How to judge the ripeness of coffee beans

introduction

The maturity of coffee beans has an important impact on the taste and flavor of coffee. Therefore, knowing how to judge the maturity of coffee beans is knowledge that every coffee lover should master. This article will focus on this and introduce several common methods to judge the maturity of coffee beans.

Appearance Color

The color of the coffee beans is one of the most intuitive and commonly used methods to judge the maturity of coffee beans. Unprocessed or raw coffee berries are usually light green or yellow, and the color will become darker as the berries mature. When the berries are fully ripe, their appearance will be dark red or dark brown.

Hand feel hardness

In addition to the color of the appearance, the hardness of the hand can also be used as one of the indicators to judge whether the coffee beans are ripe. Unprocessed fresh coffee berries will feel hard and difficult to crush. As the berries gradually mature, their hardness will gradually weaken and become softer and more fragile.

Fruit weight

The weight of the coffee berries can also be used to judge the maturity of the coffee beans. Generally speaking, unprocessed fresh coffee berries are relatively light. As the berries gradually mature, the water content in them will decrease, causing them to increase in weight. Therefore, among the coffee beans picked from the same variety of coffee trees, heavier ones tend to mean more mature.

odor

Smell is another indicator of coffee bean ripeness. Untreated, raw coffee cherries usually have a fresh and strong floral or grassy aroma. As the cherries begin to ripen, this aroma becomes stronger and sweeter.

Test Method

In addition to the above-mentioned methods such as appearance color, hand hardness, fruit weight and smell, there are other more precise and accurate testing methods available under modern technology. For example, a densitometer is used to measure the density of coffee beans. Mature coffee beans usually have a higher density. In addition, an electronic chromatograph can be used to analyze the content and proportion of various chemical substances in coffee beans to determine their maturity.

in conclusion

From the above introduction, we can see that judging the maturity of coffee beans is a multi-faceted process. Mutual verification and reference between different methods can improve the accuracy of the judgment results. Therefore, when purchasing or tasting coffee, we should use as many methods as possible to determine whether the coffee beans we purchase or taste have reached the desired maturity.

References

[1] Coffee Quality Institute. (2019). The Coffee Buyer's GuIDe to Determining Coffee Bean Quality. Retrieved from https:cafe的英语//www.coffeeinstitute.org/

[2] Specialty Coffee Association. (2020). Green Arabica Coffee Defect Handbook: A Resource for Roasters, Importers, and Traders. Retrieved from https://sca.coffee/research/green-arabica-coffee-defect-handbook

Note: This article is for reference only, please refer to the actual situation.