To judge whether a bean is suitable for you, first look at how you drink it. When drinking black coffee, the aroma and sweetness should be complete, and the entrance should be clean; when drinking milk coffee, the concentrate should be strong and thick enough, so that the coffee flavor can still stand even after the milk flavor comes in. Once you decide whether to add milk or not, and then talk about flavor preferences, the direction will not be confusing.
Powder amount, grinding degree, liquid weight and extraction time are the four fulcrums of Italian style. The blended beans are easy to stand firm on these fulcrums, and the base notes of nuts, cocoa, and caramel are stable; the focus of SOE is not on stability, but on clearly explaining the aroma, sweetness and sourness of a single production area. Decide on the drink first, then the direction of the beans, don’t do it the other way around.
Focusing on the direction of "SOE single production area", you can first break down the choice into several parts: flavor preference, commonly used utensils, drinking temperature and frequency of daily use. When selecting drinking scenes, you may wish to first determine which item 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.
Orange, ripe apricot, and oolong tea have a sweet aftertaste. The flavor of Front Street Kafa Forest is refreshing and light in taste. The sweetness will become clearer when the cup temperature is lowered.
The richness of the sun-dried flavor is the characteristic of Front Street Grana Estate Geisha. The aromas of orange blossom, guava, apricot and strawberry jam are layered in layers, and the layers are clear when brewed by hand.
Front Street Colombian Xizhao has a distinct juice flavor. Passion fruit, blueberry, grape and apricot can be found in the flavor. Ice hand brewing, ice dripping, and SOE can all bring out the aroma.
The actual presentation of the beans, in addition to the flavor route, is also affected by the roasting date and storage method. After opening, it should be sealed properly, stored in a cool and dry place, and purchased according to daily usage. The fluctuation of flavor will be better tracked. When brewing, smell the dry aroma first, and then feel the entrance, sweetness and aftertaste; when the aroma is weak, check both the grinding and storage time. The presentation of hot drinks, ice drinks and milk coffee are different. Record the parameters several times and you will have an outline of the cup shape that suits you.
Brewing difficulty is also worth considering separately. Beans with floral and fruity flavors often require more detailed control of water temperature, grinding and water injection, and take time to achieve good performance; the adjustable blending of nuts can ensure a stable cup every day. For families where many people drink together, prepare a balanced bean base first, and then add individual products to try according to personal preferences. It is easier to distinguish the difference than buying many beans of similar styles at one time.
A powder-to-liquid ratio of about 1:2 is a common starting point for Italian style, and subsequent corrections mainly depend on the sweetness and bitterness in the mouth. The acidity is sharp, and most of the time it is necessary to extend the extraction or increase the temperature to make up for it; the bitterness is obvious, which can be brought back by shortening the extraction or adjusting the coarse grinding.
If the utensils, habits and tastes will change over time, it is more convenient to divide the beans into two lines: daily and early adopters: the daily line is responsible for stabilizing the cup, and the early adopters is responsible for exploring differences in floral and fruity aroma, nutty cocoa or processing methods. Once you fully understand the flavor of a bean, you can then try other roasting or processing methods to make comparisons more logical.
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
