What is Coffee Balance? Optimal Water Temperature for Balanced Pour-Over Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee discovered an interesting phenomenon. When tasting light roast coffee, people tend to start by evaluating the flavor profile, saying things like "The XX flavor in this coffee is very distinct." When tasting dark roast coffee, they focus on the mouthfeel, describing it as "this coffee is very mellow/smooth." And when tasting medium roast coffee, the first thing that comes to mind is often "this coffee is very well-balanced."

This variation in description mainly stems from the different characteristics exhibited by each roast level. Light roast coffee typically highlights bright acidity and fruity sweetness, making it easy to associate with fruits one has tasted. The bitterness in dark roast coffee may not seem remarkable to many people, but what they enjoy is the pleasant aftertaste that follows the bitterness. Beyond that, there's the mellow and smooth mouthfeel.

As for medium roast coffee, the acidity isn't too pronounced, the sweetness isn't very prominent, and it's not overly bitter—its defining characteristic is balance.

However, what we call coffee balance isn't as simple as just balance in flavor.

Understanding Coffee Balance

In coffee cupping, there's a scoring category for Balance. This scoring perspective is rather abstract and multidimensional. Horizontally, it measures the harmony between the coffee's acidity, sweetness, body, and aftertaste. Vertically, it assesses how well the coffee's various characteristics remain balanced as it cools from hot to cold over time.

The above explanation might seem complex, so let FrontStreet Coffee simplify it: in cupping, the balance score evaluates whether the coffee's flavor, mouthfeel, and aftertaste remain harmonious across different temperatures, without any jarring elements or noticeable shortcomings. Balance is a deductive scoring metric based on overall sensory comfort.

Examples of Poor Balance

FrontStreet Coffee cuppings numerous coffee beans annually, and here are some examples of coffee samples with low balance scores. FrontStreet Coffee once cupped a Kenya AB grade coffee. This coffee had excellent acidity and sweetness, with a very solid mouthfeel. However, it had almost no aftertaste. While the coffee was in the mouth, it delivered dark berry-like sweet and sour notes, smooth and full-bodied, but after swallowing, the mouth felt as if rinsed, with no aftertaste feedback. This created an imbalanced overall sensory experience, resulting in point deductions in the balance category.

Next was cupping a Panamanian Geisha. This coffee also performed exceptionally well in aroma, acidity, and sweetness, but its flavor was very weak, with a thin, watery mouthfeel. Consequently, its balance rating wouldn't be very high.

The final example is classic: cupping a Colombian Caturra. At high temperatures, it performed very balanced across acidity, sweetness, mouthfeel, and aftertaste. But at medium to low temperatures, the acidity and fermented notes became prominent and jarring, affecting the overall sensory comfort. Therefore, this bean also had a relatively low balance score.

Coffee beans like these with "deductions" in balance are immediately "passed" on by FrontStreet Coffee.

Characteristics of Well-Balanced Coffee

Now FrontStreet Coffee will discuss what makes a well-balanced coffee. Good balance doesn't just refer to coffee with soft acid-sweet-bitter flavors, but rather coffee that provides a comfortable overall sensory experience. For example, light roast coffee might have more pronounced acidity, but if its overall performance isn't jarring and it has no noticeable shortcomings, it can still be considered a very well-balanced coffee bean.

The Epitome of Balance: Blue Mountain Coffee

Finally, let's discuss the representative of balance—Blue Mountain Coffee. Many people find Blue Mountain Coffee unremarkable, without any standout features, making it difficult to justify its premium price. Indeed, in terms of flavor, it can't compare to many African beans; in mouthfeel, it's not as impressive as Mandheling; and for acid-sweet-bitter balance, there are many South American alternatives.

While it may not excel in any single category, Blue Mountain's overall performance is the most comfortable. The acid, sweet, and bitter flavors are soft and balanced, with a mellow yet clean mouthfeel and a sweet aftertaste. (Of course, limited production is also one reason for its high price.)

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