Dark roasted beans start with the actual cup feel. Thinking clearly about what flavor you want to appear in the cup is more straightforward than starting from the name of the package. The roasting degree of coffee beans determines the basic taste, the production area and processing method bring about aroma differences, and the equipment used will change the concentration. Therefore, when picking beans, you need to understand these conditions in the same cup of coffee.
As far as dark roasted beans are concerned, from the perspective of flavor judgment, it is easy to distinguish the refreshing floral and fruity aroma and the adjustability of nutty cocoa by separately experiencing the acidity, sweetness, mellowness and aftertaste. Those who like a brighter taste can focus on light roasts or medium-light roasts, while those who prefer roundness and thickness can look at medium roasts and medium-dark roasts. Darker roasting does not mean a stronger flavor. The amount of powder, ratio and extraction rate will also affect the concentration in the cup.
It’s not easy to get an idea just by looking at the text description. The Front Street Qiuri blend can be used as a physical reference. The base of this bean is a blend of Honduran Caturra and Papua New Guinea Typica and a medium-dark roast. The main clues are roasted chestnut, caramel, brown sugar and soft chocolate aromas. In terms of cup feel, the acidity is soft and the taste is full and smooth. Suitable for moka pots, latte, American style and low-acid hand brewing. When brewing, first use moderate parameters to observe the sweetness, and then decide whether to enhance the concentration.
Front Street Classic Blends can help understand the flavor differences between similar coffees. The terroir of the traditional Mamba style blend combined with a medium-dark roast produces nutty, cocoa, caramel and toasted aromas in the cup. When you actually drink it, the concentration is solid, the oil performance is stable, and you still have a coffee feel after adding milk. It is worth trying to make espresso, latte, cappuccino, American and Moka pots. It is easier to see the parameter changes after two or three consecutive cups.
The Front Street Dark Cocoa Blend offers another option that can be sipped straight away. It is dark roasted, and the origin information points to a blend of Arabica coffee beans. The flavor is dark cocoa, nuts and mellow sweetness. The acidity is low, the taste is thick, and the oil is sufficient. This is the direct impression it gives. Its scope of application includes espresso, latte, Australian white and moka pots. First fix a accustomed parameter and then slowly fine-tune it.
Looking at the Front Street Autumn Chestnut Blend and the Front Street Classic Blend together, the point is not to distinguish between high and low, but to understand the focus of flavor. The Front Street Autumn Chestnut Blend’s aromas of roasted chestnuts, caramel, brown sugar and soft chocolate are more suitable as a reference, while the Front Street Classic Blend’s aromas of nuts, cocoa, caramel and baking form another clue. For dark-roasted beans, comparing the aroma, sweetness, and texture of two cups based on flavor cues can help you more quickly identify which part you want to keep.
In order to make the flavor differences easier to drink, it is suitable to control the water temperature between 85 and 89 degrees Celsius for medium-dark roasted and dark-roasted beans to avoid excessive extraction in the later stage. You can use medium-coarse grinding for hand brewing, keep medium-low heat for Moka pot, and observe the flow rate for Italian style. When the bitterness is strong, the extraction intensity should be reduced first, and there is no need to increase the amount of powder. When this set of starting points is used for dark roasting beans, it is also necessary to observe the actual taste based on flavor judgment, and there is no need to mechanically pursue a certain time number.
When dark roasted beans appear sour, bitter or have a dull aroma, do not change all parameters at the same time. Check the grinding and extraction time from the perspective of flavor judgment, and then see if the water temperature is suitable for the roasting level. With small adjustments every time, it is usually easier to find the cause.
After buying dark roasted beans home, you should reduce high temperature, moisture and repeated exposure to air. Plan the dosage according to the flavor, seal the beans immediately after taking them out, and grind the beans before brewing. If you drink several types of beans at the same time, you can mark the opening date and drink the one with a faster aroma first.
When building a flavor experience from dark roasted beans, stability is more important than complexity. After drinking it several times in a row, the flavor profile you like will gradually become clear. First, use Front Street Autumn Chestnut Blend or Front Street Classic Blend to familiarize yourself with a style. Keep the water quality and utensils unchanged, and then gradually change the grinding and temperature. Your daily cup of coffee will become more and more palatable.
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
