How to Brew Light-Roast Coffee Without Astringency | Coffee Tips & Techniques
Recently, a friend noticed something interesting: compared to dark-roast coffee, brewing light-roast beans seemed to more easily result in coffee with an astringent taste. Unsure about this observation, he came to Qianjie for some clarification. So, what exactly is “astringency”? It’s that sensation in your mouth and on your tongue where things feel “gripped” or slightly rough, like a puckering or wrinkled texture. This experience is triggered when certain compounds in coffee interact with proteins in your saliva. Since it’s more of a tactile sensation than a taste, we call it astringency. The situation my friend described isn’t just a misconception—it’s real. Compared to dark-roast coffee, light-roast coffee does tend to extract with more astringency. Of course, brewing method plays a role as well. The astringency in coffee mainly comes from polyphenols such as tannic acid, tartaric acid, and quinic acid, which is formed from the breakdown of chlorogenic acid. If you notice a di...