Is Americano Bitter or Sweet, and How Does TCM See Coffee?

Hot Americano often reads as sharply bitter, and that taste reminds many drinkers of Chinese herbal medicine. From a traditional Chinese medicine view, coffee is pungent and warm, said to refresh the mind, boost alertness, support kidney yang, and promote urination. Even so, it differs from a herbal decoction in extraction method, purpose, and where it is bought, so the two are not equivalent.

The bitter americano impression is not the whole picture. Coffee flavor has shifted over time from heavy bitterness toward sour, fruitier profiles as roasting and brewing changed, and black coffee covers a wide range of tastes. Many consumers still add milk and sugar out of habit rather than because the cup itself is one-dimensional.

Many people's first impression of coffee is the word "bitter," and that deep, heavy taste can even remind them of drinking Chinese herbal medicine. But can coffee really be equated with Chinese herbal medicine? From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), coffee does indeed have certain medicinal value: it is pungent and warm in nature, and can refresh the mind, boost alertness, support kidney yang, and promote urination. However, hot Americano and Chinese herbal medicine differ fundamentally in extraction method, purpose of consumption, and purchasing channels. This article will start from the TCM perspective, sort out the similarities and differences between coffee and Chinese herbal medicine, and take you through the evolution of coffee flavor from "bitter" to "sour," to see just how rich and varied black coffee can actually be.

Not many people truly know how to appreciate the flavor of the coffee beans themselves. The fixed idea that "coffee tastes bitter" is deeply rooted in most consumers' minds, and even if a cup of coffee is not low in calories, they still add milk and sugar without a second thought. Some office workers dressed "like adults," wanting both health and alertness, grit their teeth and say to hot Americano, "Bring it on."

But the distinctive bitterness of hot Americano is so intense it leaves people a bit dazed, and it reminds many of the experience of drinking Chinese herbal medicine. Some friends show exactly the same expression after drinking a bowl of Chinese herbal medicine and after drinking a cup of hot Americano.

The knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine is deep and broad. Even an ordinary green vegetable has its pharmacological value, and coffee beans are naturally no exception. In daily life, coffee is often treated merely as a beverage with flavor and color, but interestingly, coffee can indeed be classified within the category of Chinese herbal medicine.

Zhao Yan, associate professor at the School of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, once wrote an article titled "Coffee Is Also a Good 'Chinese Herbal Medicine.'" The article pointed out that from the perspective of TCM theory, coffee has both a unique aroma and bitterness. Aromatic substances generally have the effect of refreshing the mind and boosting alertness, while bitter flavors mostly enter the heart meridian. Long-term moderate coffee drinking can refresh the mind, boost alertness, and relieve fatigue. Coffee is pungent and warm in nature; pungency can dispel dampness, and warmth can support yang, so it helps warm and tonify kidney yang and promote diuresis to drain dampness.

Speaking of this pungent and warm characteristic, I have personally experienced it. In hot and humid Guangdong, every time after attending a coffee cupping event, symptoms of internal heat follow, and my mother's oft-repeated line, "Drink two more cups of herbal tea," comes back to mind.

People in Guangdong are accustomed to drinking herbal tea, while Westerners drink coffee daily. When coffee first entered the Chinese market in the 19th century, Cantonese people who knew little about coffee privately called it "foreign devil herbal tea." Who would have thought that today coffee has become a popular trend, even giving rise to drinking methods like "iced Cantonese-style." But friends who want to try it should be careful, or they may end up becoming a "rocket launcher."

That said, there are indeed differences between hot Americano and Chinese herbal medicine. Chinese herbal medicine emphasizes long simmering at high temperature, while hot Americano is a short extraction under high temperature and high pressure. After Chinese herbal medicine is decocted, it cannot be diluted with more water, while hot Americano is made by mixing espresso with hot water in a certain ratio. Drinking Chinese herbal medicine is a doctor telling you to endure bitterness; drinking hot Americano is you actively persuading yourself to endure bitterness.

The most obvious difference between hot Americano and Chinese herbal medicine is that Chinese herbal medicine must be obtained from a hospital or pharmacy, and can even be paid for with a medical insurance card. Hot Americano can be bought in coffee shops, breakfast stalls, and milk tea shops, but when paying, it cannot go through medical insurance and must be paid for entirely out of your own pocket! (This point is quite crucial!!!)

Because the impression that "coffee is bitter" is so deeply ingrained, many coffee beginners find it hard to believe when they hear flavor descriptions such as "berry, pineapple, passion fruit, honey, caramel, black tea." Seeing a barista drinking cup after cup of coffee behind the bar, they cannot help but feel admiration.

In fact, black coffee is not just a cup of bitter water that is hard to swallow, as everyone imagines. Many times, it can be sour, and after swallowing, there may be an unexpected sweet aftertaste. Coffee flavor has developed to this day and has already completed the shift from bitter to sour, while flavors have also moved from monotony to diversity. The reason coffee taste has undergone such a change is closely related to the evolution of coffee roasting philosophy.

Before the arrival of the 21st century, in order to heat the coffee beans evenly and roast them thoroughly, coffee beans were usually roasted on the darker side, and the darker the roast, the more prominent the bitterness.

Around 2000, as the quality of green coffee beans continued to improve, roasters began to adjust their approach and shift the roast level from dark to light in order to showcase the unique flavor characteristics of each producing region. While the cocoa and nutty bitterness of traditional coffee could still be felt, fruity acidity was additionally introduced.

Therefore, the difference between black coffee and Chinese herbal medicine is by no means as simple as paying out of pocket versus using medical insurance. The taste of coffee can vary endlessly depending on the roasting method and brewing technique. As for what to do if you cannot taste those fruit flavors the barista talks about? Then just drink a few more cups.

Image source: CNKI, internet

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.