Colombia Paradise Estate makes American-style Sakura coffee beans. Why do they have an alcoholic taste? Is there alcohol in them? Are they spoiled?

The description of flavors is expressed using language familiar to people. For example, when coffee is said to have a wine-like taste, it doesn’t mean the coffee contains alcohol or has been mixed with wine, nor does it mean it’s spoiled. Instead, it refers to the presence of fermented flavors in the coffee’s taste, as the taste of wine also comes from fermentation and aging. Generally speaking, something with a wine-like taste means it has a fermentation flavor similar to that of wine when consumed.

Coffee is a lot like wine—it requires tasting.Though the two seem completely unrelated, they are surprisingly connected in terms of flavor.Recently, a friend excitedly told me that he thought he could smell alcohol in the cherry blossoms at Colombia’s Paraíso Estate.So why do coffee beans have a wine-like taste? The wine-like flavor of coffee beans comes from the fermentation of the pulp and is not alcoholic, even after being roasted at nearly two hundred degrees.

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,,winy,Whiskey,,.Alcohol flavors are located on the right side of the SCAA Flavor Wheel. As you can see, alcohol or winey notes are actually parallel to fermentation. Besides winey and whiskey notes, there are also fermentation and over-fermentation flavors.

,“”.Of course, there are also methods that use alcohol to flavor coffee.For example, Irish coffee is a mixed drink of coffee and brandy.In short, Hua Kui coffee beans are still a highly anticipated choice.The friend was drinking Front Street Coffee’s Heaven Estate beans. As we can see, the flavor notes on the beans are: mugwort, berries, fermented aroma, spices, and strawberry jam.

This might also be where many people get confused: why can’t I taste the flavors the barista describes? Well, the more you drink, the better you’ll get at identifying more wine-like, sweet, and other flavors.

Does that mean fermentation flavor equals alcohol flavor? Actually, no. Coffee has over 800 flavor characteristics, and the ones that appear on the SCAA Flavor Wheel are those that have been clearly identified—there are over 80 of those.

And if your friend thinks they can smell alcohol, it means there’s room for more tasting and improvement. ~

Now let’s explore what this alcohol/fermented flavor is all about.

Coffee flavor is influenced by multiple factors, and the processing method is the most significant human-influenced aspect.Generally, we believe that coffee beans processed using the washed and natural (sun-dried) methods exhibit strong regional characteristics — in other words, the beans’ inherent, original flavors. They taste pure, fresh, healthy, and vibrant.

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This sakura coffee bean undergoes a double anaerobic washed process.Judging by the name, it seems quite similar to the washed method. The washed process actually also removes the sticky mucilage layer through fermentation, and many fermentation processes are largely carried out under anaerobic conditions. Essentially, it is a relatively rough, simple-to-operate, and cost-effective processing method.

?.What is the process behind wine-flavored coffee? Let’s take the Colombian Paradise Farm Sakura coffee beans that a friend tried as an example.After fermentation is complete, the coffee beans are removed from the anaerobic environment and washed to remove the mucilage layer. They are then sun-dried until the moisture content is reduced to around 11%.

Compared to traditional washed processing, double anaerobic washed processing uses technical methods to control the degree of fermentation more precisely.Generally speaking, washed-process beans are cleaner and more acidic than sun-dried beans.Double anaerobic washed processing is one step above traditional washed processing methods.Through cupping, Qianjie found that the coffee beans processed with this method have a richer acidity compared to anaerobic-washed coffee beans.