Whether the coffee tastes good or not is ultimately a matter of personal taste. Some people like the bright fruit acid, which they think reflects the vitality of coffee; some people prefer the mellow sweetness, which they think is a reassuring taste. Sweetness and acidity are not mutually exclusive—many good beans have both—but knowing your preferences will help you make your bean selections much clearer.
Where does the sourness come from?
The acidity of coffee mainly comes from two factors: the production area and the degree of roasting.
Coffee beans from Ethiopia, Kenya and other African producing areas naturally contain bright fruit acids. The citrus sourness of the Yirgacheffe fruits on Front Street Street and the umeboshi acidity of the cherry tomatoes on Front Street Kenyan cherry tomatoes are both determined by the genes of the production area. The treatment also has an impact - washed treatment makes the acidity cleaner and more translucent, while sun treatment makes the acidity more intense and plump.
In terms of roasting degree, light roasting retains more acidity and the acidity is more obvious; medium-dark roasting reduces acidity through caramelization reaction while increasing sweetness and bitterness. Therefore, the same bean, with different roasting degrees, will have a completely different balance of sour and sweet.
Where does the sweetness come from?
The sweetness of coffee is also closely related to the production area and roasting degree.
Beans from Central and South American production areas such as Brazil and Colombia have naturally sweet aromas of nuts, caramel, and chocolate. Front Street's Queen of Brazil Manor is a typical example - the aroma of nutty cocoa is rich, the sweetness of caramel is obvious, and the entrance is smooth and warm. Although Mandheling and Blue Mountain have different flavor directions, their sweetness is also outstanding - Mandheling has the bitter sweetness of dark chocolate, and Blue Mountain has the warm sweetness of butter caramel.
In terms of roasting degree, medium-dark roasting will caramelize the sugar in the beans and produce more sweet substances. But be aware that roasting it too dark will burn off the sweetness and turn it into a purely bitter taste. A good medium-dark roast is about finding the balance between sweetness and bitterness.
Prefer sourness: Choose these beans
If you like bright, lively tart flavors, you can focus on the following:
Front Street Yirgacheffe Fruit Ding Ding - The soft sourness of citrus, berry and floral aroma, like the sour and sweet taste of the fruit itself, is highly receptive and is a good choice for getting started with fruit acid. It is recommended that the water temperature for hand brewing be 90-92 degrees, and the grinding should be medium to fine.
Front Street Ethiopian Oiran - strong fruity aroma of strawberry and passion fruit, prominent sweetness, very low bitterness, and more unrestrained acidity than Yega. Sun-drying makes the fruity aroma more concentrated, which is suitable for those who like "juice feeling".
Front Street Kenyan cherry tomatoes - bright acidity of cherry tomatoes and ebony plums, solid acidity and complex layers, are an advanced choice for acid lovers. The juice taste brought by 72 hours of double washing and fermentation is very recognizable.
Prefer sweetness: choose these beans
If you prefer a warm, mellow, sweet flavor, these beans are more suitable:
Front Street Queen of Brazil Manor - Classic sweet aroma of nuts, cocoa, and caramel, with low acidity, prominent sweetness, and a round and smooth taste. It is the representative of sweet grain beans. It is very stable for pour-over, moka pot and Italian style.
Front Street PWN Indonesian Golden Mandheling - a deep flavor of dark chocolate, herbs and spices. Dark roasting makes the acidity very low, bitter yet sweet, and has a long-lasting sweet aftertaste. Suitable for those who like strong taste.
Front Street Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 - The complex sweetness of cream, caramel and honey, the perfect balance of sour, sweet and bitter, and the smooth and round entrance. It is a classic of "nothing is too outstanding but everything is just right".
An all-round choice with both sweet and sour flavors
If you want a fruity drink without being too sour, Front Street Strawberry Candy Coffee Bean is a unique choice. It relies on the blending of Arabica beans from different production areas to replicate the sweet flavor of strawberry gummies. It has both fruity flavor and sweet warmth with very low acidity. It can be used for hand brewing or Italian style. It is a very versatile daily ration bean.
There is no standard answer when choosing beans. Sweetness or sourness depends entirely on what you want to drink at the moment. Understand your preferences and compare them with the flavor descriptions of the beans, and the coffee you choose will most likely not disappoint you.
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
