Top 10 Common Coffee Knowledge Summary: Coffee Varieties - Typica, Bourbon, and Geisha Flavor Characteristics

Top 10 Common Coffee Knowledge Points Summary:

1. Coffee Variety Flavor Characteristics

Through extensive cupping and flavor identification, FrontStreet Coffee has discovered that: Typica varieties generally exhibit citrus and nutty composite notes; Bourbon varieties have citrus notes but with higher sweetness; Geisha varieties are renowned for their rich floral and citrus profile as the main characteristics.

2. Differences Between Washed and Natural Processing

The natural method is the oldest and most original processing method for coffee beans. Natural processing means coffee cherries are dried in the sun until the moisture content is reduced to 11% to 13%, after which the peel, pulp, and mucilage layers are removed. Compared to washed processing, FrontStreet Coffee believes that naturally processed beans tend to be sweeter, with fermented aromas, and offer richer fruit flavors and layers.

Washed processing involves removing the coffee cherry peel and pulp, then removing the mucilage layer through water fermentation before sun-drying. Natural processing retains the entire cherry for sun-drying before removing the peel, pulp, and mucilage parts. In FrontStreet Coffee's bean selection, the washed Blue Label has more pronounced acidity and overall cleanliness, while the natural processing leans more toward fruit characteristics with fuller body and rich layers.

3. Coffee Roasting

Generally, the darker the roast, the more prominent the roasted flavors, lower acidity, and higher bitterness; the lighter the roast, the higher the acidity and lower the bitterness. For example, FrontStreet Coffee's Golden Manor: before roasting, we determine the roasting direction based on growing information. Golden Manor has high-quality herbal aromas, low acidity, and strong caramel sweetness. A medium-dark roast can better express the flavors of this bean.

4. Bock Milk VS Fresh Milk Comparison

FrontStreet Coffee can see from concentration instruments that Bock Milk has about 1 times higher concentration and sugar concentration than fresh milk. Observing their appearance, Bock Milk is slightly yellowish, while fresh milk is milky white. In terms of texture, Bock Milk is richer, sweeter, and smoother than fresh milk. How to make Bock Milk: Place fresh milk in the freezer to freeze; Make a small opening in the frozen fresh milk and place it upside down on a container, seal with tape, and leave at room temperature (27°C); After 4 hours at room temperature, 946ml of fresh milk releases 420ml of Bock Milk, with a release rate of about 44%.

5. Central and South American Coffee Beans

In FrontStreet Coffee's daily bean series, those originating from Central and South American coffee regions include: Guatemala Huehuetenango coffee beans, Costa Rica Tarrazu coffee beans, Colombia Huila coffee beans, and Brazil Red Bourbon coffee beans. Central and South American coffee beans are mainly characterized by balance and body, typically presenting cocoa and dark chocolate flavors.

6. Grind Size

"Grind size" is one of the factors affecting coffee flavor. FrontStreet Coffee believes that when using the same brand grinder, different grind sizes of coffee beans produce different results. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee sifts the grounds through a sieve before brewing each coffee. The sieve result for FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopia COE #22 Typica pour-over coffee shows that the total weight of coffee grounds passing through BG #5g sieve is 0.8g.

7. FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopia COE #22 Typica Pour-over Coffee Grind Size Sieving Process

This bean is lightly roasted. FrontStreet Coffee recommends using medium-fine grind (80% pass rate through Chinese standard #20 sieve), which means weighing 10g of coffee beans for sieving, with the total weight of sieved coffee grounds being 0.8g.

8. Catimor

Catimor comes from the hybridization of Timor and Caturra, and began to be promoted in Brazil in the 1970s and 1980s. Catimor variety characteristics include high yield, short plants, suitable for dense planting, and reddish-brown new leaves. Catimor coffee beans, when viewed from the side, have slightly raised ends and a relatively slender tail.

Catimor was created in 1959 when the Portuguese moved Brazil's Bourbon mutant Caturra to East Timor to hybridize with Timor, which has Robusta heritage. It has extremely high disease resistance and is 3 times more productive than Typica. Catimor comes from the hybridization of Caturra and Timor. Caturra is slender and round-bodied, while Timor is thick and large. The Catimor variety inherits characteristics from both parents - long-bodied yet thick and large, with slightly raised ends when viewed from the side and a relatively slender tail.

9. Caturra

Caturra is a natural variant of the Arabica Bourbon variety, discovered in Brazil in 1937. Due to inheriting Bourbon's lineage, it has relatively weak disease resistance but higher yield than Bourbon. The Caturra variety in FrontStreet Coffee's daily bean series - Colombia Huila coffee - exhibits flavors of: dark chocolate, nuts, and caramel.

10. Should Pour-over Coffee Be Drunk Hot or Cold?

Different temperatures bring different sensations when tasting a cup of coffee. If you only want to taste the best flavor of a coffee, FrontStreet Coffee recommends controlling the temperature between 30°C-45°C for tasting. This temperature range is when taste buds perform at their best.