Are the coffee beans grown for Four Cats instant coffee really arabica?
Four Cats Coffee is a Yunnan company selling instant coffee built on small-bean coffee from its own high-altitude bases in Nujiang, registered in 2013 with a Tmall flagship store opened in 2014. More than 98 percent of its raw material is Yunnan high-mountain coffee, so the low price comes from compressed circulation costs, not from a fake product.
The coffee beans grown for Four Cats are Catimor, a hybrid of arabica beans and Robusta. Catimor tastes less delicate than pure arabica but far better than pure Robusta, showing slight fruity acidity, nutty and herbal notes. Nescafé blends Yunnan arabica with Hainan Robusta, so the two brands end up close in quality, and both instant lines add sugar and non-dairy creamer.
Recently, quite a few coffee enthusiasts have been asking how Four Cats Coffee really is, and whether it or Nescafé is more worth drinking. Some even say it's a fake scam and wonder why it sells so cheaply. This article will compare Four Cats and Nescafé from the perspectives of ingredients, flavor, and health, and explain the reason for its low price. At the same time, it will also introduce healthier alternatives, such as Front Street Coffee's freshly roasted drip bags, and specialty Catimor coffee beans from the Baoshan production area in Yunnan. After reading, you'll be able to clearly judge whether Four Cats Coffee is right for you.
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"Four Cats" is a company with Yunnan small-bean coffee as its core business. It is involved in the entire industry chain, from coffee cultivation and processing to online marketing and direct store sales, and mainly sells instant coffee products.
As for which one tastes better, it or Nescafé, the two are actually close in quality, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. If you prefer a stronger taste, Nescafé is a good choice; if you want to support domestic coffee, then you can consider Four Cats.
The main difference between these two brands lies in the source of raw materials: Nescafé uses a blend of Yunnan Arabica beans and Hainan Robusta beans, while more than 98% of Four Cats' raw materials are Yunnan high-mountain coffee beans.
Robusta beans are characterized by a heavy flavor and strong bitterness. Adding even a small amount can noticeably enhance the richness and mellow aroma of coffee. But if the proportion is too high, the coffee becomes bitter and hard to drink.
The coffee from Four Cats uses Catimor coffee beans grown in Yunnan. Catimor is a hybrid of Arabica and Robusta, and its flavor is less delicate than pure Arabica, but much better than pure Robusta. If you taste Yunnan high-mountain Catimor coffee on its own, you will notice slight fruity acidity, nutty notes, and herbal flavors.
To make them acceptable to more consumers, the instant products of these two brands usually add sugar and non-dairy creamer. Long-term and heavy consumption can easily increase the risk of obesity and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, so it is recommended not to drink more than two cups a day, and it is best to rinse your mouth with water afterward to reduce the possibility of cavities.
If you care more about health, you can try drip coffee bags made from freshly roasted coffee beans. For example, the "Front Street Drip Coffee Bags" sold at the Front Street flagship store. Front Street Coffee's (FrontStreet Coffee) drip bags all use freshly roasted coffee beans. After the beans are roasted and cooled, they are then ground, portioned, and individually packaged. Each box of drip coffee contains 10 small bags, each 10 grams, and the best tasting period is 30 days.
Among the drip coffee bags on sale, there are also specialty coffee beans likewise from the high-altitude areas of Yunnan. This batch of beans comes from the Baoshan production area in Yunnan, grown at an altitude of 1,450 to 1,550 meters, and is made from fully ripe cherries dried in the sun. The variety is Catimor.
Without adding milk, the coffee presents the sweet acidity of red berries, the richness of dark chocolate, the aroma of roasted nuts, and a caramel-like sweetness. After adding milk, the flavor shifts to berry milkshake, chocolate, and caramel nut notes.
The brewing method for drip coffee is as follows:
1. Make sure the cup you choose is large enough so that during brewing the drip bag does not touch the brewed coffee liquid
2. Open the drip bag, pull open the tabs on both sides, and hang it on the edge of the cup
3. Pour in 30 ml of water for the first pour and wait 20 to 30 seconds to let the coffee grounds fully bloom
4. After that, pour water once every 10 seconds, for a total of two pours, about 60 ml each time
5. After brewing is complete, take out the drip bag and discard it, and you can enjoy a healthy and aromatic cup of coffee～
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
