I recently bought a bag of Vietnamese Robusta green coffee beans because I wanted to experiment with something I’ve never made before: coffee from unroasted beans.
The reason I was interested in green coffee is chlorogenic acid, a naturally occurring group of compounds found in coffee beans. Chlorogenic acids are present in green coffee and generally decrease during the roasting process.
So instead of roasting these beans like traditional coffee, I’m experimenting with making a green coffee infusion directly from the unroasted beans.
Watch how I brew green coffee beans:
Why Green Coffee for Chlorogenic Acid?
Coffee naturally contains chlorogenic acids, which are among the major polyphenolic compounds found in coffee.
One interesting difference between green and roasted coffee is what happens during roasting. Research has found that roasting progressively reduces the concentration of major chlorogenic acids in coffee.
That’s what caught my attention.
Rather than buying a green coffee extract, I wanted to try the actual unroasted coffee beans and see what kind of drink I could make from them.
I’m not making any health claims about green coffee. I’m simply interested in the food itself and the naturally occurring compounds it contains.
Why I Chose Green Robusta Coffee Beans
I specifically looked for green Robusta coffee beans, also known as Coffea canephora.
There are two major commercially used coffee species you’ll commonly encounter: Arabica and Robusta. Green Robusta is particularly interesting for this experiment because research has found relatively high levels of chlorogenic acids in Robusta coffee.
I ended up buying Vietnamese Altura Robusta green coffee beans.
The beans are whole and unroasted. The product is actually marketed primarily as a green coffee bean for home roasting, but I bought it because I wanted to experiment with using the beans without roasting them.
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How to Make Green Coffee from Unroasted Beans
Green coffee beans are extremely hard, so I don’t recommend trying to grind them as finely as you would roasted coffee.
Instead, I lightly crush or crack the beans into smaller pieces.
Green Coffee Recipe
- 15 grams green coffee beans (Check price of Vietnamese Altura Robusta green coffee beans on Amazon >)
- 300 grams (about 10 ounces) water
Instructions
- Lightly crush the green coffee beans into smaller pieces (optional)
- Heat the water to approximately 195–205°F.
- Add the crushed beans to the hot water.
- Cover and steep for 10–15 minutes.
- Strain the beans reserving the liquid as the coffee beverage.
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