6 little-known facts about coffee

The world of coffee is vast and profound.

Some coffees may not be drunk.

If you love coffee, how could you not know this?

How many of these six little-known facts about coffee do you know?

1. What is Shadow Coffee?

Shade coffee is coffee grown in the shade of a canopy. Because these shade canopies also provide habitat for migrating birds in Central America, coffee grown under local canopies is also called "bird-friendly coffee." Traditional Arabica coffee is grown in Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela and other countries around the world including India and Indonesia and many parts of Africa in many shaded areas, while other Arabica coffee is grown in full sun or near-sun.

2. What are pea-shaped coffee beans?

Pea beans (also called caracol, round beans) are small, round, bean-shaped fruits. Most coffee beans are shaped like two halves, but these beans are a whole bean that grows in the center of the coffee fruit. Pea beans are usually separated from regular beans and sold as a completely different type of coffee bean. They are popular in the Japanese market at a high price. They are produced from the same plant as regular coffee beans, but are screened for brighter, more acidic, and refreshing and aromatic coffee beans.

Only about 5% of normal Arabica coffee beans are small fruit coffee beans. Because of the small amount and the need for screening, they are more precious and more expensive than normal beans. Because round coffee beans contain the nutrients of two and a half coffee beans, their taste is richer than ordinary flat beans.

What is aged coffee?

Don’t mistake “old beans” for “aged beans”! The two are very different.

Old beans are usually unsalable. Not only are they not protected by the endocarp, but they will also have a rotten taste if left for a long time. Real aged coffee beans should be stored in the endocarp and then go through a special and strict storage process (2-3 years). Aged coffee is rich, steady, mellow and fermented. The taste is very similar to Pu'er tea, with a warm, mellow, smooth and smooth texture.

However, not all coffee beans are suitable for storage as aged beans. Usually, the green beans that are stored must have a strong physique. Therefore, the beans produced in Indonesia are solid and dense, making them the best choice for making aged coffee, especially aged Mandheling, which is the most famous.

4. What is Salt Coffee

A cup of coffee with 1/4~1/6 teaspoon of natural salt, lactic acid bacteria, and other ingredients that can adjust the intestinal environment can eliminate constipation, improve the intestinal environment, increase the number of enzymes, and improve the efficiency of enzymes.

The main ingredient of coffee, caffeine, has a wakefulness and diuretic effect. It can dilate the bile duct and expel toxins and waste from the blood faster. It can also increase the secretion of gastric juice, improve the efficiency of decomposing body fat, and increase the amount of high-density lipoprotein, so it has the effect of enhancing metabolism and losing weight. Coffee also contains chlorogenic acid, which has an antioxidant effect and can moisturize dry and rough skin. The minerals such as potassium, calcium, and magnesium in natural salt are as balanced as seawater, which is conducive to maintaining the balance of minerals in the intestine and improving the environment for enzyme activity.

5. What is Monsoon Coffee?

Monsoon coffee is a representative bean of India, and its flavor is completely different from the beans we often drink from Central and South America and Africa. The beans will swell and turn into a milky golden color.

Monsoon coffee is usually stored in special warehouses until the monsoon arrives. The ventilation structure is designed to allow the moist monsoon to circulate between the coffee beans, causing them to expand in volume and present a mellow but strong musty smell. The coffee is spread out in special ventilated warehouses and raked or turned by hand to allow the coffee beans to absorb moisture from the moist wind. The whole process takes 12 to 16 months, during which the coffee beans expand to twice their original volume and have a dull golden color. Then, after additional processing, the coffee beans that have not fully expanded in volume are selected, and the remaining coffee is ready for export.

The aroma of this dried coffee is not very strong, almost completely without acidity, and has a strong aroma of grains, like ripe rice ears and windy rice waves all over the tongue cavity, and the aftertaste produces a deep and heavy bitter feeling with a little scallion-like spicy coolness.

6. What is Chicory Coffee (Coffee Substitute)

Chicory is an evergreen plant from Europe that was brought to North America in the 1700s. The young fresh leaves are eaten raw in salads, while the older leaves are bitter and can be boiled in water and eaten. But it is best known for its close relationship with coffee. In times of history when coffee was difficult to obtain or expensive, chicory was often roasted as a coffee substitute.

The root of chicory is long and thick, like the taproot of a dandelion, and when dried, roasted and left to stand, it becomes an excellent coffee substitute. There is no caffeine in chicory, and it produces more roasted flavor than coffee, and many coffee producers use up to 30% chicory in their coffee blend to reduce the caffeine content. People also use roasted acorns, potatoes and some other local grains to make coffee.