Coffee strength: classification, description and types, degree of roast, taste

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

There are over a thousand varieties of coffee. And the biological genus of coffee trees itself includes a little less than a hundred species, but only one fifth is used for commercial purposes. Only 2 types of coffee are used mainly in the production of drinks, the rest are used in confectionery.

Main coffees

Arabian and Congolese coffee trees are massively cultivated. From their grains produce the most favorite varieties of coffee - Robusta and Arabica. Bengal and Cameroonian trees are also grown in small volumes.

In total, there are 4 main varieties of coffee:

• Arabica.
• Robusta.
• Liberica.
• Excelsia.

Coffee trees are cultivated on an industrial scale in countries with a predominantly tropical climate. Wild coffee trees are found on the hills of Asia and Africa. Absolutely all parts of coffee trees contain caffeine, a substance produced by plants as a biological weapon to repel parasites.

Blooming coffee -this is something incredible! An abundance of small white flowers with a pleasant fruity scent.

The flowers themselves are bisexual, capable of self-pollination. Coffee fruits ripen within 3-4 months. When ripe, these are mostly dark red ellipsoidal berries, under the skin of which are greenish-gray grains. In each fruit, usually two seeds ripen, but occasionally there is one, but very large. These seeds are called pearl, they are selected separately and valued higher. Such grains are fried more evenly, their taste is thinner. Special connoisseurs of coffee as a drink prefer pearl grains for its preparation.

Coffee beans grown in different countries and in different areas have their own unique characteristics (aroma, coffee strength, taste). The special characteristics of the beans are determined not only by the type of coffee trees, but also by the agricultural practices of cultivation and environmental conditions. This means that the properties of coffee beans of the same variety can differ significantly from plantation to plantation. Single-origin - this is how it is customary to call coffee, the birthplace of which is the same area.

Currently, mainly small-sized coffee trees are cultivated. This is due to the convenience of care and harvesting. Coffee trees prefer light, moderately moist soil, rich in elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus oxide and potassium carbonate, and damp air. Such conditions contribute to obtaining the most valuable tastecharacteristics of the drink.

All types of coffee are divided into pure and blended coffees

Mixed - these are compositions of several types of ground coffee. Grains are mixed in order to emphasize the positive characteristics of one or another species, as well as to mask the shortcomings. When mixing, they try to choose varieties of coffee that reveal and complement each other's taste characteristics. Usually, grains with close taste qualities or, conversely, with extremely polar ones, are not mixed. The mixed form contains from two to fifteen varieties of ground grains.

Pure varieties are varieties containing only one type of coffee bean. These species bear the names of the territory that grew coffee trees. For example, Brazilian coffee.

Dependence of the strength of coffee beans on roasting

Roasting beans is the first important step in making coffee. As a result of roasting, coffee tree beans fully reveal the smell, taste and strength. The stronger the roast, the stronger the drink will be. Coffee acquires its usual dark brown color during heat treatment due to sucrose, which, under the influence of temperatures, is converted into carameline. In equal measure, the structure of the grain itself changes during the roasting process, which helps the release of essential oils.

Types of coffee roast levels:

Light, or Scandinavian level of processing is characterized by a light brown color of coffee beans, rich in light taste with a pronounced acidity and a subtle pleasant smell. A drink made from lightly roasted beansGreat for drinking with cream and milk. The strength of this coffee is low.

Viennese, or medium roasting contributes to the coloring of the grains in the rich colors of milk chocolate, the manifestation of bittersweet with slight sourness in taste. This drink goes well with milk and is just as good on its own.

Medium-strong, or French roast level, gives the coffee beans a rich chocolate flavor. Each grain is covered with a thin film of essential oils. The taste of coffee after this degree of roast becomes even more bittersweet and rich, and the characteristic sourness disappears almost completely.

High, or Italian roast levels turn the beans dark brown, causing a thick, oily film to form on the surface of the beans. The taste of this coffee is characterized by bitter, slightly "scorched" pleasant shades. The aroma of grain after the Italian method of roasting becomes truly luxurious.

Espresso level roasting is used for beans intended for the coffee drink of the same name. The grain after such roasting becomes black, shiny, very oily. The strength of espresso coffee is the highest. Coffee connoisseurs all over the world prefer this particular drink for its unique deep bitter "charred" taste and thick smell. The grinding of beans for espresso is very fine, as the strength of the coffee depends on the grind equally.

What does the word "strong" mean for coffee?

Fortress is the concentration of a certain taste(sweet, sour, s alty or bitter) or flavor mix. Coffee is characterized mainly by a bitter taste. Therefore, the bitterer the taste of the drink, the more it is considered strong. Such an opinion is erroneous. The body (strength) of coffee drinks is determined by the number of taste buds irritated by it. From this it follows that the presence of various flavors is necessary in coffee. Drinks made from coffee beans have sweet, sour, and bitter flavors, with little to no s alty taste.

It turns out that the more concentrated the flavors, the stronger the coffee. Of course, the saturation of the aroma is an important component of the degree of coffee strength, as well as the saturation of the extractives in the solution. The more the coffee drink is diluted with liquid, the lower its flavor strength. In this case, the amount of extractive substances will remain unchanged. This is how the coffee strength is adjusted.

A little about Robusta

Coffee blends that contain Robusta or even pure Robusta feel most solid. This is determined by the chemical composition of the grains. They contain special substances that irritate taste buds most strongly. The caffeine content in Robusta reaches almost 5%. Caffeine is a bitter tasting substance and, accordingly, adds bitterness to robusta beans. Robusta also tends to brew faster than Arabica. This increases the amount of extractives in the finished drink.

Methods of brewing coffee drinks

In a coffee pot. The easiest way to make a drink, but also the leastpopular. The principle of brewing consists in the usual pouring with boiling water and infusion of coarse coffee beans. There are also piston or French coffee pots. These are tall glass coffee pots with piston lids.

In Turks or cezves. The method, the inventors of which are the Arabs. The principle of preparation is to pour very finely ground coffee beans with cold water and slowly bring the drink to a boil (but do not boil).

With the help of filtering. This method is used in drip coffee makers. The filtration method consists of percolating one drop of water through ground coffee beans placed in disposable paper or reusable stationary filters.

In the coffee machine. The method is based on the supply of hot steam under high pressure through the shallow floor coffee. The strength of coffee in the coffee machine is significantly higher, as it is brewed forcibly under high pressure. A good espresso is quite expensive for the price. This is due to the high cost of coffee machine mechanisms.

In a geyser-type coffee maker. The devices consist of three compartments. The lower one is for water, the middle one is for coarse coffee beans, the upper one is for coffee drink directly. The principle of brewing is based on the passage of hot water and steam through the grain. The advantage of this brewing method is the absence of coffee grounds in the finished drink.

Small summary

On what the fortress dependscoffee:

• Variety - the higher the caffeine content in the variety, the stronger the drink will be.
• Depends on the level of roast – the darker the roast, the richer the coffee.
• On the size of the grind - the finer the grind, the easier the coffee releases all flavors and aromas, which means it becomes stronger.
• From the method of brewing - the strongest drink is obtained in coffee machines.