The relationship between coffee roasting degree and bitterness: Does a higher roast mean more bitterness?

introduction

Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world, and its roasting degree is one of the important factors that determine the taste of coffee. Many people think that a higher roasting degree means a more bitter coffee, but is this really the case? This article will explore the relationship between coffee roasting degree and bitterness.

What is roasting degree?

Before we understand whether high roasting means more bitterness, we first need to clarify what the roasting degree of coffee is. Simply put, roasting refers to the heating of green beans to change their color, aroma, taste and other characteristics.

Different degrees of roasting

Depending on the degree of processing time and temperature, coffee can be divided into three main categories: light roasted, medium roasted and dark roasted.

- Shallow cultivation:

Light roast is also known as mild or city roast. At this level, the beans will have pepper-like spots on the surface and the color will tend to be light brown. Light roast coffee usually has higher acidity and a fresh taste.

- Zhongpei:

Medium roast is also known as full city roast. At this level, the beans become darker, taking on a chocolate color, and the surface oils begin to show through. Medium roast coffee usually has a balanced acidity and sweetness.

- Deep training:

Dark roast is also known as French or Italian roast. At this level, the beans are very dark in color and have a rich surface oil. Dark roasted coffee usually has lower acidity and a strong bitter taste.

The relationship between bitterness and roasting degree

Now let’s explore the question of whether a higher roast means more bitterness.

First of all, it is important to make one thing clear: bitterness is not caused by the roasting process itself, but is caused by the reaction of compounds present in coffee after being heated.

As the roasting temperature increases, the acidic compounds in the coffee gradually break down, creating bitter compounds. Therefore, in dark roasted coffee, there is usually more bitterness due to the longer roasting process and higher temperature.

However, not all coffee follows this rule. In fact, coffee beans of different varieties and origins may have completely different tastes at the same roasting degree.

Other factors that affect bitterness

In addition to the degree of roasting, there are other factors that affect the bitterness of coffee.

- Raw materials:

Coffee beans from different varieties and origins have their own specific flavor characteristics. Some varieties may have a higher or lower baseline bitterness.

- Grinding degree:

The coarseness has an important impact on the extracted solute content and taste. If you use too coarse or too fine grinding to make coffee, it may lead to problems such as too strong or too weak, or astringent.

- Brewing time and temperature:

Brewing time and temperature also affect the extraction of solutes from the coffee. If the brewing time is too long or the water temperature is too high, it may lead to increased bitterness.

in conclusion

To sum up, high roasting does not necessarily mean more bitter coffee. Although dark roasted coffee usually produces more bitter compounds, other factors such as raw materials, grinding degree and brewing method also have an important impact on the taste of coffee.

Therefore, when choosing coffee that suits your taste, you should not only consider whether the roasting degree is high, but also consider other factors to get the best experience.

I hope this article can help readers better understand the relationship between coffee roasting degree and bitterness, and provide some inspiration when choosing and tasting coffee.