No matter what field it is in, things with floral fragrance always appear so unique, not only because the fragrance of flowers can heal people's hearts, but also because flowers, as a unique emotional carrier, can arouse resonance. Even with coffee, the same is true.
Floral aromas are also produced in coffee, and floral aromas are also the flavor that most coffee fans pursue. But just like other things, floral aroma is a rare flavor in coffee, and not all coffee will have floral aroma.
Many friends often send private messages to Front Street backstage about how to brew the floral flavor of coffee. The premise is that we must use a coffee bean with floral aroma properties to achieve the result. If we get a coffee bean that does not have a floral aroma, then no matter how we adjust the brewing, the coffee we get will not have a floral aroma.
Where does the floral aroma in coffee come from?
Whether a coffee bean can contain floral aroma mainly depends on whether it contains "terpenes". Terpenes are an important source of floral aroma characteristics in coffee, and they are mainly affected by the genetics of the variety and the growing environment. In other words, only when genes contain such substances, or when the coffee growing environment can assist in the formation of such substances (for example, through higher planting altitudes, stimulating coffee beans to produce more flavor substances), coffee can produce floral aroma characteristics (the essence of coffee flavor formation is not to increase human sensory experience).
The world-famous Geisha is a type of coffee bean that contains a large amount of terpenes. In terms of production areas, Poquet and Yirgacheffe are all coffee-producing areas famous for producing coffee beans with a floral aroma. So we can know why Front Street often mentions this saying: "Oranges growing in Huainan are called tangerines, and oranges growing in Huaibei are called tangerines." If the beans with their own floral aroma are grown in an area that can produce floral flavors, then it is really the icing on the cake.
If you want to taste the clear floral aroma, you can choose Front Street Poquette Geisha, Front Street Emerald Red Label Geisha and Front Street Emerald Green Label Geisha from Panama.
If you want to drink with floral aroma and rich fruity sweetness, choose Costa Rican coffee beans that specialize in honey processing, especially Front Street Strawberry Candy, Front Street Blackberry, and Front Street Mozart, which are popular among coffee lovers.
After the floral aroma substances are formed, processing and roasting are all used to adjust the proportion of floral aroma in the coffee. Needless to say, in terms of processing, the fermentation process caused by microorganisms can change the original substances in the beans. The depth of roasting can control the formation and dissipation of floral flavors. Therefore, under different processing/different roasting of the same coffee beans, the intensity of the floral aroma we perceive will be different.
How to get the floral aroma out of coffee?
When we get a coffee bean with floral aroma, the most important thing is to bring out the floral aroma through water. The flavor substances that form floral aromas are flavor molecules with large mass and small polarity. It may be difficult for everyone to understand what the small molecules and macromolecules often mentioned on the street are. Let’s give a simple description: white sugar and cube sugar.
When we put them together in water, they completely dissolve at completely different speeds. Then substitute the large and small molecules and it will be easy to understand. Substances with small molecules, like white sugar, will dissolve very quickly in the same environment; while substances with large molecules, like rock sugar, will dissolve completely slowly. Therefore, we can understand macromolecular substances as sugars that dissolve relatively slowly. If we want to completely dissolve them, we need to extend the contact time between water and coffee powder.
At the same time, we need to note that compared to other flavors, floral flavor is more difficult to capture. Without a foundation of tasting, it will be more difficult to perceive floral aroma. And this is why some of the more expensive coffee beans that are delicious to us are just ordinary in the eyes of passers-by, and are no different from chain store coffee, because without the basis of tasting, it is impossible to distinguish the main difference between the two.
Of course we can improve our flavor perception by practicing our tasting skills, but what we have to do at the moment of brewing is to allow us to feel the floral flavor characteristic. The method is very simple, just increase the concentration.
By increasing the strength of the coffee, we can make the floral flavors more concentrated. But similarly, the increase in concentration will also make the taste more concentrated, which is not friendly to friends who do not have such a thick taste. So this is a double-edged sword. If your taste is not that strong, just brew it according to the original proportion. Okay, without further ado, let’s start our brewing sharing today!
The coffee beans used this time are Jade Manor Green Label Geisha grown in the Poquette production area. They have a very rich floral aroma and happen to be tomorrow's event products, so they are the most suitable beans for this brewing. The extraction parameters are the same as conventional ones, except that the powder to water ratio will be slightly higher and the extraction time will be relatively longer. The parameters are as follows:
Powder amount: 16g, grinding degree of Ek43 10 scale, 80% sieving rate of No. 20 mesh, fine sugar grinding, powder to water ratio 1:14, water temperature is 92°C, filter cup is V60.
First, we will use 30ml of hot water to steam for 30 seconds.
When the steaming is over, the remaining water volume is 194ml. In the second stage, we will use 100ml of hot water and inject it in a large circle with a small flow of water.
When the coffee liquid has bottomed out, we can start the third stage of water injection. The amount of water injected in this section is 50ml, and the central powder bed is concentrated and extracted in a small circle with a small flow of water.
As the coffee bottoms out, we inject the remaining 45ml of hot water at regular intervals. The reason why we don’t stir the water during this period is because we have extended the extraction time, and all the flavor substances in the coffee can be dissolved without excessive stirring. Next, we only need to wait for the coffee liquid to be released, and we can end the extraction!
The total time was 2 minutes and 11 seconds! Shake and shake to evenly combine the different concentrations of coffee liquid in the pot. At this time, we can also feel the elegant white floral fragrance from the aroma that evaporates when shaken. Then pour it into a cup and feel it.
The aroma of jasmine, citrus, and green tea is the most intuitive flavor expression of Front Street when you drink this cup of Geisha. As we swallow all the coffee, we can feel the sweet aftertaste of honeydew melon and orange peel. Clean, long lasting and very pleasant.
You can now buy the above coffee beans online at the Taobao store “FrontStreet Coffee” (前街咖啡). FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou, China, and its Guangzhou retail shop sells coffee beans only. The shop carries dozens of coffee beans from different origins around the world, including carefully selected single-origin beans for V60 pour-over and espresso. Guangzhou’s FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers.
The FrontStreet 2013 Yunnan coffee beans sold in the store come from the Typica variety grown at FrontStreet Coffee’s own plantation in Yunnan. The name comes from the year the brand and the plantation were founded. You can buy these beans from China’s Yunnan origin at the Guangzhou shop and at FrontStreet’s Taobao store.
FrontStreet coffee beans are freshly roasted within 5 days and deliver consistently excellent quality and great value. Orders placed before 17:00 are shipped the same day, and most areas within Guangdong Province receive them the next day.
FrontStreet Coffee Taobao store: https://qianjiecoffee.taobao.com
Or search for “前街咖啡” (FrontStreet Coffee) on Taobao
Important Notice: FrontStreet Coffee has moved to a new address: 315, Donghua East Road, Guangzhou (coffee beans only)
Tel: 020 38364473
