When you want to buy coffee beans, do you ever feel overwhelmed by the dazzling list of beans? When you go to a home-roasting coffee shop, do you ever struggle over the bewildering array of coffee beans? No worries! Just remember these few points, and you can easily choose the coffee beans that suit you!

"Choose the type of coffee beans based on your brewing method"

The coffee beans commonly found on the market todayare divided into two camps: single-origin coffee beans & espresso blend coffee beans. Single-origin coffee beans refer to beans produced from a single region/estate, and their flavor is generally relatively clean and clear. Espresso blend coffee beans refer to blending coffee beans from different regions to keep the flavor stable over the long term, and the flavor is generally richer and more solid.

If you use a moka pot, espresso machine, or otherpressurized extraction methods, you can choose espresso blend coffee beans;if you use pour-over, French press, ice drip, cold brew, siphon, American coffee machine, or otherdrip/filter extraction methods, you can choose single-origin coffee beans.

Of course, this is not to say that blend coffee beans cannot be used for drip/filter extraction, nor that single-origin coffee beans cannot be used for pressurized extraction. Generally, shops/roasters will develop different roasting styles according to different brewing methods, making a certain flavor/mouthfeel of the coffee beans more prominent, and thus better suited to a certain brewing method.

Espresso beans are used for pressurized extraction. Those who like rich crema and also want a balanced, rich mouthfeel can prioritize espresso blend coffee. Take Front Street Specialty Espresso Blend Coffee Beans as an example: it combines Colombia Huila and Brazil Cerrado in a 3:7 ratio, presenting a rich aroma of roasted nuts and chocolate.

"Choose freshly roasted coffee beans in packaging with a one-way exhaust valve"

FrontStreet Coffee constantly emphasizes the importance of freshly roasted coffee beans, because as the number of days of storage after roasting increases, the flavor of the coffee beans will slowly dissipate until it is gone. So if you want to drink coffee with obvious and layered flavor, you need to check the roast date when purchasing.Generally, single-origin coffee beans perform best in flavor within 15-20 days after the roast date, and the best tasting period is within 30 days after the roast date. Espresso coffee beans perform best in flavor within 30 days after the roast date,and the best tasting period is after the roast datewithin 45 days.

So are coffee beans that have just come out of the roaster the best? Not at all~After roasting is completed, coffee beans contain a large amount of carbon dioxide and a smoky, choking sensation, and these all affect the extraction of the coffee as well as the expression of flavor and mouthfeel. So if you buy coffee beans that have just come out of the roaster, let the coffee beans rest in sealed packaging with a one-way exhaust valve (its function is to release gas inside the bag while blocking outside air and moisture from entering) to let the carbon dioxide escape on its own and take away the smoky, choking sensation (this process is commonly known as resting the beans). The resting period will also be extended according to the different roast levels.Front Street suggests a resting time of 3-4 days for light-to-medium roast coffee beans, 5-6 days for medium-dark roast coffee beans, and 7-10 days for espresso coffee beans.

"Choose single-origin coffee beans based on different regions, roast levels,flavor descriptions"

First, let's summarize an outline for choosing beans: if you want floral aroma and fruity acidity, you can choose coffee beans from Africa, generally mainly light-to-medium roast; if you want nutty notes, you can choose coffee beans from Central and South America, generally mainly medium roast; if you want no acidity at all / something more bitter, you can choose coffee beans from Asia, generally mainly medium-dark roast.

Take the coffee beans sold by FrontStreet Coffee as an example. Different regions will show different coffee flavors depending on the coffee variety, growing altitude, coffee processing method, and roast level. If you really do not know which region's coffee beans to choose, you can choose based on the coffee bean flavor descriptions provided by the shop.

If the flavor description mostly contains fresh notes such as citrus, berries, floral aroma, and tea-like qualities, it is generally light-to-medium roast coffee beans, and the coffee's sweet-and-sour taste will be more obvious. Representative coffees include Front Street Yirgacheffe Gedeb Cooperative, Front Street Panama Boquete Geisha, and Front Street Ethiopia Huakui;

if the description mostly contains rich notes such as nuts, dark chocolate, and cream, it is generally medium-to-medium-dark roast coffee beans, the coffee's acidity will be lower, and the mouthfeel will be richer and more solid. Representative coffees include Front Street Brazil Queen's Estate, Front Street Papua New Guinea · Bird of Paradise, and Front Street Indonesia Golden Mandheling;

if the description contains obvious and prominent notes such as some wine aroma and rich fruity aroma, it is generally specially processed coffee beans, and a certain coffee aroma/flavor will be more prominent. Representative coffees include Front Street Panama 90+ Eleta, Front Street Costa Rica · Mozart, and Front Street Colombia Rose Valley.

"Is it better to buy whole coffee beans or ground coffee?"

Many shops provide a grinding service to make things easier for people who like pour-over coffee but do not have a grinder. But if conditions allow,Front Street suggests buying whole coffee beans~Whole coffee beans can better slow the dissipation of coffee flavor, while after grinding into coffee powder, the contact surface area of the coffee particles increases, and the flavor dissipates faster. So if you drink coffee often, you can get a manual coffee grinder costing more than 200 yuan and grind right before brewing. As long as the coffee beans are within the best tasting period, freshly ground coffee will taste better than pre-ground coffee~

If you really do not want to buy a grinder but still want to experience the joy of pour-over coffee, Front Street suggests choosing drip bag coffee packs.

Front Street drip bag coffee is made by grinding fresh single-origin coffee beans into powder and packaging 10g per bag into drip filter bags, sealed individually. When brewing, you only need to tear open the packaging and the sealing strip of the filter bag and add about 150g of 90°C hot water to get a cup of aromatic single-origin coffee. It is recommended to store drip bag coffee packs for no more than 30 days.

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