Can coffee be sweet without sugar? Yeah! Coffee beans contain sugar.
Therefore, if you are on the verge of giving up sweets, you should know that the carbohydrate content of different types of coffee actually varies greatly.
Where does the sweetness in coffee come from? That pain!
The coffee bean is the seed of the coffee fruit, which has a very sweet taste. Some of that sweetness goes to the bone.
The calorie content of green coffee is about 220 kcal per 100 g.
It is known that carbohydrates in green coffee make up about 50% of the total coffee powder. These include sucrose, arabinose, mannose, glucose, galactose, rhamnose and xylose. Of course, not all of these sugars are water-soluble, and only a certain percentage will reach your glass. But even this is enough to enrich the drink with a delicate and pleasant taste. And the final amount of sugar in your coffee will depend on several factors, which we will now discuss in more detail.
What determines the sweetness of coffee?
Grain Type;
Robusta and Arabica are quite different in their carbohydrate content: Arabica has about twice as much sucrose.
Growing Area;
The natural sweetness of coffee varies greatly depending on the region where the coffee cherry is grown. The sweetest varieties are considered from Africa (especially the East), Central America is in second place, and Asian varieties have the least amount of sugar. Coffee cherries grown at higher altitudes tend to mature more slowly and are therefore sweeter.
From Grain Processing Type;
There are several types of processing - washed, unwashed, half-washed. Each method leaves its mark on the taste, aroma and sweetness of the grain. Each location has its advantages and disadvantages, but it is well known that by allowing the coffee to ferment (unwashed and semi-washed processing), the producer thereby increases the sweetness of the beans.
Roasting Degree;
In short, the weaker the roast, the greater the sweetness. During roasting, the sugars in the grain are only destroyed, new ones are not formed.
The essence of roasting is that the grain goes through many important chemical reactions, including the caramelization of sugars. If you've ever made homemade lollipops, you can imagine the process and consequences of being overzealous. It's the same with grains: The longer they're roasted, the more sugar is broken down, resulting in more complex and even bitter compounds, and then, if overconsumed, these sugars completely turn into charcoal.
The stronger the grain is roasted, the more it loses its caloric content and energy value.
Sometimes even properly processed and heavily roasted coffee can be bitter. As a rule, this means that a mistake was made during picking - the berries were not ripe enough or ripened unevenly.
Why don't we taste sweetness in coffee?
First, most standard supermarket coffees are over-roasted, which naturally loses all of its sweetness.
Secondly, sweet coffee varieties are more expensive, and therefore the mass market mainly offers cheap, mediocre beans that are more accessible to the buyer.
Third, water often shifts the balance of taste towards bitterness. If the grain is not very "purebred", this balance is very strongly disturbed.
Conclusion... And we will not draw conclusions - search and choose your own ideal coffee with sweetness. Don't be afraid to try new varieties!
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