We want you to know more and more about coffee: let’s dive in and talk a little be about bitterness and sweetness in it.
You already know about the roundness, the aroma and the body of coffee, and you should also remember something about astringency and softness. If you keep reading our blog, you’ll be coffee expert in no time!
Today we are going to focus on two characteristics of coffee: its bitterness and its sweetness. These two elements are highly dependent on which variety of coffee we are looking at: Arabica or Robusta.
Arabica is characterized by an acidic yet non-bitter flavour, it has a higher level of sugar and a lower caffeine content: for these reasons it is quite sweet and delicate. Robusta on the other hand, has a less aromatic profile and caffeine is more prominent: this gives Robusta a more bitter, full-bodied and stronger flavour.
About coffee sweetness
When you talk about sweetness of coffee you refer to that pleasant smooth sensation you have when tasting an espresso. As already mentioned, sweetness is more prominent with Arabica coffee and you’ll feel less of it when tasting Arabica.
The sweet taste is associated to somehow a fruity sensation to the palate. More technically, when you talk about sweetness in coffee you are analysing the quantity of sugar you actually perceive when tasting the coffee.
The sweetness is one of the very fundamental coffee characteristics, and the roasting process has a major role in it. It the roasting is too strong, sweetness will go away. That is why we always choose a medium roasting that is the best way to maintain all the sensory profile of the coffee, sweetness included.
About coffee bitterness
As mentioned, the roasting process has a role in the flavours and aroma of the final product. With a strong roasting process, you have bitterer result on coffee. This is because when the process is quite long and the temperature quite high, the beans will get bitter.
The medium roast process (like the one we use) allows some bitterness to be created but never exceeds in it. This makes it possible for who tastes the coffee to feel all of the aromatic profiles. When bitterness is at the right level, the acidic typical note of coffee is more perceivable.
The perfect roundness and balance of an espresso can be achieved with the perfect roasting process, the right balance between acidity, bitterness and sweetness.
Look up other fundamental coffee characteristics in our blog!
