Today some friends were discussing a very interesting issue, that is, how to brew “burgundy” coffee. That’s right, this burgundy color refers to the soup color of coffee, because friends who discussed this topic found that burgundy coffee seemed to taste better than coffee with other soup colors, so they initiated such a discussion.
But to be fair, Front Street does not recommend using soup color as a measure of whether coffee tastes good or not, because there are many factors that affect coffee soup color. If we use it as a standard to judge how to make a good cup of coffee, then it will actually be more difficult for us to make a good cup of coffee.Factors affecting the color of coffee soupIn a previous article, Front Street shared that the roasting degree of the coffee, the concentration/extraction rate of the coffee, and the coffee filter are all factors that affect the color of the soup.The degree of roasting of coffee beans determines the color of the coffee we brew. When the amount of powder, extraction rate and concentration remain unchanged, the darker the coffee beans are roasted, the darker the color of the brewed coffee will be, and vice versa.The above is Front Street’s last use of medium-light roasted beans from the bean list, Front Street Esai·Oiran.(left)Dark Roasted Beans from the Bean List Front Street Sumatra Golden Mandheling(right)Coffee brewed separately. Although their parameters, extraction rate, and concentration are roughly the same, we can see that the color of a cup of coffee is black and the color of a cup is red.The reason for the difference is baking! The darker the coffee beans are roasted, the more chemical reactions they undergo during the roasting process. These chemical reactions will increase the melanoidin in the coffee beans, making the appearance of the coffee beans and the color of the extracted coffee gradually darker.In addition, the coffee concentration can also affect the color of the soup. The concentration affects the brightness of the coffee soup color. Coffee strength refers to the proportion of soluble content in the liquid we brew. When the concentration of coffee is higher, it means that the content of soluble substances in the liquid will be higher. At this time, the color of the coffee soup will not look so bright, and then the color will be darker, and vice versa.Finally, there’s the coffee filter! The choice of filter material for Pour over(V60) coffee will change the proportion of insoluble matter in the coffee, which will affect the transparency, or cleanliness, of the soup. When the equipment you use has higher filtration performance, such as filter paper, there will be less coffee powder and oil in the coffee, and the coffee will look very transparent;And if the equipment you use does not have that high filtration performance, such as a filter or a filter cup, then the coffee will contain more oil or fine powder, which will make the coffee look less transparent and a little cloudy. But it should be noted that this does not mean whether a cup of coffee tastes good or not.So to sum up, everyone should know why Front Street said that it is best not to use soup color to judge coffee extraction, because there are many influencing factors. Although it is true that the concentration and extraction rate can be judged by the color of the soup, if we change a coffee bean with a different roasting degree or change the filter material, the original standards will no longer apply.We can understand that the friend at the beginning of the article thought that burgundy coffee would taste better because the beans and parameters he used to brew coffee had a taste and concentration that was just in line with his preferences, and the roasting degree and concentration of the beans happened to make the coffee soup color burgundy. When using other parameters or brewing other beans, it was not this color, and the taste was not so in line with his preferences, so he had the misunderstanding that burgundy coffee would taste better.But in general, Front Street recommends that you judge the quality of a cup of coffee based on its texture and taste. This can help us quickly find the problem and make timely adjustments to the parameters. The color of the soup can only be used as a reference indicator for brewing a certain bean, but not a criterion for judging the taste.
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
