Curiosity for coffee

By Yun Suh-young

Korea has rapidly positioned itself as one of the top five coffee consuming nations in the world. We drink coffee, even several cups, everyday but we're more used to drinking coffee for an occasion ― whether it be business or social ― than actually appreciating the taste of the coffee itself. In fact, not many of us are aware of the type and quality of coffee beans used or their place of origin.

Barista Roh Jin-yi who is also the owner of Jeju Coffee Farm where she cultivates her own coffee beans, shares some useful information about choosing coffee and some tips for brewing coffee in your own home.

Rating

A variety of ratings such as Supremo, AA, or AAA often confuse us when buying coffee beans for grinding or ordering coffee at a cafe.

They are all top quality beans, the only difference being the place of origin. AA are coffee beans from Kenya, AAA from Tanzania and Supremo from Colombia. The most commonly used beans are AA.

When rating coffee, 300g of beans are sampled from a 60kg sack and they're filtered through a "screen" which sorts out the beans based on their size (width not length).

Strictly Hard Bean (SHB)

Coffee beans that are grown in high regions of over 1,350 meters above sea level are more expensive and considered higher quality. Beans grown in such regions are called "strictly hard beans" (SHB).

These beans are more valued for their abundant flavor. The high density and hard texture of SHB beans comes from the drastic daily temperature changes which make the bean contract when cold and expand when hot, creating diverse flavors.

Arabica vs. Robusta

There are two types of beans in coffee ― Arabica and Robusta.

Arabica is the most commonly used bean type in coffee shops. They are of good quality and have balanced flavors of sweetness, bitterness and sourness. It contains less caffeine than the Robusta type.

Robusta is commonly used for instant coffees. Its quality is lower than that of Arabica. It contains double the caffeine of Arabica and has a strong sour taste.

Roasting

The more you roast the beans, the bitter and harder they get. The less you roast the beans the stronger and sourer flavor. Somewhere in between creates a taste that contains both the sourness and bitterness.

Brewing

When grinding coffee for brewing at home, adjust the taste of coffee with the fineness of the grind.

When too thickly ground, the coffee is mild and bland because the particles don't mix well with water, whereas too finely ground beans can be too bitter.

When grinding coffee, try not to use old beans. They can never be as tasty as fresh beans.

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