Page 1 of 1

Oily Coffee Beans

PostPosted: Fri Aug 25, 2006 12:49 pm
by GUEST
Hi,

I purchased a box of coffee beans from Italy and had them sent over last month. Upon opening the bags, all the beans have an oily look to them, which also makes the coffee take a little bitter.

Can anybody explain why they are like this, or if it is an actual trate of certain coffees. Also is that the cause of the bitterness?

Thanks

John

PostPosted: Fri Aug 25, 2006 2:17 pm
by Davec
Some beans produce more oil than others, but when you roast, as the roast progresses darker, more oils come to the surface of the bean. I tend to find if you roast hotter it also has a tendencey to drive oils from the bean more readily for the level of roast?

The Italians seem to like their coffee very dark, so you will taste more of the "roast" and less of the bean, hence the bitterness.

PostPosted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 7:48 am
by Guest
Thanks DaveC...

Are these type of beans common in the UK market, and if so, what particular brands are these? I am a coffeeholic and will drink most types of coffee, but my friends are moaning, so I want to try and avoid these roasters.

PostPosted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 8:22 am
by bruceb
Hello Guest,

Are the beans really oily or do they just look shiny? Do your fingers get oily when you touch them? Are the beans themselves very dark, almost charred looking? Oiliness in itself is not necessarily a defect. Are these from a small roaster or are they a brand name product?

In any case, the oil in itself is not the cause of the bitterness nor is it a necessarily a trait of a particular bean. As Davec said, the oil is driven out of the bean by high heat and/or long roasting, ie. a dark roast. However, the darker the roast the more bitterness appears. Just like burnt foods (sugar for instance) become bitter, coffee beans become more bitter when they are roasted very darkly. So the oil may not be the cause of the bitterness, but it does indicate a darker roast, which may be more bitter.

You have not told us how you are using the beans. They sound like a typical Italian "espresso" dark roast. Are you using them to make espresso? If you are, you may need to look into grinding, water temperature, pressure, extraction times, etc. Some coffees are more sensitive to extraction anomalies.

If you are doing something else with them such as making filter coffee or using them in a French press they may just not be suitable and you will either need to drink them yourself, give them away, sell or bin them.

One characteristic of oily beans is that they go rancid more quickly than non-oily beans.

I'm not familiar with the UK market, but certain chain espresso outlets are infamous for their "burnt beans," and French coffees are notably dark and most people find them bitter. I do know, however, that there are excellent sources of good, fresh-roasted beans in the UK.

Perhaps you need to tell us a bit more about the color of these beans and how you are using them.

Good luck.

PostPosted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 9:24 am
by lukas
I fully second what Bruce had to say.

bruceb wrote:I do know, however, that there are excellent sources of good, fresh-roasted beans in the UK.


But Bruce, how come you know that? :lol:

PostPosted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 9:44 am
by bruceb
lukas wrote:I fully second what Bruce had to say.

bruceb wrote:I do know, however, that there are excellent sources of good, fresh-roasted beans in the UK.


But Bruce, how come you know that? :lol:


A little bird told me so.
Image

PostPosted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 11:30 am
by Guest
THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP!

They are a brand bean from Italy called Saquella. You are right, they are not actually oily, they just look it. I am sampling them for maybe using in my coffee shop selling espresso based drinks. Can this type of bean effect my equipment in the long run?

Thanks Again

PostPosted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 12:28 pm
by HughF
Anonymous wrote:THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP!

>snip<Can this type of bean effect my equipment in the long run?

It's more likely to affect your customers if it's not giving them the taste they expect. If this happens, the problem is that VERY few will complain (even people on this Web site don't always complain!), they'll just quietly find other coffee shops.
If the beans were actually oily, they might clog grinders a little more often but if they're just shiny you should be OK. Some grinders cope very well with oily beans though.

Cheers,

Hugh

PostPosted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 6:08 pm
by CakeBoy
Hugh is so right. People vote with their feet and it is hard to get them back once they have gone.