Cupping coffee beans from European roasters
Because the tap water in Berlin is too high in altitude, they recommend bottled water such as Volvic when brewing specialty coffee.
Now then…
This happened a week ago, but I attended a European coffee bean cupping event held at Koku Cafe near Utsubo Park.
Apparently, the barista working in Berlin, Germany, has returned to Japan.
Mainly focused on water quality.
Hard and soft water have a huge effect on how well coffee is extracted.
It seems that the depth tends to be higher in soft water and lower in hard water.
In fact, when I cupped European beans with Osaka water, the flavor never came out deeply, even after a long time.
Also, while cupping generally involves grinding the beans coarsely, in German cupping the beans are ground as finely as espresso.
Things that we take for granted are completely different depending on the place.
It was a series of surprises.
I hadn't really paid much attention to the difference in water quality.
In the United States, the water on the West Coast is softer than on the East Coast.
I once received Blue Bottle coffee beans from a customer, and looking back, I wonder if the reason they tasted so poor when I received them as souvenirs from shops on the East Coast was because of the difference in the water.
It may be that the components of the coffee extracted vary depending on the water quality.
Also, it seems that even within Japan, the water in Tokyo is harder than that in Osaka.
If you take our beans to Tokyo or overseas, they will probably be extracted deeply.
It is said overseas that Japan roasts good beans too deeply.
I think I'll have to keep these things in mind as I continue to sell beans in the future.
It was a very educational day.
