Why Is Coffee Bitter? Is The Bitterness Really Bad?

In fact, the bitterness is not so bad. In fact, if the coffee is not mixed with bitterness, it may taste too sour or too sweet. The key is balance. A little bitterness can bring out a richer and diversified flavor level on the premise that the bitterness is not too heavy.

Interestingly, however, for most people, we can accept very bitter coffee rather than very sour coffee.

However, coffee with too much bitterness is really bad, so let's see what bitterness is and how to avoid bitterness when brewing.

As a coffee lover, when was the last time you actually enjoyed a cup of coffee?

Everyone has the experience of eating bitterness. However, there are often cases where you eat bitterness but others can't. This is the sensory cognition of taste, which means that the sensory feelings vary from person to person.

It is also important to note that taste is more than just creating a bitter feeling. The word flavor represents the aggregation of many things, including smell, emotion, music, and even altitude. However, this is not the content of this paper. Now let's focus on taste and look at the bitterness of coffee from a scientific point of view.

People used to think that the tongue has a different distribution of taste feelings, such as sweet, salty, sour, and bitter taste. But now we all know that these flavors can be felt on any part of the tongue.

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Because there are many proteins in the sensory cells of our tongue, according to the American Institute of medical quality and efficiency, about 35 proteins will react with compounds in food and produce a feeling of bitterness.

This represents the bitter feeling which comes from the substances called phenolic compounds in coffee, the most common of which is also called chlorogenic acid, which we will discuss later. This substance accounts for about 8% of the green coffee beans in Arabica, and it has a great impact on the taste of coffee.

There are many kinds of chlorogenic acid. We only need to know the two most special ones. Chlorogenic acid: the most common compound in green beans, di CGA, reflects the main substance of coffee bitterness.

Although most of the bitterness of coffee comes from quinic acid, some studies have pointed out that caffeine can also affect bitterness. Still, the effect of caffeine on bitterness is at most secondary.

As a coffee fan, what method do you use to brew your daily cup?

When we talk about the bitterness of coffee, we often think of roasting, but in fact, some coffee contains more bitterness than others.

First, Robusta coffee has a stronger bitterness than Arabica because robusta has higher levels of chlorogenic acid and caffeine. Robusta's chlorogenic acid is up to 10% in the green bean state, while Arabica is only 2%. In addition, Robusta has nearly twice as much caffeine as Arabica.

However, it is not only the coffee variety that will affect the bitterness, but also the genes, maturity, external environmental factors, and planting environment of the variety and category are important factors that affect the content of quinic acid in green beans, and then affect the final cup of coffee.

The impact of treatment methods, especially monsoon treatment, is also mentioned in the study. This is a traditional treatment method in India. Green beans are exposed to a high humidity monsoon environment. This treatment method can reduce the chlorogenic acid and bitterness of green beans.

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As for the maturity of the coffee fruit, the research points out that, for example, unripe beans contain more quinic acid, which is why a cup of coffee is very bitter when there are many unripe beans.

Chlorogenic acid changes and decomposes during roasting. Although the main bitterness in coffee comes from chlorogenic acid, in fact, chlorogenic acid itself has no bitterness! Chlorogenic acid will decompose into "chlorogenic acid internal fat" and "phenyllindane" during roasting. Phenyllindane can produce some bitterness. In addition, phenyllindane can also affect the flavor of coffee roasting.

Light roasted to medium roasted coffee will have more chlorogenic acid internal fat. This roasted coffee has a pleasant and high-quality coffee bitterness. The darker roasted coffee has more phenyllindane, which has strong bitterness and will remain in the mouth.

Therefore, light to medium roasted coffee will have a lower bitterness and retain the original aroma and flavor of the coffee. But, of course, bitterness is a subjective feeling. Just because you don't like bitterness doesn't mean others don't like it.

As a beginner of drip coffee, do you know the difference between using a permanent filter and filter paper?

If you buy a light roasted high-quality arabica, can you avoid bitterness? Not always. Whether it is brewed by yourself or by a professional barista, it will still affect the flavor of the final cup.

Do not over-extract coffee to avoid bitterness, because bitterness is released in large quantities after brewing. There are various reasons for extraction: brewing method, grinding thickness, water temperature, brewing time, etc. here are some suggestions.

First of all, no matter what brewing method is used, it is necessary to ensure the grinding thickness of coffee. The finer the grinding, the larger the surface area of coffee powder. Although more concentrated coffee will be extracted, it will also increase the risk of over-extraction.

You can search for some guides and posts about coffee to make brewing more delicious coffee at home on the internet.

Next, confirm the brewing water temperature. The higher the water temperature is, the more substances will be extracted. If the coffee bean has a strong bitter taste, it is recommended to boil it at a lower water temperature.

It also depends on the brewing time. If the coffee is bitter, it means that the brewing time may be too long.

Finally, remember that extraction is to achieve the overall balance. If you adjust the brewing factors, such as grinding thickness, the brewing time will also be affected.

Bitterness is not always that bad, but it can be problematic if bitterness covers other flavors. However, after you read this article and understand the source of coffee bitterness, we can explore how to control these variables.

Follow the suggested steps to find out the balanced taste and flavor you like in your coffee.

If you're preparing for your exam, a cup of coffee is a good idea.