Basic knowledge of coffee bean bags packaging

Buying coffee is always a challenging thing. If you can’t read the information on the coffee bean bags, it’s harder than climbing to the sky to find high-quality coffee that suits your taste.

Today, let me teach you how to read coffee packaging bags and how to find the perfect coffee for you through this information.

First of all, the first point I want to make is: there is no fixed rule for coffee bag packaging. There is currently no law that clearly defines the packaging methods and standards for coffee, which means that manufacturers can package it however they want! Usually, the bigger the company’s brand, the less product information there is on the coffee beans bags; the smaller the company, the more product information there is.

We are not interested in the coffee that is uniformly roasted by large companies. We only want to drink high-quality, small-batch roasted boutique coffee, and the premise of all this is: you must understand the dense words on the coffee bean packaging bags!

Today, I will bring you some basic common sense about coffee bean bags. In the next article, I will analyze in depth how to make the right choice through information. The following content is only based on personal experience and is for reference only. If there is anything wrong, please feel free to discuss!

Common packaging information

Brand name:

Obviously, all companies will print their brand names on the packaging. Brand is an important basis for us to choose coffee, but remember that the bigger the brand, the better the quality of the coffee. Sometimes choosing beans from a small brand will bring you unexpected surprises!

Origin, blend or single product:

This is an important basis for us to classify coffee. The origin of coffee is very similar to red wine. Coffee bean storage bags usually have obvious origin names printed on them. Although some traditional origin labels are not accurate, they still have certain reference value. For example, coffee produced in Sumatra usually has a strong herbal flavor, spicy taste, and a strong taste.

In addition to the origin, “blended” coffee usually has a constant taste and its quality can stand the test of time; “single product” coffee has a unique taste, but the stability of its quality is not as good as blended coffee.

Whole coffee or coffee powder:

No need to explain too much. If you have your own grinder, buy whole beans; if not, you can also choose pre-ground coffee. Grinding your own coffee will ensure the freshness of the coffee to the greatest extent. The taste or quality of pre-ground coffee will be lost to some extent. When buying coffee powder, pay attention to whether the grind of the coffee matches your brewing equipment.

Weight:

There is no need to explain too much. There are certain standards within the industry for the weight of coffee packaging. In the past (only in the United States), the weight of a bag of coffee was usually 16 ounces (454 grams), but now most manufacturers choose 12 ounces, 10 ounces, 8 ounces, or even 4 ounces. You can infer the quality and value of the coffee by weight. Generally speaking, the bagged coffee produced by micro-batch boutique roasters is smaller in weight, which means that the coffee is of high value and good quality, and this coffee is worth your careful taste.

Roasting date:

Industry insiders generally believe that the roasting date is one of the important factors in determining the quality of coffee, and I partially agree with this. In my opinion, in addition to the roasting date, the packaging date of coffee is equally important. If the roaster stores the roasted coffee in an unsealed package, the coffee will also deteriorate faster.

Ideally, roasters should store coffee in heat-sealed bags. The best shelf life of coffee is usually 2-5 weeks; with one-way air holes, the shelf life of coffee can be extended to several months. Our principle is: the fresher the coffee, the better, so when buying coffee, you must pay attention to the roasting date on the package. Many big brand manufacturers will print the words “best before date” on the packaging. Don’t be confused by it. The real roasting date of coffee is usually half a year or one year before the “best before date”.

Use (drip or espresso):

Sometimes the purpose of the coffee is marked on the coffee roaster bags. In the past, most people drank drip coffee at home, so manufacturers sometimes deliberately marked the words “espresso” for consumers’ reference. Nowadays, specialty coffee has abandoned the past unified roasting mode. Whether it is “drip” or “espresso”, you can choose the brewing method according to your taste preferences.

Roasting degree:

I personally think that simply using the words “light”, “medium” and “deep” to describe the roasting degree of coffee is neither appropriate nor accurate. We have the impression that “deep” roasted coffee has a strong smoky flavor, a heavier taste, and a more bitter taste, but there are many factors that cause the above tastes, and we cannot use the word “depth” to sum it up.

At present, the definition of roasting degree within the industry is very general, and the standards are not unified. The “light” roasted coffee of one company may be similar to the “deep” roasted coffee of another company. Therefore, I want to emphasize here that the roasting degree can only be used for rough reference. Please try not to make a choice based on the roasting degree indicated on the package.

Taste characteristics:

Compared with other information, the industry’s standards for “taste characteristics” are more difficult to unify. Some are simple and easy to understand, such as “chocolate flavor”, “nut flavor”, “fruit flavor”, etc.; some are vague, such as “blackcurrant cream sauce flavor” or “dough flavor”.

Especially for single-origin coffee with unique flavors, it is almost impossible to describe the taste of coffee accurately and intuitively. Regarding the description of taste characteristics, I personally feel that few people will taste coffee according to the text on the package.

Indeed, some characteristics have certain reference value, and roasters also rack their brains to come up with these words, but most consumers really care about whether the coffee brand is credible. Therefore, I suggest that manufacturers should set up two different taste description systems, one for industry insiders and one for ordinary consumers, to help them make choices with concise and clear words and improve their coffee experience.

Now that I have a general understanding of the basics of plastic coffee bags, how can I put it into practice?

1. Remember trustworthy brands, don’t blindly believe in big brands, it’s not the bigger the brand, the better the quality of the coffee. Remember, your personal experience is the most reliable basis for you to choose coffee.

2. Remember the common origins of coffee and the most obvious taste characteristics of local coffee to help you make the right choice.

3. Look at the brand for blending and the origin for single products.

4. Check the product classification and use. If the coffee bags do not say whether it is whole coffee or coffee powder, just touch it and you will know.

5. If you prefer espresso, you can choose coffee with a slightly darker roasting degree, which will caramelize more fully and taste more mellow.

6. Buy things to get value for money. Coffee is usually worth the money. Too cheap coffee usually has defective beans, old beans, or the purchaser exploits the interests of the growers. Please don’t buy it.

7. Don’t pay too much attention to the degree of roasting. Only within the same brand can you detect the difference between different degrees of roasting. Generally speaking, the coffee of small and micro boutique roasters is usually roasted to a lower degree. Starbucks’ so-called “light roast” is even darker than the deep roasted coffee of all boutique roasters!

8. Choose coffees with simple and easy-to-understand flavor descriptions. I’ve tasted “chocolate” and “nutty” coffees countless times in my life, but I’ve never tasted “jackfruit cake”!