The same coffee but why do we enjoy the taste in each other?

Making finished coffee beans is not only grown and harvested, it's also an elaborate process!

Coffee, the world's most popular drink with a charming scent makes most of us flutter and at least enjoy it once every morning.

But what makes each cup of coffee taste so different? Even if they share the same breed, and grow in the same place?

Specialist who consulted on the process of roasting coffee beans Anne Cooper in Melbourne, revealed factors affecting the aroma of finished coffee beans during processing.

"The coffee industry today also operates in the same way that the wine industry has been using for so long," said Anne.

Not just planting seeds

Based on the evaluation of the Q-Grader (Coffee Flavor Specialist working at the American Coffee Flavor Appraisal Association), the most attractive coffee flavor comes from the Arabica coffee varieties ( includes 4 varieties: catuai, bourbon, gesha, catimor).

Arabica (left) - a type of coffee bean that is popular in the world, and Robusta (right) is popular in Vietnam.

But the seed is not the only factor affecting the flavor of coffee beans, when the elements of weather, soil, terrain and elevation during planting also determine the taste of this drink.

For example, plants grown in the mountains will grow more slowly, making the fragrance somewhat sweeter and softer. In lowland plants, there is less acidity of acid, more flavorful "soil".

And after being harvested, the berries will be processed at the place of planting them.

What is wet, natural or honey processing?

Most of the coffee packs consumed in the market are processed by washed processing.

The split beans will be stored in large wooden barrels filled with water.

"Once the berries are harvested, they will be put into the machine to separate the shell, leaving only one layer of the coat on the grain" - Jonathan Parkes, an inspector and manager training at the Dimattina chain store at Perth said.

Peeled coffee beans will be stored in large wooden containers filled with water for two purposes: peeling away the mucous layer and fermenting the grain.

"The key to determining the flavor is not to ferment for too long, if you don't want the product to be sour, rich like vinegar," Parkes added. Next, these beans are dried in the garden, depending on the weather, this process can take 7 - 13 days.

In dry, inadequate water sources for wet treatment, such as in Africa, they will treat natural natural methods.

Process of drying seeds.

"You just need to harvest, and dry them on shelves for a few weeks, maybe even a month," Parkes said.

In this way, the berries will separate the shell, and the inner seeds will be scented before the crust dries. This gives the most natural flavor for coffee.

One point to note is that this treatment will make fermented coffee beans very fast, so other processing steps are required to avoid overly strong flavors.

The remaining method, processing honey process (honey processing) is a combination of wet and natural treatment methods.

Coffee berries will be peeled by machine and then dried as natural treatment, instead of incubated in wooden containers as wet treatment.

Depending on the decision of the farmer, when they want to make the finished product with a strong flavor, how to harvest early or later than expected.

Roasting process - a key element of flavor

Roasting temperature is the determining factor of coffee bean flavor.

Roasting temperature is a decisive factor for the reaction process to create the scent of coffee beans.

Chlorophyll - the green substance of coffee beans will begin to dissolve gradually during roasting, making the color of the grain turn into a pale cream color.

When the roasting temperature is higher, the odor compounds will be formed. For example, lignin, a compound that helps harden the seed skin, degrades gradually to concentrate on producing vanillin odor compounds.

The Maillard reaction (the type of molecule reaction between amino acids and sugar) begins to take place, from which hundreds of compounds that create odors in coffee beans are formed.

"There are more than 1,000 flavoring compounds of coffee beans. When the Maillard reaction becomes longer in the roasting process, the flavor of finished coffee beans will be more specific and complex" - according to chemistry professor. about Tanoj Snigh's taste.

The last part of the roasting process, is the balance of acidity in the grain.

There are more than 1,000 flavoring compounds of coffee beans.

Water and gas generated in roasted seeds will be released by pressure, creating " first crack". From there, the acid concentration of coffee beans will gradually decline.

If roasted people want coffee with a sweeter flavor, they will adjust the process so that coffee beans retain the concentration of citric and malic acid (two acids that create fruity odor) inside.

What about roasting seeds? You can have many "strange" scents when enjoying them. "Kenyan non-roasted coffee sometimes tastes like . tomato sauce," Snigh said.

Once the beans are roasted and packaged, the chemical reactions in the grain continue.

So if you pack coffee beans with a little edge and you can smell them - this is a good signal!

When CO ₂ molecules escape to the bag, it does not affect the final taste when you enjoy it.

Now, when enjoying a cup of coffee, their taste will somehow help you realize how elaborately the process has made them!