What Determines the Coffee Strength

What Determines the Coffee Strength

What about drinking a cup of strong coffee? But how to determine the strength of your caffeine drink? In this post, you will find a guide on how professional baristas determine coffee strength, as well as discover the basic concepts of making caffeine beverages. We hope that this What Determines the Coffee Strength post inspires you. 

What Determines the Coffee Strength

The most important thing any coffee enthusiast should know is that the strength of the caffeine drink is not closely connected with the type of roast. It refers to the percentage of beverages made up of those dissolved coffee solids. Let’s make it more clear with the numbers. A cup of drip coffee contains around 1.2-1.3 percent of that coffee is made up of dissolved solids, while the rest of the substance is water. If you prefer espresso, the numbers will be completely different. A traditional shot hits the consumer with up to 10 percent of coffee in a drink. Therefore, espresso is considered to be a stronger beverage than drip coffee. 

Most caffeine lovers prefer to choose the strength of their drinks. The only way to do this in an easy and precise way is to use a coffee machine. You can choose the best single-serve coffee maker with a corresponding function and enjoy experimenting by preparing drinks of different strengths. Moreover, there are many coffee makers under 100 that offer this functionality for a reasonable price. 

Is The Amount Of Caffeine Important? 

There is no exact answer to this question. The reason is that a traditional recipe for preparing double espresso has a similar amount of coffee as a cup of drip coffee. In other words, the amount of caffeine in both drinks is almost the same. However, the volume of caffeine is significantly higher in espresso, making this beverage stronger. The fact is that higher caffeine concentrations can deliver the substance to your system much faster, providing better effects within the shorter terms. 

Dark VS Light Roast: Which One Is Stronger? 

Another feature that influences the strength of your beverage is the type of roast. Although it is not the most important parameter, it should still be taken into account. So, which option is better? It depends on your personal preferences. However, drinks based on light roast are usually stronger. The coffee beans are not highly roasted, which allows preserving the original flavors. For example, some beans can still store additional aromas, including the flavors of nuts, chocolate, berries, honey, and others. Moreover, the type of the bean, its origin, and its processing method should also be taken into account. 

It is also worth mentioning that the beans lose about 85-95% of water during the process of roast. The light roast can store higher percentages of water along with a larger volume of minerals and nutrients. As for the dark roast, the bean usually loses its original oils. 

The Role Of Brewing 

If you want to make a strong drink, it is essential to pay attention to brewing. The strength of your beverage significantly depends on the brewing method. On the one hand, if you add too much water to your grinds, you will get a drink of poor quality. The flavor will be diluted, while the unique aroma will be completely lost. On the other hand, adding too little water will make a too deep and heavy beverage. Therefore, it is necessary to find a healthy balance between the amount of coffee and water you use for preparing the drink. 

How To Choose The Best Strength? 

Preparing a perfectly balanced coffee is not an easy task. If you would like to make it weaker or stronger, there are two ways to achieve your goal. 

• In case you like the flavor of your coffee (it is not too sour or extremely bitter) but want to make it a bit more intense, feel free to add more grounds. 
• If you would like to reduce the intensity and change the bitterness and sourness of your drink, it might be a good idea to experiment with brew time and temperature.
• Choosing the grind of the other size might also become a good alternative. 

If you are not sure about what type of beverage is the best fit for your needs, don’t be afraid to prepare several drinks in different ways simultaneously. For example, you can make a strong drip coffee from light roast in the first cup, espresso in the second cup, and add more water to the drink in the third cup. After that, it’s time for tasting. This simple trick will help you find the best recipe that perfectly fits all your needs. 

All in all, the strength of coffee depends on multiple factors. This includes the way you brew it, the beans roast, and the amount of water you use for preparing the caffeine beverage. If you know all the important parameters, it will be easy to come up with a fantastic drink with incredible taste and aroma.  We hope that this What Determines the Coffee Strength post inspires you, Happy drinking!