In recent years, although some research has argued otherwise, health experts have claimed that, when consumed in moderation, dark chocolate and coffee have great benefits for the body. From their antioxidant action, anti-depressant effects, anti-cancer properties and even improvements in cognitive function.
In the late evening, to complete jobs and homework, in the middle of a working day to stay awake for meetings, people turn to coffee and chocolate for a little boost of energy and motivation to keep their eyes open. However, not all provide the same body benefits and their quality decreases according to production standards.
The production process can last from eight months to a year.
After the plants are sown, they take approximately two years to start bearing fruit (which usually takes five to seven years depending on the agro-climatic conditions of the area), and the harvesting process begins. This production point is the central part of the cultivation process. Only the ripe beans are harvested, which guarantees the quality of the coffee. Next comes the coffee benefit, a process in which the skin is removed and the beans are then subjected to a physical-chemical fermentation process in which they are washed and dried. The result is dried parchment coffee, which is passed to the threshing machines for threshing, where the coffee husk is removed. Finally, the beans are roasted.
Each variant of coffee has its own attributes, some more, some less, which makes the difference in distinguishing coffee. Seeds with less sensory attributes are subjected to a sugar-roasting process. “This process is done at the end of the manufacturing process to highlight the end of an eight-month or year’s work, helping to enhance the cup attributes of good seeds, and disguising many defects of seeds that do not give as much quality,” says Jeny Grisales.
Spain and Portugal are exclusive consumers of sugar-roasted coffee. This type of coffee is consumed on a large scale in Spain and Portugal because of its good product quality.
How do you taste coffee?
Coffee can be good, standard or bad. The origin will have a strong influence. But when tasting a coffee, it is mainly the acidity and the body that must be taken into account. The acidity should be high but pleasant on the palate or medium acidity. And the body, in order to be perfect, must be significant but not robust.
Does coffee expire? It does expire. Because the more processes it undergoes, the more unprotected it is. The ideal way to preserve its cup attributes for longer is to have coffee beans, and to grind only the portion that is going to be consumed at that time. When left in the open air it oxidises and absorbs smells and flavours from its surroundings. Although it is a matter of taste, the addition of other ingredients such as milk or honey not only detracts from the real taste, but also changes the flavour.
