Coffee acidity What is it and how to identify it correctly?
Let's be honest, at some point we have felt confused when we heard someone talk about the citrus notes of coffee, which are usually also detailed on the package. These range from pronounced orange acidity to tangerine or red wine. If you are not an expert in the area, decipher the coffee acidity, it can be quite an odyssey.
Mastering flavor profiles and wheels requires several years of practice. Well, if you are a barista or a beginner taster, all the cups may taste like coffee, more sour or bitter, one or the other.
Do you identify with this situation? Don't worry, there is a solution for everything. In fact, experts recommend attending a cupping session and learning about the science of food. These factors will allow you to discover in depth each chemical compound that makes up coffee and offer your own opinions. If you want to learn more about this, we invite you to continue reading and discover all the data we have for you.
Learn to identify acidity
Well, let's start with the main thing. What really is heartburn? It is a chemical substance, which can be identified by its sour taste. An interesting fact about this (and one that you will never forget) is that “acid” in Latin means sour. The pH of aqueous solutions of acids tends to be less than 7. The lower this is, the greater the acidity.
In case you didn't know, a large number of foods contain acids by nature, some of them are yogurt, lemon, vinegar and the protagonist of our routine, coffee. The latter has hundreds of acidic components, including the popular citrus flavors. It is even known as 4-mono caffeoylquinic.
What are the acids that affect the taste of coffee?
We want to give you all the possible tools so that you can become a professional in the area. That is why, shortly, we will detail what those components are responsible for the acidity of coffee and other foods, as well as how they affect its flavor.
Malic Acid
It is characterized by having a flavor mainly related to that of green apple, which is not surprising. This is because malic comes from the Latin “malum”, which means apple. Where can we find this acid in its purest form? The answer is in the rhubard, which is a vegetable native to Asia whose stems are fuchsia in color and have an acidic flavor.
Typically, malic acid is associated with lime. However, it is easy to link it to the taste of an unripe fruit. That is why its sour flavor begins to decrease as the fruit reaches maturity, an example of this is kiwi, green grapes or currants.
citric acid
Some cafes like Rwandan coffee Huye Koakaka or the Ethiopian coffee Sidamo Nansebo, Both are characterized by having citrus notes such as orange and mandarin, and you can find them on the website of Incapto Coffee. Now, this type of acid is commonly found in large quantities in citrus fruits. As if that were not enough, it makes up 8% of the dry weight of this type of food. The latter represents the total weight of a food, minus its water content, since the liquid is extracted through a heating process done in a laboratory.
Citric acid is also found in hundreds of vegetables and is one of the easiest to identify.
Tartaric acid
You may have never heard of it, but tartaric acid is a common inhabitant of grapes. But be careful, this is not the only place where you can find it, because it is also found in salt, Potassium bitartrate (tartar sauce). It is also common in the winemaking process, and is used as a leavening element (substances capable of producing or adding gases in products that will be baked, to give them greater volume) for the preparation of certain foods.
Identifying it is not that complicated, since it usually leaves a very peculiar texture in the mouth. This produces salivation in the mouth and releases a residual astringent Where can we get it? In super sour candies, so if you are fans of these sweets you will know what one of their components is.
Acetic or ethanoic acid
We can find it in vinegar and, in addition to providing that characteristic flavor, you will also recognize it by leaving a fairly pronounced smell. At the same time, it offers a subtle lime flavor, while having high levels of fermented flavor and smell.
When mixed, specifically with sugar, we perceive a winey and champagne smell and flavor.
What are pH levels?
The time has come to know what pH levels mean and of course, what their relationship is with the acidity of coffee. One of the first things you should know is that, when we see “mandarin acidity” on the coffee packaging, this does not mean that your drink will have that flavor. Possibly, it is similar in that it can be so sour to tangerine.
Once you discover this, you begin to analyze that all this citrus flavors in coffee makes more sense. For example, a coffee with blueberry notes tends to be less sour, and the reason is that these are less acidic than a lemon one.
Although at first it sounds somewhat complicated, we can look for explanatory tables where the pH level is reflected in the most common fruits. You can find them on science web portals or FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). They are not directly related to coffee, but they are very helpful.
How does the relationship between pH and flavors work?
If you viewed some of the tables we indicated, you will notice that certain fruits share the same pH levels, even if they have different flavors. An example of this are apples and oranges. We explain it better, in the case of both fruits, the predominant acid is completely different. The orange is composed of citric acid, while the apple is composed of malic acid.
If we prepare a coffee of African origin, medium roast, the pH will be 4.6. Surely you will ask yourself: what notes will it add to my cup? Will it deliver flavors like plum, peach, grape, pineapple, to name a few? Do you remember we talked about acids? Well, this type of coffee will leave an astringency on the palate, something so characteristic of tartaric acidity. We could define this as acidity coming from sour fruits with stones (plums, cherries, among others) or grapes.
But what happens when you mix grape acidity and acetic acid? The result is a drink with a winey flavor.
When we encounter a citrus flavor with low pH levels, it is known as lemon acidity What happens when the pH is higher? This one could be almost in the orange. Those flavors of malic acidity with lower pH levels could easily be lime. While those with high pH are attributed to green apple, rhubard or grapefruit itself.
It should be noted that, once you master this, the practice of tasting becomes much easier. Remember to do the necessary training so that you can offer a more accurate opinion, at the same level as that of the great professionals.
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