What is Body? How is Body in Coffee Brewed? Can High Concentration and Low Extraction Increase Richness?

Body, good Body. Baristas always talk about Body when drinking coffee, and many friends feel confused: "Doesn't this word translate to 'body, volume'? How can it be related to coffee?"

Right! FrontStreet Coffee didn't quite understand at first either, but after deeper exploration, we finally figured out its meaning. Some time ago, FrontStreet Coffee shared that "Body" is actually a professional term in coffee, mainly referring to the coffee's mouthfeel and body (since body is also a type of mouthfeel, it mostly refers to mouthfeel)! Whether a cup of coffee is good or not isn't solely determined by its flavor - its mouthfeel is also very important! Flavor refers to our taste experience, while mouthfeel is about tactile sensation. Just like a glass of water and a cup of yogurt, the feeling of weight when shaken and tasted is completely different.

When we evaluate whether a coffee's Body is good or not, we're basically talking about whether the tactile sensation of this coffee is comfortable. For example, when a coffee tastes smooth, full, or thick, we can say that this coffee has a relatively excellent Body; if it tastes thin, rough, or dry, then it's the opposite. What enables coffee to have excellent Body mainly depends on the content of oils and cellulose. The higher the content of these two in coffee, the more excellent the Body will be. Therefore, we can understand why Japanese people love using flannel filters when making pour-over coffee; why Italians prefer espresso? The essence of both is that they can retain more oils and enhance the coffee's Body.

How to Brew Excellent Coffee Body

Excellent flavor alone is not enough to support the overall quality of a cup of coffee. Body, the tactile experience, cannot be overlooked. So, what FrontStreet Coffee wants to share today is: how to brew excellent coffee Body!

How to brew coffee Body? Some friends might say: "Lower the coffee-to-water ratio and increase the coffee concentration!" Obviously, this is a method of obtaining mouthfeel by increasing concentration! However, FrontStreet Coffee wants to point out a misconception here: coffee Body is not entirely equivalent to coffee concentration.

Because coffee Body actually has little to do with coffee concentration. The methods we know for obtaining Body through high concentration and low extraction all come from specific brewing methods! Through specific brewing methods, the oils and cellulose in coffee are extracted. This way, while concentration increases, Body is also enhanced. So the most important thing isn't concentration, but the oils and cellulose we mentioned at the beginning!

In other words, as long as we extract more of these two when brewing coffee, we can achieve a relatively excellent Body!

1. Filtering Equipment

When we brew coffee, the larger the filter holes of the filtering equipment, the more oils it can allow to pass through. More oils mean a thicker Body. Therefore, for friends who want to pursue a thick Body, metal filters and flannel filter cloths are all good choices~

2. Brewing Time

Due to the strong filtering performance of filter paper, it's difficult for oils to pass through. Therefore, we can extend the brewing time to allow more coffee to be extracted! But if we extend the brewing time according to the original brewing parameters, it's easy to over-extract, and I believe no one wants to drink a cup of coffee that's unbearably bitter, right? Then, we need to adjust parameters to reduce extraction efficiency. This way, we can achieve a higher Body while extending the time!

FrontStreet Coffee recommends an extraction solution for everyone's reference: "stabilize the ratio, lower water temperature, adjust to coarser grind," then use a slower-flow dripper (such as Kono, Starlight, etc.) to restrict flow rate. This way, you can obtain rich coffee substances through long soaking time, and the Body will also be smoother!

3. Coffee Bean Roast Level

The roast level of coffee beans has a certain impact on oil content! The deeper the roast level, the more oil content! Under the same brewing method, dark-roasted beans can often produce a richer mouthfeel than light-roasted beans! If you want to experience a very thick Body, then switching to dark-roasted beans and combining with the first two solutions will allow you to obtain a very full, thick Body!

Conclusion

Finally, FrontStreet Coffee wants to say: while the existence of Body is certainly important, not every cup of coffee needs a thick Body to support it - it can also be light! A light Body doesn't mean the coffee is thin, but rather that the feeling it gives people is very comfortable. Without an overly heavy tongue-coating sensation while having full flavor - that's lightness~ This type of Body mostly appears in light-roasted coffees. So, "fish and bear paw," which one do you prefer?

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FrontStreet Coffee

No. 10, Bao'an Qianjie, Yandun Road, Dongshankou, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473