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Tea is Chinese culture, and coffee has slowly entered people's attention and become one of the three major drinks, becoming an indispensable part of people's lives. Many people who like coffee may not really understand why there are such different tastes and flavors. Front Street tells you: In fact, brewing coffee is just like tea, there are many details to pay attention to, and there are more small details that need to be paid attention to than tea. The ingredients for brewing coffee are the same: coffee powder and water, but due to different brewing methods, the taste will be completely different!
Some people may like hot coffee, which is warm and comfortable. Especially in winter, a cup of coffee is very heart-warming; but in summer, a cup of iced coffee is even more refreshing. Front Street believes that the difference between hot coffee and iced coffee is because: hot coffee is about aroma and temperature; warm coffee is about layer and flavor; cold coffee is about technology and quality. There will be different taste sensations at different temperatures. So, what is the relationship between the different tastes of coffee?
Front Street believes that whether it is hot coffee or cold coffee, the raw materials for making coffee are the same, although the roasting and grinding methods of coffee have a great impact on the final taste, aroma and mouthfeel of coffee. But in the end, the biggest impact on the taste of coffee is the brewing method. The final taste, sweetness and richness of coffee produced by different making tools and brewing techniques are completely different.
We all know that brewing coffee with hot water means injecting hot water into the coffee powder and filtering out the coffee. What about cold coffee? Is it brewed with cold water? Can all coffee be brewed with cold water? Answer: Of course not.
Front Street believes that it is best not to brew coffee with cold water. If the water temperature does not reach a certain temperature, the coffee will clump and taste too bitter. Some coffee can be brewed with cold water, such as Nestle's iced coffee, but most coffee is best not to be brewed with cold water, otherwise the coffee will not dissolve easily and will be difficult to drink. But it should have no effect on your body, it just affects the taste. Instant coffee can be brewed with cold water, but the taste may not be as good. Generally speaking, the most suitable water temperature for brewing coffee is between 88 and 94 degrees Celsius. Avoid using hot water that has just boiled to brew coffee. After the water boils, let it sit for 1 to 2 minutes before brewing coffee.
What is cold brew/cold brew coffee?
Now that cold brew coffee has become one of the favorite cold drinks in China, how is the so-called cold brew coffee/cold brew coffee made?
Cold brew coffee is a pure black coffee liquid that is soaked in direct contact between normal temperature/ice water and coffee powder at room temperature/low temperature. Due to low-temperature extraction, the flavor release of coffee powder will be much slower than at high temperature, so the soaking time varies with room temperature/refrigerator temperature, and the total extraction time often takes 8-24 hours. Because it does not require any skills or complicated brewing equipment, you can make iced coffee with obvious aroma and high body. Soak it at night and drink it in the morning, which has become a favorite of many working people.
Since coffee brewing is divided into hot coffee and cold coffee, that is, based on time and water content, coffee brewing methods include hot brewing and cold brewing; Front Street will take you to understand the flavor differences brought by these two different brewing methods:
1. Hot brew (drip filter) coffee: For hot coffee, what we think of is hand brewed filter coffee. The preparation of this kind of coffee is very simple, just pour hot water on top of the coffee powder. For example: you can often drink classic drip coffee at FrontStreet Coffee shop; for example, the classic Italian blended coffee made by FrontStreet Coffee baristas, the espresso produced has rich golden yellow oil and nutty aroma. When you taste it, there will be a burnt coffee bitterness, but it will be accompanied by a more creamy and full taste. After swallowing, the bitterness will also dissipate, leaving a fragrant aroma on your lips and teeth.
2. Cold brew coffee: Cold brewing takes longer. The simplest way to make cold brew coffee is to soak ground coffee in cold water at room temperature, wait a few hours or even days, and then filter the solution repeatedly. The resulting coffee has a deeper flavor, with minimal bitterness and acidity, a richer flavor, and a higher concentration than traditional hot-brewed coffee. Especially when drinking it in the hot summer, the refreshing taste is irresistible!
From a chemical perspective:
When coffee comes into contact with water, the soluble substances in it begin to react chemically, resulting in the aroma and taste we are familiar with.
The soluble substances in coffee begin to dissolve in water between 195-205℉, so hot-brewed coffee should theoretically have a richer mouthfeel and flavor than cold-brewed coffee. Hot water will also accelerate the dissolution rate of soluble substances, making them extremely volatile. Therefore, a large number of substances in coffee will evaporate together with water molecules under high temperature conditions and enter your nasal cavity, allowing you to experience the aroma of coffee.
But accelerating the dissolution of substances also brings some problems. Freshly boiled water will cause some of the chemical elements in the coffee to decay or oxidize, just like iron will rust when exposed to a large amount of oxygen, giving the coffee a sour and bitter taste. If you don’t like the taste of either of these, cold brew coffee is definitely the way to go.
Oxidation and decay of chemicals also occur during the production of cold-brewed coffee, but the rate is extremely slow. Therefore, the bitterness and sourness of cold-brewed coffee are milder than that of traditional hot-brewed coffee. In addition, the slower oxidation and decay process also makes cold brew coffee easier to store, typically lasting 2-4 weeks in the refrigerator. In comparison, hot brewed coffee has a shelf life of one day at most.
Is cold brew coffee better than hot brew coffee?
Front Street believes that the temperature of the water is higher, the aroma molecules are very active at this time, the aroma is the strongest, and the nose can easily enjoy the aroma of coffee. At this time, you can feel the cup of coffee by smelling its aroma. But if you drink coffee at this temperature, your lips and tongue will feel burning pain, and our taste buds will basically be unable to distinguish too many flavors at this time, especially the bitter taste.
I believe many of my friends have had this experience. Some coffee can be barely drank when it is hot, but is too bitter to swallow when it is cold. It's like drinking Chinese medicine. You blow it and sip it. If you don't drink it while it's hot, you won't be able to swallow it when it's cold. In fact, it is not that the taste of coffee or traditional Chinese medicine has changed, but that the lower the temperature, the stronger the taste buds experience the bitter taste.
There are some advantages to brewing coffee with cold water. The taste is softer. The most important thing is that it is convenient. You no longer need to boil water when you want to drink coffee. Why can cold brew coffee taste so rich when the water temperature is so low? Indeed, the water temperature during the production of cold brew coffee is far lower than the ideal dissolution and evaporation temperature of aromatic oils and soluble substances, so usually when making cold brew coffee, you need longer time and double the amount of coffee powder to increase the taste and concentration of the coffee.
Although cold brew coffee has a richer taste, the aroma is not as good as traditional drip coffee because the aromatic substances in coffee are difficult to evaporate at room temperature. Cold-brew coffee is generally more expensive than hot-brew coffee because it uses more ground coffee and takes longer to make.
Front Street believes that drinking hot coffee is the experience of flavor and taste brought about by temperature changes. The flavor changes at each temperature are different, which means that the flavor brought by hot coffee is more layered. Of course, both hot coffee and cold coffee have their own characteristics and are very popular because everyone's taste is different! FrontStreet Coffee has more than 50 types of single-origin beans, as well as Front Street Black Cocoa Blend (100% Arabica), Front Street Boutique Blend 100% Arabica, Front Street Commercial Blend and Nuanyang Blend. No matter what kind of flavor you like, you can come to Front Street to discuss and taste it!
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
