Is there a relationship between the size of the coffee bean and the taste of the finished drink? There are several opinions on this matter. Let’s see how things actually work.
How coffee is sorted
In the sorting of coffee beans, an international classification is applied. Regardless of the country of manufacture, sieves with strictly specified hole sizes are used – the so-called “grain screen”. They are numbered as follows:
- #8 specialty coffee beans,
- #10 minimum size,
- #11 to #13 small coffee beans,
- #14 small,
- #15 medium,
- #16 optimal,
- #17 -18 large-size coffees,
- #19 are significantly larger,
- #20 are the maximum sizes.
The smallest in production is the grain with a diameter of 3 mm and the largest is from 8 mm. On packaging containers, you can often find a simplified classification in the form of letters. For example, “AAA” – large, “B” – medium size. What is the size of coffee – why do you need to know? This is due to heat treatment technology. Depending on the degree of roasting of the coffee beans and the taste of the drink will be different.
The uniformity of cooking, in turn, is directly determined by the size of the grains. With different diameters, coffee beans require individual selection of technological conditions. The larger the grain, the more moisture it contains and the longer it takes to dry. So at one temperature, large grains will not dry properly, and small ones will burn. All of these will affect the taste of the coffee.
Therefore, it is better to order coffee in beans or capsules from a trusted supplier that sells only branded products and takes care of its customers.
Can coffee bean size affect taste?
The taste of freshly roasted coffee is not significantly affected by bean size. An equally delicious drink can be made from very small or extra-large coffee beans. Examples occur in industrial practice all the time. So, in Brazil, coffee beans are grown with both small and large fruits. From those and other varieties, an exceptionally tasty aromatic drink is obtained.
The size of the coffee bean is determined by several factors:
- The type of plant. Arabica beans reach 6 to 15 mm in diameter, and Robusta is 4 to 9 mm.
- Growing geography. The higher the plantation of coffee culture is located relative to the oceans, the smaller the size of the beans, but also the richer the aroma.
- Climatic features. The lower the humidity, the smaller the fruits.
Today, leading companies from which you can buy coffee beans wholesale or retail supply products from all popular plantations in the world. They have a very wide range of grain sizes. However, no serious supplier will focus on choosing coffee by grain size.
What else can affect the taste?
No matter what variety, size, and area of growth the coffee is, it will not become tasty if it is simply not allowed to ripen. Ready-to-pick fruits should have a bright red hue.
Among the main factors that determine the taste of a ready-made drink, we can single out:
- Type of coffee.
- The area and its relief features of the growth of the coffee culture.
- Climatic features.
- Technology of processing, drying, and storage.
- Brand features (it is possible to mix different varieties to obtain an individual taste).
- Degree of roast.
The largest of the most important factors is the way the coffee beans are assembled. Machine harvesting significantly pollutes the product with unripe fruits, branches, and leaves. Hand-picking is more accurate, although difficult and expensive. It allows you to select only fully ripe healthy grains without contamination. It makes for a tastier and healthier coffee.
But it’s really hard to find the best coffee beans. It’s not an easy task to find quality beans. So, what to do? Well, there are a few brands that you could try but I’ve my personal favorite.
If you live in the UK, you might hear about Balance Coffee. It’s not as popular as pact coffee or Blue-box but to be honest, compared to them I find Balance Coffee well-balanced in every aspect.
They’ve got the finest quality coffee beans in the UK. And the best part is the pricing. They’re also pretty famous for their specialty Coffee.
If you’re a coffee addict like me, you could grab their subscription box, and trust me you’ll save a pretty amount of pounds.
