Kuro mentioned wanting opinions on coffee blends and began arranging several bottles of coffee beans on the table. As opportunities like this don’t come by very often, it was intriguing for me to see coffee beans in this state.
The coffee beans in cork-sealed bottles looked stylish and appealing.
[Some people are particular about roasting, but these are primarily roasted for sale in the company. Well, people can also buy beans before they’re roasted. We’re planning to sell both beans and already ground powder.]
[I’m not very knowledgeable about coffee, but why sell them separately as beans and powder?]
[There are several reasons, but mainly because grinding them makes extraction easier. It increases the surface area…… the area that comes into contact with hot water, making extraction easier. However, increased surface area also means more exposure to oxygen, which can lead to oxidation and a loss of bitterness and flavor.][I see, so that’s why most are sold in a state that resists oxidation……]
[Unn. However, grinding beans is also quite a hassle, and different grind sizes can affect taste. So, for convenience, many are sold already ground. Ground coffee can last about 10 days, and with a magic box, you don’t have to worry about deterioration.]
Indeed, with a magic box, there’s no need to worry about deterioration, making powdered coffee convenient and easy to drink……
That said, people who are particular about taste might still prefer beans, but if it were me, I might just go for the powder…… or perhaps, I’ll just keep coffee in my magic box already brewed.
[Kuro seems quite knowledgeable about coffee huh.]
[Well, most of what I know comes from what Shalltear and Ein taught me, but I did study quite a bit to find blends that go well with baby castella. By the way, the grind size also affects the taste, you know?]
[Like fine or coarse, something like that?][Unn. Finer grind results in a stronger, more bitter taste, while coarser grind makes it lighter and milder. There are five common types: extra fine, fine, medium fine, medium, and coarse. When my company sells powdered coffee, we usually go for the most orthodox medium-fine grind.]
[I see……]
Perhaps because it’s related to baby castellas, I felt Kuro’s even more talkative than usual, explaining proudly, which is rather endearing.
[……That said, I always thought Ein-san was more into tea, but she’s also knowledgeable about coffee huh……]
[Ein is perfect with coffee too. She personally prefers tea, just like many in our family do, so the default drink in our household is tea. Zwei and Funf like coffee though.]
[Ahh~~ I can certainly picture that. People like Tre-san and Raz-san might not like coffee.]
[Exactly, they’re not big fans of coffee. Tre doesn’t particularly dislike coffee, but Raz isn’t keen on bitterness. She’s okay with cafe au lait though.]
Yeah, it’s pretty much as I imagined. Tre-san would probably act like an adult and smugly drink coffee…… only to make a face when it tastes different than she expected.
[Incidentally, when it comes to the Six Kings, Isis is just like Raz, she doesn’t like bitter things, so she hardly drinks coffee. Lillywood hardly drinks anything except water. Megiddo, if she’s gonna drink tea or coffee, she’d instead opt more towards alcohol, while Shalltear likes both. Also, it seems Magnawell has recently taken a liking to coffee.]
[Eh? Is that so? Ahh, because he recently got the split body that he can eat or drink with huh……]
[Unn. He’s been trying out various foods and drinks, and he seems to have really liked coffee, as he’s been studying about it.]
Come to think of it, Magnawell does seem like someone who would enjoy coffee. With his dignified appearance in his human form, he would probably look quite natural drinking coffee.
[Ahh, but I digress. So, I’ve prepared a fair number of prospects. I was hoping Kaito-kun could taste them and give your opinion.]
[I see, like a tasting session huh? Alright, how many varieties are there?]
[This time, it’s “37 types”.]
[…………Eh?]
Wait a moment there. She just said that so casually…… Eh? Am I going to drink 37 cups of coffee now? Won’t I end up with a bloated stomach?
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [As Kuro mentioned in the story, grinding the beans finer increases the surface area that contacts the hot water, making extraction easier and intensifying the flavor…… So simply increasing the quantity also makes it stronger. For example, grinding coarser and using more coffee can brew a coffee with strong bitterness and richness yet a good aftertaste. However, adjusting this is quite sensitive and challenging, so trying different methods to find your preference is great!]
? ? ? : [Speaking of which, this Senpai also likes coffee……]
