How to Brew Colombian Anaerobic Coffee Beans for Great Taste? Introduction to Hand Brewing Parameters for Hua Ye Yue Coffee Beans

The Exceptional Flavors of Anaerobically Processed Coffee

The flavors exhibited by anaerobically processed coffee beans are remarkably distinct and appealing. Many coffee enthusiasts find themselves pleasantly surprised after tasting these beans, often deciding to purchase a bag to brew at home.

However, the feedback often reveals a common experience: while the coffee is indeed aromatic and full-bodied when brewed at home, there's an unpleasant bitterness that emerges at the throat, completely overshadowing the previously enjoyable sensations. Where does the problem lie? Despite using standard brewing methods, why does this happen? Is it the coffee beans themselves?

Yes, but not entirely.

The Anaerobic Processing Controversy

Since the rise of anaerobic processing methods, they have been surrounded by controversy. Nowadays, terms like "flavored beans" and "enhanced beans" have emerged. Discussions have arisen about whether anaerobic-based "flavor-enhancing" processing methods represent progress or regression in specialty coffee. Such discussions have precedents in the past, but whether they are praised or criticized will be left for future generations to evaluate.

Since there are still coffee lovers who enjoy these types of coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee is committed to helping friends solve their brewing difficulties. For now, let's set aside these inconclusive discussions and focus on how to properly brew anaerobically processed beans to achieve the best taste.

FrontStreet Coffee's Observations on Anaerobic Beans

Generally, traditionally processed coffee beans have a grassy aroma in their raw form, which isn't particularly pleasant. After roasting, they typically exhibit roasted notes with subtle fruit and floral aromas. In contrast, anaerobically processed coffee beans possess an impressive aroma even in their raw state, with lactic acid-like characteristics. After roasting, their fruity and floral aromas become even more pronounced, primarily displaying characteristics of dark fruits and deep floral notes.

During brewing, the fluffiness of anaerobically processed coffee is significantly greater than traditionally processed beans of similar roast levels, and the water flow rate is considerably faster. If using normal brewing techniques for traditionally processed coffee beans takes approximately 2 minutes, the same method applied to anaerobically processed beans typically completes in about 1 minute and 20 seconds.

This represents the most significant brewing characteristic of anaerobic beans. Moreover, if you carefully use a sieve or particle size calibrator for adjustment, you'll discover that at the same grind setting, the particle size of anaerobic beans is larger than that of traditionally processed beans. Therefore, when determining the grind size, please don't apply the standards calibrated for traditionally processed beans to anaerobic coffee beans. (Don't be lazy!)

Additionally, during one of FrontStreet Coffee's demonstrations on early, middle, and late extraction stages using anaerobically processed coffee beans, we discovered that the flavorful compounds in anaerobic beans "dissipate" rather quickly. Essentially, the coffee liquid from the first two segments dominates the pleasant flavors, while as extraction continues, the later flavors become watery and unpleasantly bitter-sweet.

Therefore, when brewing anaerobically processed coffee beans, it's best to complete extraction within 2 minutes (for 15g of coffee grounds).

Brewing Recommendations

To summarize, when brewing anaerobically processed coffees with particularly pronounced aromas, first pay attention to whether the grind size is truly accurate (80% passing through a #20 sieve). Second, pay attention to timing - for normal brewing (three-stage method), control the time to around 1 minute and 40 seconds. Third, consider the bloom time - in most cases, 30 seconds of blooming for anaerobic beans is excessive (the coffee will have already expanded and formed a hollow state), so adjust the bloom time according to the actual situation.

The recommended parameters are: 15g of coffee grounds, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, water temperature of 90°C, and grind size with 80% passing through a #20 sieve. Bloom with double the water amount for 25 seconds, pour to 130ml in the second stage, and to 225ml in the third stage, with a total time of 1 minute and 40 seconds.

Another characteristic of anaerobically processed coffee is that its brew appears very clear and light in color, but tastes surprisingly rich and concentrated when consumed.