Do Me A Flavor?
It seems everyone knows more about coffee than I do. However, his post made me hesitate. Perhaps this whole flavor thing was a bit more than I can really explore in one blog post.
I have been puzzling over how coffee gets its flavor. Different roasts or different beans are described as having specific nuances. Some are nutty, or fruity, some I have tried were said to taste of roasted caramel or blueberry, but I didn't know why! It was time to do some research. I love the opportunity to learn new things!
It seems there is a forum online: CoffeeForums.com – A Community for Coffee Lovers. Do you mean to tell me I had a nemesis and didn't even know it?! Nevertheless… back to the subject. Mistr Green Bean said he likes to experiment with sundried beans: “The roasting process first produces the Haylike smells and flavors up to and including the first crack which we all know. I have been adjusting temperature profiles to try and get what I call a sustained first crack and terminating the roast before the second crack begins. I have found a lot of times that roasting into the second crack longer than a few seconds can pass right through the fruity flavors and proceed into the more of the chocolate flavors.” I had no idea what Mistr Green Bean was talking about. His audience obviously has a lot more experience in coffee than I do. It’s not difficult. It seems everyone knows more about coffee than I do. However, his post made me hesitate. Perhaps this whole flavor thing was a bit more than I can really explore in one blog post. What in the world are a first and second crack? I am familiar with several crack references - most of them inappropriate for civilized public discussion.
http://www.coffeeforums.com/forum/coffee-roasters/4174-coffee-nuances-first-crack.html
As I began to search further on the topics that arose, I found every word, every search, every topic to be a huge step into another subject. There is a lot to learn, but all I wanted to know was why different coffees have different nuances! I searched for hours. It is surprisingly difficult to find the answer to this very simple question. There are websites about tasting coffee, describing coffee, and flavoring coffee after roasting, but that isn’t what I wanted to know. How does NOVA’s Anyetsu coffee have a nuance of blueberries? It seemed like a very simple question.
The Coffee News Channel had an article, “A Great Cup of Coffee starts with Great Coffee Beans.” Finally, I began to get some insight on how a bean gets its flavor. It was said that good coffee flavor is determined by: "climate, soil and cultivation methods," as well as roasting methods. Every region has distinct qualities. Coffee with fruity nuances often come from Kenya, and Brazilian coffee is rather nutty. The question is, why? Why does coffee taste that way? Is it just region and soil quality?
http://coffeenewschannel.com/coffee-beans/
TeaAndCoffee.net had my answer. At long last, it pacified the desperate science geek inside me. The following is taken from “The Flavor of Roasted Coffee,” an article by Dolf De Rovira, president of Flavor Dynamics:
“Coffee beans are born with a complex mix of chemical components - such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals, sugars, and acids - that are waiting to be changed into the flavorful substances we enjoy. In the bean, carbohydrates are broken down [into] sugars… that provide the basic building blocks for the wondrous Caramelization and Maillard reactions that produce amazingly flavorful aromas during roasting. [F]ats also play a role in defining a coffee’s characteristic taste. Oils within the bean oxidize to form grassy, herby, or peanutty characteristics. Sour chemicals - acidulants - are also found within most coffee beans at differing levels. Floral characteristics, described by many as being a combination of jasmine and apricots or peach, have a more complicated biogenesis but form at least in part from fats that form hydroxy acids and then undergo a cyclization. … The by-products of ripening, which include esters and volatile acids, are often described as tasting winey, earthy, and fruity. Combinations of fruity and woody characteristics can together give the impression of berry-like notes….
At lower temperatures (a bit above the boiling point of water), the changes to a bean’s flavor are relatively minimal. As the bean heats up, it expands and trapped gases evaporate, along with some trapped moisture. This expansion causes an audible crackling sound known as the first crack. … As the temperature rises the bean’s sugars undergo what is known as caramelization. The flavors formed at this point in the roasting process fall into the category of “brown characters” and are typically described as caramel-like notes. The chemicals that are produced at this point are flavor volatiles that include chemical compounds, such as alcohols, furans and enols, that contribute more and more to the overall caramel-like profile… It is at this stage that the bean’s regionally-defined inherent flavor characteristics begin to diminish and the caramelized notes within the flavor profile increase. It is the combination of these roasted brown notes with the regional nuances of a coffee crop that combine to make the most interesting and complex flavor profiles.
As the temperature rises further, …another reaction comes into play - the Maillard Reaction..., resultant of two elements within the bean - tiny sugars, known as “reducing sugars,” and amino acids, the basic building blocks of proteins… This reaction creates a host of aromatic chemicals that excite the imagination and are described in the flavor lexicon with words like toasted, roasted, nutty, and chocolate.
Soon… the temperature reaches a point where things change a bit. [T]he woody cellulose materials within the bean start burning and emit popping and crackling noises, known in industry the second crack. At this point the reaction shifts from being endothermic (absorbing heat) to being exothermic (giving off heat). This roasting condition must be monitored closely as it can be dangerous and can result in a fire. [P]henols become the primary class of aroma chemicals that are produced at this point. These oxidative products exhibit characteristics that are commonly described as smoky, woody, or even asphalt-like.”
http://www.teaandcoffee.net/0706/special.htm
Very interesting! Thank you, Mr. De Rovira. You are my hero. A true knight in shining lab coat.
