We all have that friend who, when drinking coffee, feels the incessant urge to exclaim, "Real coffee is best drunk bitter!" and we can feel your eyes rolling every time this phrase is uttered… but maybe, just a little, they're right, and here we want to explain why. We don't want to talk to you about nutritional values, too much sugar being bad for you, and things like that, but rather focus precisely on the flavor: because coffee has a unique aroma that unfortunately isn't always appreciated and, consequently, not everyone is aware of. Because coffee is certainly a pleasant moment of relaxation, an excuse to meet up with loved ones, but it is also a drink that hides within itself an indescribable quantity of aromas.
Of course, we won't try to convince you to drink bitter coffee, because everyone is free to enjoy it as they prefer. We simply want to try to explain, on an aromatic level, why it would be better not to add sugar: and to do so, we asked Vincenzo Sansone, owner of Caffè Sansone and a micro-roastery in Naples, for help.
Bitter Coffee is Sweet
It's not a provocation, nor a contradiction in terms, but as Vincenzo explains, "a quality coffee, well-roasted and well-extracted, has a balance, a natural sweetness, a fruity acidity, and a hint of bitterness that is pleasant on the palate." So, if all we taste when we drink coffee without sugar is bitterness, then there was most likely a problem in the production or making of the coffee itself, because "a good coffee doesn't need sugar, and if I taste a bitterness that's too strong, it means it's been burnt."
And, in short, we challenge anyone to want to drink something that tastes burnt and leaves an unpleasant taste in their mouth: and this is precisely why most people prefer to sweeten it "because the sugar cuts down on that strong bitterness, balances the cup and therefore gives a pleasant-tasting drink. This often happens when the coffee is overroasted and ends up burnt – which, needless to say, shouldn't happen." But, even if we're talking about a high-quality coffee, it would be advisable not to add sugar, because this, in any case, "sweetens the flavor of the coffee and you risk not being able to perceive the full aroma but only the sweet taste of the sugar."
So, What Should You Feel When Drinking Bitter Coffee?
"A good coffee must be sweet, aromatic, with fruity notes, it must linger in the mouth, have a slight acidity, and must not be overpoweringly bitter," explains the owner of Caffè Sansone. Obviously, not all coffees are the same, and this is because "they grow at altitude, and the higher we are, the more aromatic they are and the less caffeine they contain." Therefore, depending on the area where the coffee is grown, it can take on a certain aroma or another. Harvesting is also important, because "if you pick beans with defects, those defects will then be in your cup. And if I have defects," continues Vincenzo, "I'll tend to roast them more to cover any negative characteristics, resulting in a coffee with certain aromas rather than others."
It's clear, then, that the aroma of a coffee depends on specific factors such as quality, roasting, and even the extraction method. While it's true that the most famous type of coffee is espresso— there are many others, and the way you extract it also determines the flavor: "With espresso, I use pressure extraction, while if I use another method, such as v60, I use percolation extraction. These two different methods will give me two coffees with different flavors, even if I use the same quality. If I make an espresso," he continues, "with a pressure of around 9 bar, I could lose certain aromatic notes, the more delicate ones, because I would end up cooking them. However, with percolation extraction, I can retain all those volatile aromas, as it occurs at lower pressures. So, with the same coffee, I get two drinks with different flavors," concludes Sansone.
There are no fixed, specific guidelines for what you should experience when drinking coffee, because the taste can depend on many factors. In any case, if it hasn't been clear enough so far, to experience all the wonderful notes present in a coffee, we recommend savoring it without adding sugar. And we're sure you won't regret it, we promise.
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