A Beginner’s Guide to Coffee Part 1: The Beans
A BRIEF GUIDE TO KNOWING YOUR COFFEE BEAN A LITTLE BETTER.
In this two-part guide we will be looking at both coffee beans and the brewing methods to help you understand why your favourite cup of coffee tastes the way it does, and to help you start (or continue) exploring coffee a little further.
This first section will focus on the coffee bean. We will cover the basics; how the country of origin and altitude affect the flavour of coffee, what the different processing methods are and how they work, and the difference between single origin and blend beans.
The Country of Origin
Knowing the country where your coffee beans were grown is a key indicator as to how the coffee will taste. The following are some of the most popular coffee profiles:
Brazil - low acidity, heavy-bodied and sweet, often having chocolatey and nutty flavours.
Colombia - a large array of flavours, ranging from chocolatey and nutty to sweet and fruity, due to the diverse microclimates around the country.
Indonesia - heavy-bodied, earthy, spicy and woody, low acidity.
Vietnam - (Robusta) coffee that lacks sweetness and the typical characteristics of high-quality coffee, popular locally when mixed with condensed milk.
Ethiopia - diverse range of coffee profiles ranging from citrus and floral notes to sweet and tropical fruit flavours.
Kenya - highly fruity and complex while also being clean and sweet.
Yemen - Highly complex and wild with noted of fermented fruits, different to coffee found elsewhere in the world.
It is worth noting that not every coffee from these countries will match this profile exactly, sometimes you might be surprised by something a little unusual!
The Altitude
You may have noticed on your bag of coffee that the altitude is noted on the front alongside the country and origin, but what does this mean for the taste of the coffee that ends up in your cup?
Generally speaking, the higher up the coffee farm is located, the more fruity, complex and acidic the coffee becomes. Examples of high altitude coffee locations include Colombia, Guatemala, Ethiopia or Kenya. Lower altitudes are associated with the more earthy, chocolatey and nutty flavours. Coffee from Hawaii is classed as a low altitude coffee, and Brazilian beans often fall under the medium altitude classification.
Why is this?
Higher elevations lead to warmer, but not hot climate with a generally stable temperature, meaning the time it takes to grow the coffee plant is longer and therefore adds depth and complexity to the flavour. High altitude locations also have a moderate amount of sun throughout the year, with sufficient rain, dry seasons, rich soils, and few pests. Not every high altitude coffee-growing location provides every single one of these factors, making each location unique. Colombian coffee which is grown at a high altitude, generally combines all of them, making coffee from this country one of the most popular due to its complex nature.
The Processes
What does it mean to process a coffee bean? Put simply, it means removing the bean from the fruit and preparing it for roasting. The three main methods for this are: Natural, Washed and Honey. Each type of coffee suits one of these methods more than the others, so it is a game of trial and error for roasters to achieve their desired flavour.
Washed - In a completely different method to the natural, the washed process removes the fruit from the bean entirely before drying. The cherries are picked and put into a tank of fresh water for 24 to 72 hours. After this time the fruit is ready to be removed. Using a circuit of running water canals (called a de-pulper), the skin and fruit is removed, hence the process name being ‘washed’. The bean is then left to dry in a similar way to the natural process. This method relies heavily on the taste of the coffee cherry being flavourful from the start, so factors like soil quality, temperature and sunlight are crucial for this method. Because of the lack of fruit when drying, this method creates a far less sweet coffee. Instead, its flavours are often brighter and pleasantly acidic and arguably reflect the true qualities of the coffee bean.
Natural - For this method the cherries (the name for the fruity seed containing the beans) are picked when they are at their ripest. The fruit will stay on during this process, and will remain intact all through drying. After harvesting, the beans will be spread out in the sun to dry, being rotated frequently to avoid rotting or mould. Once dried out, the skin and fruit is removed, before being stored to ‘rest’ and then exporting them to a roaster. This method has been criticised for an inconsistent final flavour caused by a combination of ripe and unripe fruit. Despite this, the natural process can create a sweet and fruity flavour with a clarity that is unique to this method of processing coffee.
Honey - This processing method lies halfway between the washed and the natural process. The name comes from the sticky consistency the bean becomes during the process, and also because the final product is very sweet, like honey has been added. Like the washed method, the cherries are put through a de-pulper, however the desired amount of fruit left attached can be chosen. Because of this, the honey process can have several sub-categories. Once some of the fruit has been removed, the beans are left to dry as with the other two methods. The final taste of this coffee combines a sweetness that the washed bean does not have, and a clarity or brightness that the natural process cannot achieve.
Single Origin VS Blend
We know that coffee is all down to personal preference, which is why we like to give you the option to choose the coffee we make your brew from. We tend to see a number of confused faces when we ask if you would prefer a single origin bean or our house-blend, so hopefully we can explain what this means and why we like to give you the option!
The low-down: Single origin coffee consists of beans from one singular country and often from a singular farm. Single origin allows you to taste the flavour of a singular type of coffee bean, this being valuable when learning more about the flavour of coffee, and to taste the flavour of a specific kind of bean. A blend combines coffee from two or more origins or countries. This creates an entirely new flavour and often changes the qualities of the individual origin beans. Most coffee roasteries will produce their own ‘house blend’ (like our favourite Landmark blend from Heartland).
What are the pros and cons of each? Blend coffee creates a well-rounded coffee experience, often with predictable results. It is a crowd-pleaser and is expertly crafted to create a balance that most people will find enjoyable. The downside to a blend is that you cannot taste the individual flavours of the beans, which could make it tricky if you want to explore new coffee flavours and expand your coffee horizons.
Single origin coffee is the way to go if you are looking to learn more about coffee. You can taste the different coffee profiles, this showing off the qualities of each coffee bean from each individual farm. While searching for a single origin, look out for the country, altitude and process to know exactly what you are tasting. If you are new to exploring coffee, single origin can be a very different coffee-drinking experience. The tastes will be more individual, with flavours that you may have not picked up in a blend. Trust us and give them a try, you will be surprised by how delicious they are!
Our suggestions for starting your coffee exploration journey:
Start exploring single origin coffee - ask your barista what coffees they use and what options there are, they will always be happy to answer your coffee related questions!
Make note of which coffees you like (include the country, altitude and process) - you might start to see a pattern in your preference.
Try the guest coffee! Most coffee shops have a guest coffee that they rotate every few weeks, this is often served as a filter. It will taste different to the shop’s usual coffee and can be a good way of exploring new flavours from different roasteries. (See our Guest Coffee Roasters 101 for a more detailed explanation of this and our favourite guest roasters so far).
Written by Emily.
Sources used in this blog post
We hope this A Beginner’s Guide to Coffee Part 1 helped decode some of your coffee questions! Keep your eyes peeled for Part 2, dropping in April.
Next time you drop by the Coffeehouse check out our coffee board on the bar or ask our team for our latest coffee selection. If you’re still not sure what to choose, feel free to ask for a sample of our current guest filter and you might just love what you try!
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