Something that every café owner and barista should know is how coffee is processed. Turning coffee beans into a delicious cup of coffee can be a straightforward or complicated process, depending on the methods and type of coffee used. Understanding this process will help improve customer service and make your staff seem more knowledgeable about the various types of coffee you offer.
Let’s Take A Look At The Basic Procedure For Processing Coffee:
Roasting- roasting changes the physical and chemical properties of raw coffee beans. A proper roasting process expands the green coffee beans to almost double the original size. The density and colour of the beans also change. It takes experience and skill to determine the proper temperature and duration of the roasting.
Grinding Or Chopping- the fineness of ground coffee affects the characteristics of the brewing process. A coarser grind is preferable for brewing methods that require longer exposure to heated water. If the coffee grind is too fine, the flavour can be harsh, bitter and over-extracted because too much surface area is exposed to hot water. Another method is known as chopping. Blades rotating at around 25,000 rpm are used to chop roasted coffee beans into small particles.
Brewing- brewing methods significantly affect the scent and flavour of the coffee. Brewing is a delicate process, because flavour could deteriorate rapidly if the brewed coffee is kept hot for too long. Reheating may result in muddy flavour, because certain compounds could be degraded. Deterioration in quality may occur even at room temperature due to the oxidation process. Flavour can be maintained longer if the coffee is sealed to minimise exposure with oxygen.
A common traditional method for brewing is to boil coffee with water. The most ideal temperature is just under boiling point at around 96 degrees Celsius to ensure the release of aromatic oils. If the water is too hot, it could trigger the release of bitter acids.
A simpler way is to pour hot water over ground coffee in a French Press and the coffee is allowed to cool slightly, until much of the ground coffee sinks to the bottom of the cup.
Another popular method for brewing coffee is to use Nespresso compatible coffee pods or organic coffee capsules and a specially designed machine to create a hot, delicious cup of coffee quickly and easily.
In South American countries, coffee is brewed using muslin bags as filters. Ground coffee is put into the bag and steeped in heated water. It’s an ideal method for strong-flavoured coffee and the ground coffee inside the bag can still be reused once or twice.
Contact Novell Coffee Trade
To learn more about the newest trends in coffee and café service and how some companies and offices are going green with their coffee, contact Novell Coffee Trade and shop a wide selection of specialty coffees today!
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