Pu’er Coffee

 Have you ever felt completely lost standing in front of a shelf full of coffee beans? With all the different origins, processing methods, and flavor notes, it’s easy to get overwhelmed—only to end up bringing home a bag that tastes nothing like what you expected. Choosing coffee beans isn’t as mysterious as it seems. Just remember three key points: origin, processing method, and roast date. The origin determines the backbone of the flavor, the processing method gives it personality, and freshness is the soul of the cup. Generally, coffee tastes best within one month after roasting. Don’t stock up too much—fresh is always better. Enough talk—let’s get straight to the good stuff. These five beans are tried-and-true “power players.” Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned coffee lover, you can pick any of them with confidence. 1. Ethiopia Yirgacheffe — Washed Process If you enjoy clean, bright flavors, this one won’t fail you. It’s like stepping into an early-summer orchard, wit...

 These 3 Types Look Premium but Are the Least Nutritious — How Many Have You Bought? Every time you pass by a coffee shop, do you ever feel tempted by those beautifully packaged, high-priced coffee beans? The shiny metallic bags labeled “Premium” or “Reserve” can be hard to resist. But here’s the truth — some of those “luxury-looking” beans are far from healthy inside. Their actual nutritional value is much lower than you think. Today, let’s unmask these so-called “high-end” coffee beans and help you avoid the biggest traps when buying coffee. 1. Over-Processed Deep Roast Beans Ever bought those dark, oily beans that look almost like they’ve been lacquered? Many brands market deep-roasted beans as “Italian Espresso” or “Bold and Intense.” In reality, those beans are often made from lower-quality raw coffee and heavily roasted to hide imperfections. The problem is, during extreme roasting, most of the chlorogenic acid and antioxidants — the key nutrients we actually wa...

  In brewed coffee, over 800 flavor and aromatic compounds have been identified. For coffee enthusiasts, the most exciting part is figuring out how these compounds form and how they influence the flavor and mouthfeel of coffee. There are plenty of books that dive deep into the chemistry of coffee, but for those who aren’t chemists, reading them can be a snooze—even with all the caffeine you consume! So today, we’ll focus only on a few of the main compounds. Acids and Sugars: The Key to Coffee Flavor As both roasters and coffee lovers, we’re particularly interested in two types of compounds: carbohydrates (sugars) and organic acids. The interplay between these compounds largely defines the coffee experience. To understand this, just think of the difference between cheap white wine and a decent wine. Cheap wines have low sugar content and only one or two prominent acids, which makes them taste sharp, thin, and harsh. Good wines, on the other hand, have rich acid profiles—some with...