An acidic coffee is often described as “bright”-tasting, with floral or citrus-like notes. While appealing to many, others find the richer taste of coffee with a higher pH (high pH levels make coffee more “basic” or mellow-tasting) preferable. Ultimately, coffee taste is a personal preference, but as a coffee producer, the question stands: how can you make the most appealing blend for the most people while differentiating yourself from the competition?
How Do You Select the Right Acidity Profile for Your Target Customer?
Every step of coffee processing, from planting the seeds through final packaging, can affect the acidity of the brew. The best solution to align your coffee with your target audience is to sample coffees of varying acidities until you find the most successful option. Creating your personal blend or blends may take some time, but these tips will help you create varied profiles so you can discover what works best for your bottom line.
Source Your Beans Carefully
The first thing to know is that geography affects acidity as much as it does every other aspect of coffee flavor. Generally speaking, the higher the altitude at which the beans are grown, the more acidic they will be. This is because the cold weather of these locations (such as Ethiopia) extends the maturation process, allowing the acidity of the bean to further develop. This is also true of mineral-rich soil.
For less acidic beans, choose options sourced from low-altitude locations like Brazil that do not use especially fertile soil, which contributes to a milder flavor overall.
Choose the Right Processing Method
The process that takes your beans from cherry to roaster matters, too. Washed or wet-processed beans draw out coffee’s natural acidic flavors, while natural or dry-processing helps retain the fruit and its natural sweetness. If you’re looking for balance in your coffee, honey processing is another option that aims to keep some of the fruit’s sweetness while bringing out the bean’s acidity.
Roasting Matters
Finally, roasting is about more than caffeine content. Light roast coffees are the most acidic, while dark roasts are the richest and most mellow. While the right roast can help enhance or hide a certain level of acidity, if your customer has a strong preference for basic or acidic coffees, know that choosing the right bean from the start is the most important step in elevating that final flavor.
Let Joe’s Garage Coffee Create Your Custom Blend
Whether you value sourcing every bean yourself or you need a partner who can complete high-volume orders from start to finish, Joe’s Garage Coffee is your solution. All you have to do is send us your desired flavor profile, unroasted beans, or ready-for-packaging blend, and we will handle the rest. We pride ourselves on producing high-quality coffee and packaging solutions using our advanced inventory management system, and we work with some of the largest brands in the industry.
Whatever the size or complexity of your order, rest assured that we are prepared to deliver superior, consistent quality and address every one of your needs when they arise. Start your roast-to-order, co-packaging, or toll-roasting operation with our team today.