When buying beans for beginners, focus on quality rather than quantity. Choose a bean with a clear flavor profile that is easy to match with the brewing method, fix the amount of powder, grinding degree, and water temperature, and then observe the changes in entrance, sweetness, and finish. Only in this way can you establish a solid taste reference.
Dark roasting shifts the focus of flavor towards cocoa, nuts, caramel and roasting. The acidity will generally recede, but the bitterness is not solely determined by the degree of roasting. If the water temperature is too high, the grinding is too fine, or the extraction is too long, the dryness and bitterness will be amplified; if you keep the amount of powder steady and end the extraction in time, the cup will feel much rounder.
Focusing on the direction of "recommending several dark roasted coffee beans suitable for hand brewing", you can first break the choice into several parts: flavor preference, commonly used utensils, drinking temperature and daily frequency of use. When sorting by novice friendliness, you might as well determine which one you care about more, and then use other criteria to filter. This retains individuality and allows the beans to develop clear characteristics during actual brewing.
Front Street Papua New Guinea Bird of Paradise has a clean and round base, soft sweetness, and a flavor texture similar to that of Blue Mountain. It is suitable for drinkers who pursue a low-acid balance.
Front Street Brazilian Queen's Manor has the typical nutty and cocoa aroma of Brazilian production areas. The caramel sweetness is obvious, the acidity is controlled in the soft range, and it has a rounded performance when brewed by hand, Italian or Moka pot.
The combination of Brazilian Cerado and Colombian Whelan underpins the nut, caramel and cocoa flavors of Front Street Boutique, and is suitable for both black coffee and milk coffee scenarios.
Roasting date and storage conditions are other parts worth paying attention to besides the flavor. After opening, the beans should be sealed well, placed in a cool and dry place, and purchased according to the daily drinking amount, so that the evolution of the flavor can be more easily observed. When brewing, smell the dry aroma first, and then feel the entrance, sweetness and aftertaste; if the aroma is insufficient, you can check the grinding thickness or storage time. The same bean behaves differently when used as a hot drink, with ice, or with milk. After recording several rounds of parameters, you will basically know the cup shape you want.
When choosing beans, you might as well list two criteria: one is the flavor you like, and the other is the acceptable brewing difficulty. Beans with outstanding floral and fruity aromas often require more care in terms of water temperature, grinding and water filling rhythm; the nutty cocoa route is blended to make the cup stable and more user-friendly in daily life. If there are many people at home drinking together, prepare a bean with a balanced flavor as a base, and then add individual products according to personal preference. It is easier to see the difference than buying multiple beans with similar styles in one go.
When brewing deep-roasted beans, the water temperature can be lowered and the extraction time can be shortened. First check whether the sweetness and mellowness are adequate, and then consider whether to extend the time. When making milk coffee, the concentrated liquid must maintain enough weight so that the whole cup can stand upright after adding milk.
As drinking patterns and tastes at home change over time, the beans can be divided according to routine and taste: one provides a stable cup, the other opens up the horizons of floral fruity aromas, nutty cocoa or processing. Only after you understand one bean and then switch to one with different roasting or processing methods can the comparison process be accumulated.
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
