How to Make Coffee with Whole Beans?

How to Make Coffee with Whole Beans? 

Coffee experts say that if you have not tasted whole bean coffee, you really can’t appreciate the true taste of it. Someone who is a coffee snob, swears by the exquisite taste of coffee made out of whole beans. 

What is Whole Bean Coffee? 

What you get is a processed coffee ready to be brewed. But coffee goes through its own journey from it is picked and till it’s brewed. The first step involves separating the coffee cherry from the inner seed which is called a coffee bean. The seeds are cleaned thoroughly and dried out and the result is “green coffee beans.” They, then, travel somewhere else to get roasted. 

What comes out of the roaster is the whole bean coffee we purchase. The roasted beans are ready to be used. They are sincerely packed for a perfect brew and shipped to various coffee shops and retailers for customers to buy. This is a common understanding that there is one more step of grinding the whole coffee beans before brewing them. But making coffee with whole beans is a secret to the most exotic coffees in the world. 

Whole Bean vs Ground Coffee

The biggest factor which differentiates whole beans from ground coffee is the amount of their surface area that is exposed to oxygen. As whole beans have a protective layer, the surface area which comes in contact is the exterior. The essence of the coffee beans which provides the energizing flavor is well-protected within the bean. 

As these compounds are highly volatile and even catch the surrounding aromas if kept in open, it is very important to not interfere with the natural components inside the beans. You wouldn’t want to lose the distinctive aroma. When compounds come in contact with oxygen, they start dissipating. So way before you put them into hot water, the quality is compromised. This happens when you grind the coffee and store it. 

Grinding the coffee increases the surface area, exposing them more to oxygen and ruining its content. The aromatic pleasure you desire fades out. You grind it finely thinking it would dissolve into the water seamlessly and you will be spared from the trouble of crushing it every morning, but you are unconsciously degrading the quality of your preciously selected coffee. 

The best time to grind coffee is right before you brew it. Provides more space for the water to make its way through and extracts all the delicious flavor components. But when you decide to store them in that form, oxygen gets a chance to interfere with these aromatics. This process is known as oxidation and that is how your coffee becomes stale. 

How to Brew Perfect Coffee with Whole Beans? 

1. Measure the amount you want

You will need a mason jar and fill it three-quarters with the coffee beans. Better to have a marked mason jar. 

2. Pour Hot Water 

You need to fill three-quarters of it with hot water, must be boiling hot. The coffee beans must float slightly above the water level. 

3. Immerse the jar in a saucepan with simmering water

The water in the saucepan should be simmering and not boiling hot. Make sure that the water level in the saucepan should match the water level you have maintained in the mason jar. 

4. Let it stay for an hour

Keep simmering the water. It will be a good idea if you could start the process just after getting out of bed so that while you carry on with your morning routine, the coffee beans get time to brew. Check it at an interval of half an hour. You will notice the water in the jar turning to the color of coffee and can smell the aroma wafting through the air. 

5. Your coffee is ready

After an hour carefully pick up the jar with the help of tongs or a towel. Place a strainer on the cup to capture the beans. You get an intense cup of coffee you might not have experienced with to ground coffee. If you want to dilute the bitterness, add some hot water. 

For an authentic, flavourful experience, brewing a cup of coffee with whole beans is the way to go. 

Understanding the Origin of Coffee Bean

Craft coffees often use the term “single-origin”, implying that all the beans are harvested from the same region (or even the same farm). You can also avail of a blend of different beans farmed from different regions. Blended coffees are for your experimental moods. Choosing a single-origin coffee gives you the benefit of having specific flavor notes in each cup. There are even variations within the same country. 

If you go for African coffee, your desire for fruity and floral notes will be pleased. American coffee is smoother, mesmerizing you with hints of chocolatey and nutty notes. Coffees that come from Indonesia and Papua New Guinea can really have surprising flavors, as which notes they will adhere to depends on how they were grown and processed. They might taste sour, earthy, smoking, or fruity. 

Altitude is the biggest factor in determining the intensity in taste. Higher altitude provides a cooler environment that leads the coffee cherries to mature slowly. The beans grow out to be denser, brimming with complex flavors. If you ever try out coffees that are grown at a region 4,000 feet above sea level or higher than that, you will be delighted. 

Making a cup of coffee with whole beans gives you a flavorful experience and your taste buds get a different awakening altogether. Grinding might seem like an easier option but you are unconsciously compromising on the taste.

The heat from the grinder oxidizes the flavor of the coffee. The grinding machine might also result in inconsistent size, which gets extracted at different rates. The off-flavors play a big part in introducing the bitterness, that we perceive as an inherent taste of the coffee. If you are not too lazy, try making coffee out of whole beans and experience the authentic, pure taste.

Benefits of Purchasing Whole Bean Coffee

Fresh taste: If you want to experience the real aroma and unaltered taste of your high-end coffee, look nowhere else. A cup of coffee made out of whole beans will satisfy all your senses. 

You can grind accordingly:

Most of the ground coffee available in stores are compatible with a drip machine. If you feel like having French press or cold brew, you will find the grind to be excessively fine for it.

Similarly, it will be too coarse for espresso. There is an option for you to custom grind your beans from the coffee shop but then you will be locked into one grind size for the whole bag of coffee. If you like experimenting with a variety of brewing methods, the best way is to purchase whole bean coffee and grind them at home. 

It assures you better coffee:

The pre-ground coffees sold in stores are produced with the concept that customers look out for convenience over taste. You will often find the roast level mentioned on the packaging but they don’t think you will care about the origin or even the species. Even after keeping the fact that pre-ground coffee loses its essence aside, those found in supermarkets are of very low quality. With whole beans, you get detailed information on the quality, and the best flavor possible.