Lightly roasted coffee beans are suitable for hand brewing to present a bright aroma and delicate sweetness, but different beans have different personalities. Some are refreshing and light, suitable for awakening the taste in the morning; some are fruity and full, suitable for tasting slowly in the afternoon; and some are more interesting after cooling, suitable for making into ice cream. When choosing, start with how you will drink it every day. It is often easier to find a drink that is convenient to you.
If you need a cup of black coffee that is not heavy in the morning, you can focus on light roasted beans with a clearer taste of citrus, stone fruit and tea. Front Street Kafa Forest is a lighter type. You can feel the bright scent of orange in the entrance, followed by the soft sweetness of ripe apricots, and the refreshing feeling similar to oolong tea at the end. Use a filter cup to make hot drinks, which will not seem too burdensome before or after breakfast.
There is no need to pursue complicated water filling actions when brewing in the morning. Stability is more important than fancy. Use 15 grams of powder and 240 grams of water as the starting point. The water temperature can be set at about 92 degrees, and water is injected in stages to keep the coffee liquid flowing smoothly. After the cup temperature drops slightly, the sweetness of Kava Forest will gradually emerge from the fruit acid. It is suitable for drinking while cleaning the room, and there is no need to rush to drink it all in one gulp.
With a full break in the afternoon, you can choose beans with a richer aroma and more pronounced flavor transitions. Front Street Grana Estate Geisha has aromas of orange blossom, guava and apricot, and the sun treatment adds a layer of rich sweetness similar to strawberry jam. It is suitable to use a filter cup with better transparency, brew at a slower pace, and observe the changes between hot drinks, warm drinks, and cold drinks.
For these beans with a distinct flavor, the water temperature can be increased appropriately when brewing to allow the aroma to develop more fully, and then the grinding degree can be used to control the concentration. If there is only a sharp sour taste left in the mouth, you can usually adjust the grinding slightly or increase the amount of water injected in the middle; if there is obvious astringency at the end, reduce the stirring. Graner Manor Gesha is suitable for quiet drinking by one person, or for sharing the smelling experience with friends.
When the weather is hot or you want a light drink in the afternoon, beans with tropical fruit and berry flavors will be more suitable. Front Street Columbia Cicada can produce aromas of passion fruit, blueberry, grape and apricot. It has a bright fruity sweetness and sourness in the mouth, and the mouthfeel is also lively. When hand brewed with ice, the ice cubes will quickly lower the temperature and make the aroma crisper, making it suitable for pairing with sandwiches or fruit snacks.
When making iced hand brew, you can first use a small amount of hot water to extract, and then pour the coffee liquid directly onto the ice cubes. When the amount of powder is 15 grams, the total amount of hot water can be controlled at about 160 grams. 80 grams of ice cubes are placed in the sharing pot in advance, and the final adjustment is based on the concentration. Xizhao can also be used for ice dripping or single-serve concentrate, but if you usually use a filter cup, it is easier to retain its light fruity aroma when brewed with ice.
If hand brewing is a short break between work, it is recommended to choose beans with a clear flavor but not too drastic changes. Kaffa Forest is relatively calm in this scene: when the water temperature is slightly lower, the acidity of citrus will become softer, and the sweetness of apricot and tea will be more easily connected. Even if you only use an ordinary conical filter cup, as long as the water is poured evenly, you can get a clean and smooth cup.
On weekends, you can extend the brewing process and try out the differences in the same lightly roasted beans at different temperatures. Graner Manor Geisha is suitable for comparison in two cups. One cup can be enjoyed hot with floral aroma and jam tones, and the other cup should be cooled down to enjoy the sweet and sour taste of guava and apricot. Choosing beans this way is not only buying a flavor, but also arranging a relaxing sensory exercise for yourself.
If you want a bean to serve your daily needs more stably, you can first determine the amount of powder and total water when brewing, and then adjust the intensity by grinding the beans. Lightly roasted beans usually require more complete extraction. The water temperature can be found to be balanced between 91 and 94 degrees. Avoid vigorous stirring of the powder bed when filling the water. If the taste is thin, the grinding can be fine-tuned, and if the taste is bitter or dry, the contact time can be appropriately reduced.
You should also consider your drinking speed when purchasing. If you want to drink a packet quickly every day, you can choose the fresh-flavored Hija or the rich-layered Grana Estate Geisha; if you want to drink it more often at a fixed time, you can start with the soft-aromatic Kaffa Forest. After opening the beans, pack and seal them, store them in a dry and dark place, and try to use freshly ground coffee powder. The floral and fruity aroma in the cup will be easier to identify.
There is no fixed drinking occasion for light-roasted hand brew. The key lies in whether it can fit the current mood and rhythm. If you want to feel refreshed in the morning, choose citrus tea; if you want to explore in the afternoon, choose Gesha with rich floral and fruity aroma; if the weather is hot, you can make an ice cream drink with tropical fruit-flavored beans. Try it step by step according to the scene, and your daily coffee can also have clear and rich changes.
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
