Current Events > I'm kind of a coffee n00b.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Granted I could easily google this but this is a discussion board so here's a discussion.

What mostly impacts the potency of a coffee bean (not the drink, the bean)? Is it the kind of bean? Is it the date that it was ground up? What about the roast, like is a lightly roasted bean going to produce less caffeine than something dark roasted if it's from same batch?

I know with tea caffeine is often associated with the level of processing done, so white tea will produce less caffeine than black, and green is somewhere in the middle.
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Darker roasts have less caffeine because it's burned off in the roasting process. Cold brew has the most.
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s0nicfan posted...

Darker roasts have less caffeine because it's burned off in the roasting process. Cold brew has the most.

Thanks, this explains a lot. I just switched to a lighter roast because the taste was more preferable for me and I've noticed I feel way more caffeinated. Sounds like it's kind of the opposite of tea, where the more bitter (and most processed) product contains the most caffeine.
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s0nicfan posted...

Darker roasts have less caffeine because it's burned off in the roasting process. Cold brew has the most.

To be clear, cold brew has nothing to do with the roasting level but the method of preparation. Some brew types are more effective at extracting caffeine than others with cold brew being one of the most effective types for maximizing caffeine content in the final product without increasing bitterness. Only downside is that it requires a lot of coffee for the yield and takes several hours, usually overnight.
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the variety of bean and the roast affect caffeine content. darker roasts will have less versus light roasts.

Kombucha posted...

where the more bitter (and most processed) product contains the most caffeine.

when coffee is properly brewed it should not taste bitter at all. bitterness is almost always an indicator of over extraction
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Aspirin are you still French pressing all your coffee?

Also whats your opinion on cold brew coffee
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Giant_Aspirin posted...

when coffee is properly brewed it should not taste bitter at all. bitterness is almost always an indicator of over extraction

I don't know, it smelled bitter in the bag. I don't know if it would be possible to make the taste not bitter with this roast. The bag indicated "smoky and bold" or something, like I was supposed to enjoy tasting the smoky flavor. I guess smoky does not have to = bitter?
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Two_Dee posted...

Aspirin are you still French pressing all your coffee?

not anymore. i got an Aeropress and i prefer it because it takes less time and the cleanup is a lot easier. no more using a spatula to clean out the press, the puck just pops right out. and it only takes ~2 minutes instead of 4 in FP.

edit: only time i use the FP is when i want to brew more than ~2-3 cups at once, so like if i have guests over who want coffee. it's easier to make a larger batch via FP than having to do multiple AP brews.

also i bought a good electric grinder (burrs not blades) and it changed my life.

Two_Dee posted...

Also whats your opinion on cold brew coffee

it's delicious and i love the extra caffeine. haven't gotten around to making it myself at home though, simply because im lazy i guess. when its hot out and i want coffee i just use aeropress to make the concentrate and pour that over ice and cold water.
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Temperature, size of cup and creamer flavor is important, hence I use folgers crystals and french vanilla creamer in 12 oz styrofoam cup with only 8 oz of microwaved water.
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I do want to give pourover a try sometime, i'm still a daily FP user.

Giant_Aspirin posted...

it's delicious and i love the extra caffeine. haven't gotten around to making it myself at home though, simply because im lazy i guess. when its hot out and i want coffee i just use aeropress to make the concentrate and pour that over ice and cold water.

Me and my brother have been drinking a lot of it during the summer. We use this to make it:

Hario"Mizudashi" Cold Brew Coffee Pot, 1000ml, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001VPXEBU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_VnSKBbXG7HZX6

It's really easy to use and makes a decent amount of concentrate. I usually add milk to it in a 60/40 split. The only thing is though cold brew concentrate uses so many beans but its definitely worth it
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Two_Dee posted...

I do want to give pourover a try sometime, i'm still a daily FP user.

Giant_Aspirin posted...

it's delicious and i love the extra caffeine. haven't gotten around to making it myself at home though, simply because im lazy i guess. when its hot out and i want coffee i just use aeropress to make the concentrate and pour that over ice and cold water.

Me and my brother have been drinking a lot of it during the summer. We use this to make it:

Hario"Mizudashi" Cold Brew Coffee Pot, 1000ml, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001VPXEBU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_VnSKBbXG7HZX6

It's really easy to use and makes a decent amount of concentrate. I usually add milk to it in a 60/40 split. The only thing is though cold brew concentrate uses so many beans but its definitely worth it

yeah ive also been meaning to try pour over, but i cant see myself doing that much work every morning when im usually in a rush because i snooze too much.

thanks for the link, ill check that out
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