Can You Eat Coffee Beans Directly? What Do Coffee Beans Taste Like? What Does Golden Cup Extraction Mean?

Believe it or not, everyone has had this thought when drinking coffee: Since coffee beans can produce such rich flavors, if we chew coffee beans directly, wouldn't we be able to experience their flavor profile more directly and comprehensively, absorbing more substances? Like caffeine!

Since last year, more and more friends have been having this thought. The reason was a hit TV drama last year, in which a distinctive villain character liked to grab a handful of coffee beans and chew them directly when nervous. That's right! We're talking about "The Knockout," and the villain who chewed coffee beans was Gao Qiqiang, who wanted to eat fish.

Can Coffee Beans Be Eaten?

But coffee beans have always been used as material for making coffee, discarded after extraction, just like tea leaves. Can something that looks so hard on the teeth really be eaten? You might be surprised, but coffee beans can indeed be eaten. When coffee beans were first discovered, people actually consumed them by direct chewing. FrontStreet Coffee previously saw this passage in Mr. Han Huaizong's book "New Edition Coffee Science": The Galla people, one of the major ethnic groups in Ethiopia, used to chew coffee fruit leaves to refresh themselves. The specific method was to pick the coffee fruits, crush them, wrap them in animal fat, and roll them into small balls, which served as "power pills" for courage during long journeys, battles, or raids. To this day, the Galla people still maintain the custom of eating these power pills or making wine from coffee fruits. In addition, the widely spread "Legend of the Coffee Shepherd" is similar. When Shadili was looking for herbs in Ethiopia, he accidentally noticed goats that had eaten coffee beans becoming excited and lively, so he also picked the red fruits to try. As a result, he discovered that not only did they have a refreshing effect, but the pulp was also sweet, sour, and juicy. For a long time, coffee was consumed as food with refreshing properties.

Why Didn't This Custom Spread?

So here comes the question: Since there are so many records describing how coffee beans can be eaten, why didn't this custom spread? Instead, people only learned that coffee beans could be eaten after the TV drama became popular? The answer is very simple: because coffee beans are just! not! tasty!

As we all know, coffee beans contain 30% soluble substances. Besides these 30% soluble substances, the rest is all woody fiber. It's not that woody fiber can't be eaten, but it's very difficult to swallow. It can be said that when we chew coffee beans, it's just like chewing wood.

Taste Differences Based on Roast Level

Secondly, let's talk about taste, mainly focusing on roasted beans here. Because raw coffee beans have extremely high density and toughness, and their aroma and flavor haven't been developed through intense roasting, they are very unsuitable for consumption. When raw coffee beans are roasted by intense flames, due to various chemical reactions, the structure of the coffee beans becomes looser and more brittle. Not only that, but the substances originally stored in the coffee beans transform into thousands of aromatic compounds after roasting. Therefore, at this point, they are more suitable for direct chewing than when they were raw beans (only in comparison to raw beans).

But it's important to know that the ease of chewing also varies by roast level! Light-roasted coffee beans, due to their low expansion rate, low brittleness, and high density, are not easy to chew for friends with poor teeth; while dark-roasted coffee beans are exactly the opposite. Because they have expanded sufficiently, their high brittleness allows them to be easily crushed. Therefore, generally speaking, desserts or drinks that use coffee beans as garnish will adopt dark-roasted coffee beans to avoid guests breaking their teeth from consumption.

Can You Taste Flavors by Chewing Coffee Beans?

Can you taste flavors by chewing coffee beans? Can you absorb more caffeine? Let's first talk about caffeine, as whether chewing coffee beans can provide more caffeine is the point of greatest concern for many friends. In theory, yes, it can!

Because when we use coffee beans to make coffee, we limit extraction to reduce the release of bitterness and off-flavors! Of the 30% soluble substances, we only extract about 20%, which is what's known as golden cup extraction. Through chewing and swallowing, we can absorb all 30% of these substances, so overall, caffeine intake can indeed be more complete.

In terms of flavor, I believe everyone has experienced the overwhelming aroma when coffee beans are ground into powder. Chewing coffee beans provides the same feeling! When we bite into coffee beans, as the bean body cracks, the aroma also bursts forth. But it's only the aroma - when we drink coffee, the concrete flavors we truly experience are not received by our taste buds when chewing coffee beans! After the aroma, all that's left is bitterness, and the choking sensation from the coffee grounds.

What's the Point of Chewing Coffee Beans?

Research shows that chewing coffee beans can bring a certain sense of stress relief because coffee beans become crispy after roasting. When people eat crispy foods, it causes the brain to produce a certain pleasure, thus establishing a pleasant feeling. Besides the chewing experience itself, chewing crunchy things also produces a certain "sound effect" - the kind of crunching sounds. This provides stimulation to the auditory senses, enriching the overall experience! According to a study from Oxford University, when humans receive a greater echo from the food they're eating, psychologically they tend to think the food tastes better.

Conclusion

In summary, chewing coffee beans can indeed provide some degree of aroma and more caffeine, while producing a certain sense of pleasure. However, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages! The drawbacks are more obvious. Not only do coffee beans taste intensely bitter when chewed, but you also have to endure the torture of coffee grounds stuck in your throat. Even if you roast the coffee beans very dark to reduce the negative feelings from woody fiber, the health problems caused by excessive consumption are still very concerning. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee does not recommend everyone chewing coffee beans. A small try is acceptable, but addiction is not. Coffee beans should still be extracted into coffee, as drinking it is the most appropriate way! Because this is the optimal choice for both taste buds and health~

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