What Makes Coffee Acidic? Why Is Modern Coffee Often Sour? Should Good Coffee Be Acidic? What Determines Whether Coffee Is Sour or Bitter? Is the Flower Queen Coffee Better Light or Medium Roasted?

The Abundance of Coffee Selections at FrontStreet Coffee

One of the defining features of FrontStreet Coffee's physical stores is the extensive selection of pour-over coffee beans available. While we haven't moved our entire collection from our Taobao and Tmall stores to our physical locations, we still offer over thirty varieties, which can be considered quite abundant in terms of selection.

Why Are Most Coffees Today Acidic?

Despite having over thirty different coffee options, many friends have noticed that coffees with a predominantly bitter taste and what might be called the classic "coffee flavor" account for less than 10% of our selection, while the remaining 90% are acidic coffees. This has led many friends to wonder: Why are most coffees today acidic? Is it really true that what people say online about good coffee being acidic is correct?

These questions primarily come from slightly older customers who have always associated coffee with a rich, bitter, and aromatic profile. Before the year 2000, coffee flavors were predominantly bitter, which naturally leads them to express surprise and doubt about this transformation. First, we need to understand that good coffee isn't necessarily acidic. FrontStreet Coffee believes the statement "good coffee is acidic" carries certain ambiguities. Our understanding of good coffee typically means "high quality," and while it's undeniable that most high-quality coffees on the market are acidic, there are also some high-quality coffees with predominantly bitter flavors. For example, FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1.

Jamaica's Blue Mountain coffee was a representative of very high-quality coffee in the last century, and its flavor is predominantly bitter. Chocolate, caramel, cream, and nuts—these are what it presents as a very classic "coffee flavor." The quality of coffee doesn't necessarily affect its taste; it's just one of the factors that determine the direction of coffee's flavor profile. Regular readers of FrontStreet Coffee's articles should know that whether coffee is acidic or bitter mainly depends on the roasting degree of the coffee beans. The lighter the roast, the more acidic the coffee, while the darker the roast, the more bitter the coffee. The reason many coffees today are acidic is that coffee roasting is no longer exclusively dark.

The Evolution of Coffee Roasting

Previously, almost all coffee was dark roasted, resulting in predominantly bitter flavors. The reason dark roasting was mainstream in the past is because there wasn't really a distinction between dark and light roasting at that time. People's initial understanding of coffee roasting was similar to how we stir-fry vegetables—you roast the coffee beans until they're cooked. The standard for "cooked" coffee beans at that time was that they had to undergo the second crack, what we commonly call the "second crack." Beans that have experienced the second crack, without exception, have a rich roasted aroma and a dark appearance. This was what people at that time believed coffee should look like.

If this isn't concrete enough, we can think of tofu pudding. Before the internet was developed, most people never imagined that tofu pudding could be prepared in salty, sweet, or spicy variations. People at that time followed the same logic. Of course, FrontStreet Coffee also believes that people at that time must have tried light-roasting coffee, whether intentionally or accidentally. However, since light roasting wasn't mainstream at that time, just as people who are accustomed to a certain flavor of tofu pudding might think other flavors are inferior, people couldn't accept coffee with acidic flavors.

Additionally, other factors such as the lower quality of coffee beans at that time, less mature roasting theories, and less sophisticated roasting methods all contributed to the situation. In short, in the past, coffee with acidic flavors would be considered a failure, inferior, or evidence that the coffee wasn't properly roasted. Therefore, for a very long time, mainstream coffee roasting was dark.

The Specialty Coffee Revolution

A major turning point that changed people's perceptions was the introduction of the concept of "specialty coffee." Erna Knutsen believed that some high-quality coffee beans should be singled out to shine, rather than being buried in bulk commodities. However, this approach indirectly led to a shift in roasting concepts. Because coffee quality had improved, people found a "breakthrough point" and developed entirely new approaches.

Nordic Light Roast: A Game Changer

It was the new forces whose perceptions weren't too influenced that drove the wheel of history! FrontStreet Coffee believes that everyone has probably heard of "Nordic light roast," right? At that time, coffee roasting degrees were often named after the mainstream roasting degree of a particular region, such as Italian roast, French roast, Japanese roast... Nordic light roast refers to the mainstream light roasting in Nordic regions. Compared to places like Italy and France where concepts were deeply rooted, Nordic regions were relatively new to coffee, making them somewhat younger in their coffee journey and less influenced by traditional concepts. Because of this, they could break with tradition and become the first places where light-roasted coffee became popular.

If we were to judge the Nordic light roast of that time by color value, it would more closely belong to the medium roast level, not yet reaching the light roast degree we recognize today. However, compared to Italian roast at that time, it was a very, very light roast degree. The lighter roasting didn't just make coffee more acidic; it also reduced the roasted aroma that could mask the coffee's inherent flavors, allowing the floral and fruity notes contained within the coffee to emerge. People began to taste more flavors from coffee—no longer the monotonous bitterness, but a colorful spectrum of acidity.

Why Light Roast Appeals to the Masses

Such flavors are very suitable for popular tastes because, naturally, people tend to dislike bitterness. Therefore, in regions/countries that haven't been heavily influenced by bitter coffee culture, those acidic coffees that don't taste like traditional coffee are more easily accepted. Consequently, in these regions/countries, coffee roasting tends to be relatively lighter—whether for espresso or single-origin! This is because light-roasted coffee is better accepted by people while also better showcasing the differences between various coffees.

Not All Beans Are Suitable for Light Roasting

That being said, not all coffee beans can be lightly roasted. Some lower-quality coffee beans may lack sufficient sweetness or carry undesirable defect flavors. If we lightly roast these lower-quality beans, the former will result in sharp, irritating acidity due to insufficient sweetness, while the latter will produce unacceptable off-flavors. Beans like these are more suitable for dark roasting, where more roasted aromas are generated to mask the coffee's defect flavors. In other words, light roasting is also a touchstone—only beans that meet certain conditions and have relatively excellent quality can be prepared using light roasting.

The Final Flavor Depends on Purpose

But again, this doesn't mean the statement "good coffee is acidic" is correct. Because the final flavor of coffee and the roasting degree used mainly depend on specific needs! For example, FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopia Guji sold in our Taobao and Tmall stores comes in two selectable roasting degrees. One is a light roast for pour-over and single-origin coffee, while the other is a medium roast suitable for espresso preparation.

The former can better highlight the flavor characteristics of Guji. When we use it for pour-over, we can taste notes of orange blossom, citrus, strawberry, and cream, with a predominantly sweet and sour flavor. However, if you want to use this bean for espresso preparation, then FrontStreet Coffee recommends choosing the latter—the medium roast. Because espresso isn't just black coffee; there are also milk-based coffees like latte, flat white, and Dirty. Only by roasting the coffee darker can the coffee flavor not be easily masked by milk, allowing us to taste more coffee flavor from milk coffees.

Conclusion

In summary, we can understand that the reason many coffees today are acidic is because these non-bitter coffees are more suitable for popular tastes while also better showcasing the differences between various coffee beans and better interpreting the regional flavors of each producing area. The flavor of coffee is not entirely influenced by quality but mainly depends on the roaster's needs~

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473