Roasting differences in coffee beans
The preparation of a "good" or "excellent" cup of coffee is relative for many palates and connoisseurs; however, the elements that compose it are the same and allow us to use them in different degrees and measures: water temperature and pressure, amount of coffee, grind level, coffee roast level, and extraction method.
Coffee roasting can be divided into three main levels: light, medium, and dark. This division can be more detailed, adding intermediate levels between each, expanding the range of roasts to include light, medium-light, medium, medium-dark, city, full city, French roast, Italian roast, and Cuban roast.
Light roasts allow for more flavors and a broader range of notes from the coffee bean, particularly floral and fruity ones, with honeyed and reddish hues in the cup. As the roast becomes more intense, the flavors shift to chocolate, wood, almond, cocoa, and the cup color becomes deeper and more intense, with brown and chocolatey hues.
The roast level will determine the flavor of the coffee in the cup, but it's important to consider that we're taking enough time for extraction because if we do it too quickly (underextraction), we don't give it enough time to extract the sugars, and we'll get the citrus and acidic notes; conversely, if we take too long (overextraction), we run the risk of getting bitter coffee.
The recommendation is to use a "slow" extraction method for light roasts and a fast extraction method for dark roasts. For example, our Red Honey or Macerado Specialties, both prepared with a medium roast, are recommended for Chemex, V60, and French press. The Pluma Hidalgo dark roast, Black Edition, and Sirius Special Taste Specialties are recommended for espresso machines, Aeropress, or automatic machines for Americano. Try both and note the difference.
The water temperature should be slightly lower for dark roasts and a bit higher for light roasts. The range is between 90°C and 96°C.
We've heard that freshly roasted and ground coffee makes a better cup. We invite you to try coffee that has been roasted a couple of weeks ago, stored well, and ground just before preparing your cup. Compare it with a freshly roasted one and one that has been ground for several weeks. We won't spoil the result, but the difference in the flavor of each cup will be clear.
In the next installment, we will present a comparison between two similar extraction methods (V60 vs. Chemex) that yield substantially different results.
Happy start to the week, Sirius Coffee community #coffeeholics.
