Smoke-Infused Coffee Beans! Smoky Flavor No Longer a Pour-Over Coffee Defect

Among many coffee enthusiasts, the presence of smoky flavor in coffee is often assumed to be a defect. But not all smoky flavors in coffee are defects! Some properly roasted dark roast beans carry smoky character, Guatemalan coffee has its own smoky signature — and then there's the smoky flavor created by roasting coffee beans over specific types of wood, which is what we'll explore below.

The Nature of Smoky Flavors in Coffee

The smoky flavor usually classed as a defect occurs when the smoke generated during roasting isn't properly vented, or when the beans aren't cooled promptly after leaving the roaster. Some acrid smoke gets reabsorbed into the beans, leaving a harsh, unpleasant smoky sensation after grinding and brewing — the kind that catches in your throat. These unwelcome smoky notes typically come from the dense smoke the beans themselves produce during roasting.

Innovative Smoked Coffee from Japan

Recently, Hokkaido University in Japan partnered with a Sapporo coffee shop to launch a "smoked coffee" that imparts different smoky experiences to the beans by burning different kinds of wood.

Ever environmentally conscious, the Japanese weren't about to fell trees just to roast coffee. The wood used to "smoke" the beans came from trees that had to be cut down when Hokkaido University demolished long-neglected old campus buildings. These trees are considerably old — some more than a hundred years.

The university felt it would be a waste to simply discard them, yet many of the species were unsuitable for crafts, furniture, or other uses. So they reached out to a Sapporo coffee shop, Ritaru Coffee, hoping to put the dried wood to use in coffee roasting. The distinctive smoky fragrance released by burning the wood is absorbed by the beans, giving the coffee a completely different flavor experience — and letting people preserve the memory of these trees through coffee as a medium.

The Art of Wood Selection and Smoking Process

The roaster behind the "smoked coffee" explains that they work with different woods such as acacia, ginkgo, and oak. The smoke each produces varies with the species, as well as with the wood's moisture content, thickness, temperature, and the season in which it was cut.

Throughout roasting, the smoke must be monitored constantly. Wood that's too moist, or too much wood added at once, can produce excessive or off-tasting smoke, ultimately leaving the coffee with an unpleasant, harsh smokiness. The roaster admits every batch of wood behaves differently, so it takes continuous trial and error — waiting until the wood gives off a gentle fragrance before smoking the beans. The smoking apparatus itself is custom-built for roasting coffee.

Coffee Bean Selection for Smoking

The beans chosen for smoking come mostly from Guatemala and Tanzania. Both origins already carry their own distinctive smoky character, so the finished smoked beans are less likely to taste "incongruous." Sometimes, depending on the aroma a particular wood releases, other origins are selected for smoking.

The roaster hopes to use their understanding of the beans to make them complement the fragrance of the wood — after all, every batch of wood used for smoked coffee is precious.

Image source: Network, Asahi Shimbun

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If smoky or bold flavors are your thing, here are three pour-over picks worth trying in a V60:

FrontStreet PWN Golden Mandheling — deep-roasted Sumatran coffee with very low acidity and a long, full-bodied palate: herbal notes, dark chocolate, and a whisper of earthiness. Richly layered — ideal for drinkers who love intensity and dislike sourness.

FrontStreet Queen Estate — a low-acid, beautifully balanced Brazilian with rich nut and cocoa aromas plus a clear caramel sweetness. Smooth, warm, and lingering, it suits pour-over, espresso, and moka pot alike — a great everyday bean.

FrontStreet Yunnan Sun-Dried Typica (2013) — clean in the cup with citrus and caramel aromas interwoven; the medium-dark roast adds notes of nuts, chocolate, and brown sugar, with balanced, medium acidity full of Yunnan character.