What is Coffee?
Coffee is a drink that is brewed with roasted coffee beans. Coffee beans are actually seeds from berries off a certain species of plants that grow in regions near the equator. Before roasting, coffee beans are green in color. Then depending on the time and temperature the coffee beans are roasted they take on caramel or darker roast colors we’re all familiar with. There are many ways to brew a cup of coffee such as traditional drip coffee machines and French presses. The process is generally similar and includes weighing your coffee beans and grinding them to a desired fineness. Then applying hot water in the (195-205F) range. After a few minutes, an amazing aroma fills the room and your coffee is ready to be enjoyed.
Why we love Coffee!
As homebrewers we love doing things ourselves and creating unique flavors. We also just really enjoy a great cup of coffee. Just like enjoying a homebrewed beer, nothing beats the feeling of sipping a cup of coffee you roasted and brewed yourself. Similar to malt, different growing regions produce different coffee beans that have their own distinct flavor profiles. You can then build and customize these flavors further by roasting the green coffee beans. To learn more about roasting coffee check out our complete article by clicking, here. Did we also mention you can integrate homebrewing with coffee roasting?
Coffee & Beer
Coffee has been a part of brewing for many years and we’re not just talking about the brewers morning cup of joe. Coffee is full of roasted, nutty, chocolate and even flowery, herbal flavors & aromas. Coffee has long been used in Stouts and Porters but can be used to improve and nuance any beer style. How about a Coffee IPA or maybe even a Coffee schwarzbier? The possibilities are endless, especially when you can play around with different roast levels to further fine tune the flavor and aroma profile.
