My Apocalypse System Arrives 10 Years Early

Chapter 53: Chapter 52: Li Xiang’s Home Coffee Tasting Assembly

”Why so much just for a tasting?” Li Xiang was a little confused.

He Zhixiang smiled. ”A larger sample will give you a comprehensive understanding so you can be confident in the quality.” He had only come looking for Li Xiang after witnessing his powerful salesmanship during the last stream.

”That makes sense.” Li Xiang nodded and welcomed him inside.

Then, the two started grinding coffee at his home.

”I’ve actually brought three types of beans this time. These bags are Typica, the main product of my coffee plantation, also known as an old variety of small-bean coffee. These beans have a very rich aroma and a very smooth mouthfeel, with a hint of sweet, fruity acidity.”

”This one over here is called Caturra. It’s a bean that grows on a small coffee tree with dense branches and thick leaves. Besides a rich aroma and mouthfeel, it sometimes has notes of nuts and chocolate.”

”And this one is called Catimor...”

He Zhixiang was very familiar with his products, describing them as if listing family treasures. The beans were all pre-roasted, and each variety was further divided into dark, medium, and light roasts.

Light roasts had a lighter body and higher acidity, while dark roasts were heavier, with relatively lower acidity and a full-bodied mouthfeel.

Medium roasts fell somewhere in between.

Each type of bean was suitable for making different styles of coffee, allowing customers to choose based on their personal preferences.

’Damn,’ Li Xiang used to drink instant coffee back in his wage-slave days. He didn’t know the first thing about any of this and was left completely dazed by He Zhixiang’s explanation.

However, he didn’t let it show. He just secretly took note of everything. Then, as he tasted each coffee, he would discreetly verify the descriptions and carefully savor the flavors. Sure enough, he could easily distinguish the different mouthfeels and notes of each coffee.

Since they were evaluating the beans, the two drank pure, black coffee without any additives.

Li Xiang used to think that the mixed coffee drinks sold in cafes—like lattes, mochas, and cappuccinos—were the pinnacle of flavor. But after tasting these pure coffees, he suddenly felt that this was the proper way to drink coffee.

As a Tier One Transcendent, his senses were sharp—and that included his taste buds and sense of smell. So it wasn’t surprising that he could quickly master the art of coffee tasting.

However, from He Zhixiang’s perspective, it was astonishing.

At first, Li Xiang had barely said a word, his eyes betraying a look of ”clear-eyed ignorance.” It was obvious he didn’t know anything about coffee, so He Zhixiang had explained everything in great detail.

But later, He Zhixiang noticed that Li Xiang started talking more, even taking the initiative. He could even identify some flavor notes that He Zhixiang himself hadn’t picked up on before.

’This guy is a natural-born coffee connoisseur and a live-streaming sales prodigy!’ He Zhixiang felt he had absolutely made the right decision in coming here!

As the two drank coffee in the house, the rich aroma drifted far and wide on the breeze. A few villagers passing by the intersection were drawn over. In truth, it wasn’t just the smell that attracted them, but the luxury car parked at the entrance.

Some sharp-eyed villagers had already seen the fancy car heading towards Li Xiang’s house and told others, ”Most likely, another big boss has come looking to work with Xiang Ya.”

The others replied, ”Why don’t we go check out the excitement?”

”Let’s go, let’s go! We’ll go together.”

It was the slack season for farming, and everyone was idle. With some fresh gossip to be had in the village, quite a few people rushed over. One auntie was even carrying a washbasin; she had been on her way to the creek to do laundry, but hearing the news halfway there, she curiously joined the crowd, forgetting all about her clothes.

Li Xiang brought out some pastries to share with everyone and also invited them to have some coffee.

However, the villagers generally couldn’t handle the stuff. Many spat it out after a single sip. ”This is so bitter. What’s so good about it?”

”Tastes awful.”

”Shouldn’t you add a little sugar and milk to make this coffee taste good? I’ve seen them drink it like that on TV. Some beautiful actress even sticks her pinky out while stirring like this...” An auntie began to imitate the female lead from a TV drama, making everyone keel over with laughter.