Getting Started with Specialty Coffee - Pt. 4
Words are important
Coffee Roast Levels and Strength
In the broader world, it is common to describe coffee roast levels (light, medium, dark, french, etc) with a “strength” value, associating darker roasts with stronger brews. However, the term strength is a misnomer - in the world of specialty coffee, strength refers to a measurable property of the brew unrelated to roast level.
Specifically, strength describes the concentration of coffee compounds in water. This is a phenomonon you will likely have already experienced - a straight espresso has higher strength than an americano or drip coffee.
This intensity of flavor, not the flavor itself is what describes strength.
Flavor, acidic, sweet, or bitter, is handled by Extraction.
Coffee Extraction: The Basics
If you’ve done much research into specialty coffee, you’ll likely have heard this word tossed around a great deal. What does it mean, and why should you care?
Extraction is the process by which water pulls flavor from coffee. While the nuances of this process are still under study, the fundamentals of extraction theory are fairly simple.
Durring the brewing process, coffee will release acids fastest, sugars and aromatics next, and finally biter componds and fibers.
An underextracted coffee will taste sour. When it is well extracted, it will be sweet and balanced. Overextract, and it will be harsh, bitter, woody.