Roasted medium, it brings both orange-blossom honey and round sweetness to cold brew, pour-over and espresso alike.