Coffee beans
Imagine you've been entrusted with a message and asked to keep it secret. It's stored in an envelope, and you've been asked to deliver it to a specific person. To do this, you have to travel until you find them.
During the journey, you struggle to keep the message hidden, but you do everything possible to keep it hidden until it reaches its intended recipient. The surprise and joy will be greater if no one spoils it.
That's the journey of the coffee bean from the plant to the cup. And the person to whom the message, a delicious explosion of flavor, is addressed is you.
Everyone involved in the coffee production chain should do their best to keep the secret well-guarded until it reaches you.
From the coffee farmer to the barista , everyone will contribute their knowledge so that when it arrives, no one has spoiled the surprise. And you shouldn't spoil it by grinding the coffee too soon, either.
What is coffee beans?
Coffee cherries ripening on the plant
Coffee beans are the seeds of the coffee plant . Coffee trees produce cherries containing the seeds. Therefore, a coffee bean is the seed of a fruit, just as a peach pit is.
Like other fruits, coffee cherries are affected by many factors, such as where they are grown, the characteristics of the soil where they grow, the amount of water they receive while growing, and when they are picked, among others.
The difference is that, with coffee plants, we're interested in the cherry seed, not the fruit itself. What makes these seeds unique is that, when processed, roasted, and prepared, they produce the beverage we know as coffee.
Coffee plant varieties
There are two main varieties of coffee plants grown for this purpose: Coffea arabica and Coffea robusta , although specialty coffee focuses on the Arabica variety because it is more aromatic and rich on the palate. In this post on specialty coffee, we review all the factors that affect coffee beans.
Therefore, we could say that the best coffee beans will be the ones that have best maintained the unique qualities of their variety from the crop to your cup.
And the best way to do this is to keep it in its original state until you prepare it. But let's see why.
Why buy coffee beans
The main reason for buying coffee beans is that it better preserves the organoleptic qualities
The main reason to buy whole bean coffee instead of ground coffee is because whole bean coffee preserves its organoleptic qualities better . This means it will produce fresher coffee with more flavor and a better aroma.
The coffee seed is composed of many natural chemical substances with different soluble properties. These soluble compounds are what, once in contact with water, transfer their properties to it.
Oxygen is the main element we must control when it comes to keeping coffee at its peak. When it comes into contact with coffee, it creates a reaction that alters its properties.
This reaction is known as coffee oxidation and is the main reason why coffee ages and loses its qualities.
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The oxidation process of coffee
Chemically, oxidation is any reaction in which one or more electrons move from one chemical substance to another, producing two different compounds.
The reason this happens is because oxygen removes electrons from another molecule. The molecule that loses an electron becomes unstable and reactive.
Coffee oxidation occurs when oxygen molecules come into contact with the various compounds in coffee. By grinding coffee, we facilitate and increase the surface area on which oxygen can act, accelerating oxidation .
This is why we must keep the coffee beans until we are ready to prepare them.
Coffee compounds affected by oxidation
Coffee roasting in process
There are two main compounds affected by oxidation:
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs): These oxidize to neutral compounds. This results in a loss of pleasant flavors and aroma.
- Lipids oxidize to form peroxide, resulting in the creation of rancid aromas and flavors.
Other factors that accelerate this oxidation process are light and heat . Light increases the rate of lipid oxidation, and heat causes both lipids and VOCs to oxidize more rapidly.
After roasting, the coffee releases CO², a process called degassing. Green coffee undergoes minimal natural oxidation, but as soon as it leaves the roasting machine, the process accelerates.
Degassing roasted coffee
Coffee degassing is the expulsion of gases from the roasted beans. During the roasting process, the beans undergo hundreds of different chemical reactions.
One of them is that when the carbohydrates in coffee beans break down into smaller molecules, the beans begin to turn golden brown, and water vapor and carbon dioxide are created.
In the first few days after roasting, coffee beans continue to release CO² . Brewing before the process has stabilized can result in uneven extraction.
Packaging with a one-way valve and heat seal allows these gases to escape and prevents oxygen from entering. This will result in regular degassing and delay the oxidation process.
This is because, after heat sealing, the CO² released by the coffee, being heavier than oxygen, displaces it and creates a 'kind of inert gas chamber', which delays oxidation and further loss of quality.
Conservation of coffee beans
Packaging wholesale orders at Ineffable Coffee
One of the key factors to consider when purchasing coffee beans is the way they have been stored , as this will help control the oxidation process.
The best way to store roasted coffee is in whole bean form, in packages with one-way valves and heat sealing , as we have already seen.
Other methods include vacuum packaging or packaging with an inert gas injection such as CO² or nitrogen. In both cases, oxygen is displaced so that it doesn't react negatively with the roasted coffee.
The ideal is to find a balance between proper degassing of the coffee and controlling its oxidation.
One way to achieve this is by roasting the coffee properly and packaging it in containers with one-way valves as quickly as possible, as we do at Ineffable Coffee.
Bags with one-way valves, in addition to delaying the oxidation process (until they are opened again) by expelling CO², prevent pressure buildup and possible bag rupture.
Grinding ratio depending on preparation method
This is an approximate ratio of the grind we will need depending on the preparation method we are going to use:
- Espresso: very fine grind (slightly finer than fine salt)
- Mokka: fine grinding (like fine salt)
- Aeropress: medium grind (slightly coarser than fine salt)
- V60: medium grind (slightly coarser than fine salt)
- Chemex: medium grind (slightly coarser than fine salt)
- Plunger: coarse grinding (like coarse salt)
At Ineffable Coffee, we've put together some guides for making coffee using different methods, which you can check out here .
The best way to grind coffee before preparing it is to use a grinder that grinds, not crushes, the coffee.
This is the main difference between regular electric blade grinders and the manual grinders we sell at Ineffable Coffee, such as the HARIO Mini Mill or the Comandante manual coffee grinder.
Other advantages of these grinders are that they offer a uniform grind and do not heat the coffee while grinding.
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Buy coffee beans
The coffee grind is extremely important for a correct extraction.
It's always preferable to buy coffee beans and grind them before preparing it. But we know that for many people, this is either not possible or may not be convenient.
Although we always recommend buying it whole bean, what we recommend in these cases is to ask for it to be ground when you buy it, according to the preparation method you plan to use, and to use a container with a valve.
Buying pre-ground, packaged coffee should be your last option, especially if the package doesn't have a valve.
Other things to keep in mind are the roasting date and the type of roast . If we want coffee in optimal condition, we should consume it within eight weeks of roasting, if it has been stored properly.
The type of roast, whether a lighter or darker roast, will depend on our tastes and preferences. But we should never buy coffee that's overly roasted or burnt, as this will result in the loss of organoleptic qualities.
And we must avoid , like the plague, any torrefacto roast . This not only offers no richness to the palate, but is also harmful to health .
Marketing techniques used by large retailers to sell us coffee
When buying coffee, we must be aware of the different marketing techniques that many coffee brands or large retailers use when selling coffee to us.
The terms " superior coffee ", " gourmet coffee " or similar do not have a specific meaning, and therefore do not denote a better coffee , although it is probably more expensive .
We must also keep in mind that organic coffee—although undoubtedly better for the planet—is not necessarily better coffee.
On the other hand, the term “ specialty coffee ” assures us of the highest quality coffee and that best practices have been followed throughout the production chain.
If you want to learn more about specialty coffee, you can read this post , which summarizes everything specialty coffee is and represents.
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The best coffee beans
Packaging coffee beans at Ineffable Coffee
If we want to be on the safe side, then we should look for specialty coffee. This, in addition to offering unique properties to the palate, is respectful of the planet and the producers.
This is the type of coffee we work with at Ineffable Coffee. If you take a look around our shop, you'll see the different varieties we have, which vary depending on seasonal availability.
In addition, we follow all the protocols we've mentioned for optimal coffee preservation and all the health protocols required at this time.
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