Can Aged Coffee Still Be Drunk? How to Brew Aged Mandheling with Flannel?

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What Are Aged Coffee Beans?

Aged coffee beans are green beans that achieve natural aging through extended storage time (typically 2-3 years). These changes include reduced acidity, color changes, and increased bean density. The storage environment must be cool and well-ventilated.

Properly stored coffee beans will change their flavor and appearance. For example, acidity decreases, color becomes darker and lacking moisture, mouthfeel becomes thicker with better body, sweetness carries honey-like fragrance, and certain defects originally present in the green beans become less noticeable. Because the storage environment is relatively dark and the time period is long, aged coffee beans often cannot escape complex flavors similar to musty smells or what are commonly known as burlap bags or leather.

Aged coffee beans must be stored under strictly and carefully controlled conditions during the aging period, with regular and even turning, humidity and ventilation adjustments to prevent insect infestation or mold growth.

Generally, the storage of aged coffee beans does not occur in production areas or estates, but is rather a commercial activity conducted by green bean dealers or brokerage companies.

Aged Coffee vs. Monsooned Coffee

Aged coffee beans differ from Indian monsooned coffee. Monsooned coffee achieves aging by exposing green beans to monsoon winds for just 3-4 months to rapidly reduce moisture content. Monsooned coffee beans are young and robust; aged coffee beans are the result of long-term slow natural aging of green beans. Aged coffee beans also differ from old coffee that has simply deteriorated with age. Green coffee beans retain their flavor for about 12 months in natural environments, with flavor diminishing toward the end. Coffee beans older than 12 months taste old and flat after roasting, lacking complexity and variation, thus losing their value for tasting.

Suitable Coffee Beans for Aging

Not all coffee beans are suitable for storage as aged coffee beans. Typically, green beans selected for storage must possess robust physical characteristics. Therefore, coffee beans from Indonesia's three important and renowned regions—Sumatra Mandheling, Sulawesi, and Java—produced in tropical rainforest areas, have solid beans with high density, making them the best choice for aged coffee. Among these, aged Mandheling is the most famous and also the most readily available aged coffee bean internationally. Hawaii Kona, which enjoys an international reputation, also has small quantities of aged coffee beans, but few people know about them, mainly because they are not a mainstream flavor profile.

Flavor Profile of Aged Coffee

Aged coffee beans aim to express richness, stability, body, and fermentation. The mouthfeel is extremely similar to Pu-erh tea, with warm, smooth, glutinous texture that is pleasant to drink. Both aged coffee beans and Pu-erh tea showcase delicate fermentation changes developed over many years of accumulation. However, aged coffee beans cannot be stored for as many years as Pu-erh tea. Despite significant differences in storage years, coffee beans are fruits while Pu-erh tea consists of leaves, yet there remains room for comparison between the two.

If asked which among aged Mandheling, aged Sulawesi, and aged Java has better flavor and more distinctive characteristics? Coffee flavors produced through intentional storage processes are very similar. If there are differences, they only reflect the body expression resulting from the quality and robustness of the green beans at the time of selection. Even aged Hawaii Kona made from premium quality Hawaii Kona cannot retain the unique volcanic smoky aroma of Extra Fancy Kona, the soul-stirring fragrance, delicate and elegant acidity, and clear, clean balanced mouthfeel. What remains, besides the honey flavor, viscosity, body, and low acidity of Indonesian aged coffee beans, are still the complex notes of musty, leather, burlap bag, and cellar that cannot be overcome.

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommendations for Brewing Aged Coffee Beans

Flannel Drip Method Recommended

Step 1

Brand new flannel filter cloths must first be removed and soaked in boiling water for 5 minutes, then placed on the metal ring. If using a previously used filter cloth, it should be boiled in water for at least 3 minutes for disinfection.

Step 2

While soaking the filter cloth, grind the coffee beans. Due to the special material of the flannel drip cone, slightly more coffee beans should be used for flannel filter cloth pour-over compared to paper filters to achieve better flavor. Of course, the appropriate amount of coffee powder should be loaded according to the filter cloth size. For 2 cups (240cc of coffee), use 40g of beans. It is recommended to grind the coffee beans to a coarseness between white sugar and fine sugar.

Step 3

Dry the filter cloth by hand-wringing it first, then place the filter cloth between clean, dry towels to absorb moisture.

Step 4

Rinse and preheat the filter cloth and dripper with hot water, then discard the water.

Step 5

Loosely pour the coffee powder into the filter cloth without needing to press it down particularly.

Step 6

Using a wooden stirring spoon or cream knife, gently stir the coffee powder from the bottom upward, and finally pull the bottom of the bag to adjust the shape.

Step 7

Create a depression about one coin wide and one thumbtack deep at the top of the coffee powder. This is because the powder layer is deeper, which helps hot water spread in all directions and evenly moisten the coffee powder.

Step 8

Let the hot water stand and cool to about 80-85°C, then start pouring water from near the depression. Initially, pour very slowly, adding 60g of water within 30 seconds. There's no need to deliberately moisten all the coffee powder, as capillary action will gradually spread the moisture. After completing the pour, wait about 30 seconds.

Step 9

Begin the second pour, this time slightly faster than the first, adding 140g of water within 60 seconds. At this point, the coffee will begin to produce a large amount of bubbles, somewhat like a cosmic explosion scene from a movie. After completing the pour, wait 20 seconds for the water level to drop slightly.

Step 10

For the final pour, add 120g of water within 30 seconds. The entire process requires pouring 320g of water over 3 minutes. Because the filter cloth and coffee powder absorb about twice the weight of the coffee powder, you can ultimately collect about 240g of coffee, with a powder-to-water ratio of 1:6.

Making coffee with a flannel filter cloth bag is time-consuming, so the resulting coffee temperature is lower. Preheating the coffee cup can slightly increase the coffee temperature. However, never reheat the coffee in any form.

END

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