What Does Balance Mean in Pour-Over Coffee? What Makes Blue Mountain Coffee Special? Why Is It So Expensive? The Advantages of Blue Mountain Typica

Understanding Balance in Coffee

"Balance" is a somewhat elusive description in the world of coffee. The reason for this is that most people cannot truly comprehend its meaning. Many friends assume that it simply refers to the equilibrium of sour, sweet, and bitter flavors in coffee. However, the concept of "balance" is far more complex than that.

What Does Balance Mean in Coffee?

In coffee cupping, there is a scoring category for "Balance," but its evaluation criteria extend far beyond the equilibrium of sour, sweet, and bitter flavors. Instead, it scores the harmony between acidity, sweetness, body, and aftertaste.

The Role of Balance in Coffee Quality

Balance essentially serves as a coordinating role. Simply put, when acidity, sweetness, body, and aftertaste are all well-expressed in the coffee, and none of these elements dominates to overshadow the others, then balance is achieved (somewhat like unlocking an achievement in a game!). However, achieving balance immediately after brewing isn't enough for cuppers to award high scores immediately. This is because as time passes and temperature changes, the coffee we taste undergoes certain transformations. Therefore, whether the coffee maintains its balance as it cools, or whether any single element becomes prominent enough to mask other aspects, is what we need to evaluate.

Examples of Imbalance

Let me share some negative examples. FrontStreet Coffee cups numerous coffee beans every year. Many beans exhibit excellent balance when freshly brewed, with commendable performance in acidity, sweetness, body, and aftertaste. However, as the temperature drops, they gradually reveal sharp acidity and heavy fermentation notes, creating an unpleasant experience. This is a case where acidity becomes too prominent, disrupting the balance. Consequently, these beans cannot receive high scores for balance.

I recall when FrontStreet Coffee once evaluated a Kenya AB bean. Its sweetness and acidity performed exceptionally well throughout the entire tasting experience, with no harsh acidity or negative sensations, and it had a nice body. However, it lacked aftertaste. The coffee erupted with dark berry notes of sweet and sour in the mouth, feeling exceptionally smooth and full-bodied. But after swallowing, these sweet and sour flavors vanished completely from the palate. Therefore, in the balance category, it similarly couldn't achieve a high score due to the absence of aftertaste.

An Example of Exceptional Balance: Blue Mountain Coffee

After discussing negative examples, let's explore an outstanding representative of "balanced coffee" - Blue Mountain Coffee. Whenever FrontStreet Coffee introduces Blue Mountain, we always emphasize one of its characteristics - indeed, balance. Blue Mountain Coffee might seem unremarkable to many, with flavors that don't justify its current price point. In terms of flavor complexity, it struggles to compare with many African coffee beans; in terms of mouthfeel, it doesn't match the body of Indonesian Mandheling; and in terms of the balance between sour, sweet, and bitter, its value proposition is lower than alternative South American beans. So why does it still command such high prices?

The True Value of Balance

It's because of its high degree of balance! Although each individual element might not outperform other beans, comprehensively speaking, Blue Mountain Coffee offers the most comfortable drinking experience, bar none. The sour, sweet, and bitter flavors are gentle and balanced; the mouthfeel is full-bodied and exceptionally clean; the aftertaste is lingering with a sweet finish that leaves an unforgettable impression. (The high price also stems from low production volume and high reputation.)

Therefore, friends can now understand that when describing a coffee as balanced, it doesn't merely refer to flavor equilibrium, nor does it suggest the coffee lacks distinctive characteristics. Rather, it means the coffee possesses everything, and performs well in all aspects!

Important Notice :

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