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Recognizing Good Coffee Beans: The 10 Most Important Quality Features

Coffee lovers know: the bean makes the difference! And not just with regard to whether you like it aromatically mild or strong in the cup. The quality of the beans can be clearly determined based on a few essential characteristics. So how do you recognize good coffee beans? Here’s the answer.

1. Good coffee beans are good guys

From time to time, broken specimens can also be found under freshly bought quality beans. Given the long journey they’ve had, that’s not unusual at first. However, if a large part of the beans are broken, this is an indication of inferior quality. For example, it can refer to so-called bulk goods: such beans are loaded in containers and without care. The rule therefore applies: the fewer broken beans in the package, the more carefully they were processed, stored and transported.

2. Good coffee beans don’t have holes

Some insects also love coffee, especially the coffee cherry beetle. The little creatures leave traces of feeding, which can be recognized as holes in the beans. Thanks to the roasting, such beans are not harmful to health, but the pest infestation affects the quality. So if the majority of coffee beans remind you of Swiss cheese, that’s a clear sign of poor selection – and inferior quality.

3. Good coffee beans are mold free

Not only the coffee cherry beetle leaves its mark. Even if mold has formed during the drying process of the cherries, this can still be seen later in the roasted beans: if they have hard-edged spots, this is a sign of an earlier infestation. As a rule, health is not damaged, since the high temperatures during roasting kill most of the spores. Nevertheless, the whole thing is not very appetizing – who would voluntarily drink coffee from rotten beans?

4. Good coffee beans belong to a quality variety

The type of bean is of great importance for the quality, there are about 40 different ones worldwide. The Arabica bean makes up the lion’s share of the harvest at around 60%. It impresses with a low caffeine content and a very fine taste with a variety of aromas. It thrives best at high altitudes, so the criterion “highland coffee” is definitely a quality feature for Arabica beans. In addition to Arabica beans, roasters, especially for espresso, like to use Robusta beans. They contain more caffeine than Arabica and have a slightly tart and fuller aroma – perfect for espresso that tastes very much like Italy.

5. Good coffee beans are gently roasted

High-quality coffee beans should be gently roasted in a drum roaster. In contrast to industrial processes, roasting takes longer and takes place at a lower maximum temperature. This affects the later taste: acids, especially tannic acid, can be broken down thanks to drum roasting. In addition, fewer bitter substances are produced.

6. Good coffee beans smell intensely of coffee – and of nothing else

Another important criterion for the quality of the coffee beans is their smell. They should smell intensely of coffee – and nothing else. If you notice other smells, this is a sign that the harvest, coffee selection or roasting were not ideal.

7. Good coffee beans are packaged to protect the aroma

The packaging of the coffee beans is also decisive for the quality. It should be resealable and have a degassing valve to allow the CO2 from the beans to escape from the pack. At the same time, high-quality packaging protects the coffee from oxygen. This is the only way to preserve the full aroma of the beans.

8. Good coffee beans have no unwelcome companions

Stones, twigs or other things in the package show that care was not taken when sorting the beans. And what’s even worse: Such foreign objects can damage the grinder of your fully automatic machine or your coffee grinder.

9. Good coffee beans have no off-flavors

In addition to varietal peculiarities in taste, there are aromas that definitely have no place in coffee, so-called off-flavors. The coffee tastes like leather, rubber or forest floor? Then it is an inferior product or a poorly balanced roast.

10. Good coffee beans come at a price

Last but not least, it should be noted: the coffee bean’s journey from cultivation to cup is long and error-prone. The manufacturers of quality beans monitor every single step with corresponding care – from harvest to transport in jute sacks to roasting, and as with everything, good work comes at a price.

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Cooking Tips

Tigernuts: Nutritional Values, Special Features and Sustainability

Tigernuts are also becoming increasingly popular as a nut alternative in Germany. Here you can find out exactly what the small tubers are all about and what you should consider when using and buying them.

What are tigernuts?

The term tiger nut is used to refer to the entire plant or just its small edible bulbs, depending on the context. The expressions tiger or chufa nut are also often found. The herbaceous plant belongs to the sedge or sedge family and grows to a height of around 60 centimetres.

The plant thrives best in loamy-sandy soil and in a relatively mild climate. Today it is cultivated in Europe, especially in Spain on the Mediterranean coast. There the plant grows in spring and summer. Farmers then let them dry out completely from September. Then the tubers can be harvested by hand from October to December. In many regions, however, the tiger nut is an aggressive neophyte that displaces native plant species.

The tubers are brownish, round, the size of a hazelnut and have a white core. This tastes slightly sweet and is reminiscent of the taste of almonds. After harvesting, the tubers are dried for about three more months. You can then buy them either whole, peeled or ground.

How healthy are tigernuts?

The small tigernuts consist of around a quarter of fat and contain a high proportion of unsaturated fatty acids. These are an essential part of cells and as such are involved in numerous metabolic processes. In addition, regular consumption of unsaturated fatty acids can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Tigernuts also have a high fiber content of around 24 grams per 100 grams. They keep you full for longer and get your digestion going. They also provide the body with many minerals, especially potassium, magnesium, calcium and phosphorus.

With around 370 kilocalories per 100 grams, tigernuts contain significantly fewer calories than many types of nuts. So if you want to make your diet a little lower in fat and calories, tigernuts are a good alternative. The small tubers are also interesting for allergy sufferers because they are generally well tolerated. They are an option that comes very close to the taste and consistency of nuts, especially if you have a nut allergy.

How to use the tubers in the kitchen

You can use tigernuts like nuts. For example, they are a nutritious and delicious ingredient in muesli, quark or yoghurt dishes or a varied topping for smoothie bowls.

In the ground state, you can also use tigernuts to bake bread, cakes, biscuits, etc., thereby reducing the flour content. Since the small tubers already have a certain sweetness, you can save on sugar.

Tigernuts: sustainability and eco-balance

Since tigernuts require relatively warm temperatures, they are traditionally grown in subtropical and tropical areas. For example, they are imported from African countries or parts of the USA. However, tigernuts are also popular in Spain and are grown in relatively large quantities by farmers there.

In order to buy tigernuts with the best possible ecological balance, it is best to buy European goods, as the transport routes are significantly shorter here.

When buying, you should look for organic tigernuts if possible. In this way you support agriculture that does not use chemical-synthetic pesticides that have a negative impact on your health and the environment.

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Food

8 Features of Making Desserts

The successful preparation of any dish often depends on thoughtful organization and accurate execution of all operations. First of all, you should carefully read the recipe and all instructions; then collect all the ingredients and equipment. You should not make any substitutions in ingredients unless specifically noted in the text; in case of unjustified replacement, the taste balance may change and you will get an unsatisfactory result. Following the guidelines below will help you master the skills of making desserts and, to some extent, will guarantee success.

  1. How to beat egg whites. The easiest way to separate the white from the yolk is when the egg is chilled. However, the whites reach their greatest volume if they stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before whipping.
  2. When whisking the egg white, make sure the bowl and whisk are clean and dry. A small amount of yolk, water, or fat will prevent the whites from beating to their maximum volume. A stainless steel or glass bowl is recommended (plastic bowls may have an oily film even after rinsing repeatedly).
  3. Beat the whites slowly at first, until they acquire a frothy consistency; then increase the speed. Add a pinch of salt and citric acid diluted with water to stabilize the result. Do not beat for too long, otherwise the whites will dry out and become lumpy.
  4. You can beat the whites until you want them. If, for example, you want to get soft peaks after removing the whisk, then a sign of this consistency would be a decrease in peak heights while maintaining them. If you want to get the consistency of hard peaks, then their sign will be the preservation of height and shape.
  5. Transfer the squirrels to another dish immediately, otherwise a delay in time will lead to a decrease in their volume. After that, you cannot whisk the mixture or stir in the usual way. The term “stirring” should be understood as “stacking the layers”.
  6. Dissolving gelatin. Gelatin is used at the rate of 4 g per 100 g of liquid. It is first soaked in plenty of cold water. When the grains become transparent, the gelatin is thrown on a sieve and allowed to drain off the water, then combined with a warm liquid, stir well, bring to a boil, but do not boil.
  7. Whipping cream. First of all, you need to chill the cream, bowl and whisk: the cold keeps the fat solid, so the cream takes on a large volume.
  8. For optimum volume, whip the cream in a deep, narrow bowl. As practice shows, 1 cup of 25-30% cream should yield 2 cups of whipped. Whisk until soft peaks form. To check if the desired consistency has been achieved, remove the beater: the height of the peaks should decrease, but the peaks themselves are still preserved. Do not overdo it or the cream may turn into butter.
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