Coffee

Most consumers would think that coffee is coffee and that it wouldn’t matter if it’s instant or brewed as long as it tastes okay and wakes them up. While that is all fine and dandy, it is worth noting that picking the best beans according to your preference can result in a coffee which will be most looked forward to every morning. And if you own a grinder or a grind and brew coffee maker, you will notice the difference once you start thinking about your options and you will be glad that you did.

• Do Coffee Species Matter?

There are different species of coffee plants like Coffea arabica, Coffea benghalensis, Coffea canephora, Coffea congensis, Coffea excelsa, Coffea gallienii, Coffea bonnieri, Coffea mogeneti, Coffea liberica, and Coffea stenophylla. Each species produce beans that have certain different characteristics and distinct flavor profiles.

Around 75% of the world’s coffee trade is comprised of Coffee Arabica, the reason being its preferred flavor and ability to thrive in most areas. Arabica beans are coveted for the deep aroma and great flavor that can go with most coffee additives like cream, sugar, and so on. This is something that most coffee drinkers agree on with good reason. You can never go wrong with a high quality brand of 100% Arabica with a medium roast.

• Which Roast Is The Best?

There are different types of roast, depending on how long the beans are roasted. It can be determined by different degrees of darkness. There are four main types of roasts – Light (Cinnamon Roast, Half City, New England), Medium (Full city, American, Regular, Breakfast, Brown), Dark (High, Viennese, Italian Espresso, Continental), and Darkest (Italian, French, Spanish).

Describing the taste of different roasts is as subjective as that of wine. There is no substitute to judging them with your own palate as only you can decide what your personal taste is. Choosing a type of roast is mostly on personal preference, but most people do like medium roast for its balanced flavor and sweetness.

• How Important Is The Origin?

Coffee beans are distinct in their terrier, or capturing the place in where they were grown. While differences in flavor can be subtle, beans grown in Hawaii and Central America are more of snappy and vibrant variety, while those from East Africa and Yemen are deeper in bitterness, and those grown in Indonesia and Sumatra are even more complex in flavor.

• Storing Coffee Beans

When open to air and light, roasted coffee beans can lose their flavor and go stale quite quickly. The best way to store beans is with an opaque airtight canister at room temperature. Theoretically, refrigeration can help preserve the beans longer, but with frequent opening of containers for use creating condensation, the moisture can tamper with the beans’ flavor.

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When purchasing beans, make sure to get those stored in a sealed bag with a one-way valve laminated on it, which lets carbon dioxide out and keeping outside air from entering. Upon roasting, coffee beans produce prodigious amounts of carbon dioxide, so such valves are necessary for initial storage. Either that or frequent opening of jars for venting as done by most coffee shops. Do not go for beans stored in open beans as they would mostly be stale.

• Grinding It Right

The perfect grind size is crucial so that the right amount of the flavor is extracted from the beans without going to far, which will take excess bitterness along for the ride. The smaller the grind size, the more surface area there is and over extraction is a big possibility. Too big of a grind size will just keep the hot water from getting enough flavor. Most people would say that they don’t like strong coffee, while the reality is that they don’t like bitter coffee. With coffee, strong doesn’t really have to mean bitter.

If your coffee maker comes with a grinder, then use it. Experiment with different grind sizes to find your preference. If there is no grinder along with your coffee maker, then a small coffee grinder with pulse action will do the job just fine. Grinding your own is best as it is better to draw out the flavors closer to brewing time than having them ground in the shop. Most find a 15-20 second grind best while espresso calls for a finer grind.

Selecting and storing the beans right can have a great impact on the flavor of your coffee, a difference of changing the mediocre coffee from your coffee machine to a restaurant quality one in the comforts of your own home. So next time you are grocery shopping for coffee give coffee beans choice some thought.

Having the best coffee maker helps, but buying the best beans and grinding them right can make a huge difference to the quality of your brew.

Yogi Shinde is the webmaster of Coffee Maker Ratings & Reviews website which provides unbiased information on different types and brands of coffee makers. This article is free for publishing provided the resource link is maintained.

Author: Yogi Shinde
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When you walk into a coffee shop, or even if you make coffee at home, the smell of the brewing coffee is tantalizing, the clink of the cups and saucers reassuring, and then, the coffee is sitting in front of you and you are taking the first sip… There is NOTHING more disappointing than a mouthful of bitter coffee. It does not matter whether you drink French Press, Espresso-based, Filter based or Extract-based coffee: bitter coffee is a downright “slap in the face”.

And, for some reason, more often than not we seem to think that bitter is normal, that we should accept it, that we are just not “coffee-aficionado ‘ enough to appreciate that bitterness. Since we get served bitter coffee so often it MUST be the norm! People, you cannot be more wrong! Coffee, made with fresh coffee beans, roasted to a great flavor profile by a master roaster, and brewed with the right temperature of water in the right way is NEVER bitter!

And yes, ALL these things can go wrong, from roaster to cup.

The Roast:

Coffee beans can be over-roasted, to the point that the sugars, which are present in the beans, get carbonized instead of caramelized… it is one thing to roast coffee to a darker profile, but the blackened lumps I have seen in shops marked as “Italian” or “Full City ” roast will surely do a better job as pot-scourer than as the base for a good cup of coffee. A good coffee roaster knows how to preserve the flavour nuances, as well as retain the inherent sweetness of each bean variety.

The Water

Similarly, a good barista should know what temperature the beans currently int eh grinder need to get the best coffee out of them. Before a new variety is added to the range in the shop, the coffee should be tasted and tasted again, until the perfect temperature settings for that bean have been found. Naturally, if you make coffee at home you can only do so much testing and adjusting, but it pays to check if the water which comes out of your espresso machine is too hot and burns the coffee, which would result in a bitter flavor (it should be 92 degrees Celsius). If you use a filter machine, the same thing can happen, although in most filter machines it is not the water going IN the coffee which is the problem, but the hot plate UNDER the coffee… it is often way too hot and cooks the coffee like an old-fashioned coffee pot on a stove!

And, then there is “false economy”!

Of-course, coffee is expensive and you should be trying to get the most out of it, but please: that should be “the most flavour”, not “the most brownish, bitter liquid”!! When you start extracting coffee from coffee grinds, the first few millilitres of thick brown liquid have most of the flavour-oils ( and comparative very little caffeine!) As you flush the grinds out further and further, the content of flavoursome coffee oils gets less, but the bitter component remain, resulting in weak, but bitter coffee.

So, if you try to make more cups of coffee than the quantity of grinds can produce you end up with bitter coffee! If you use a French Press and choose to let the coffee sit on the grinds “to get a bit stronger”, you get the same result… the bitterness will increase. So, in short, the rules for sweet, flavorsome coffee are:

1. Fresh coffee beans
2. Properly roasted by someone who knows what he/she is doing
3. Ground to suit the extraction method
4. Extracted with the right water temperature
5. Not over-extracted
6. Kept on a hotplate only for a short time

For more information on how to improve the taste of your coffee, check out this article about coffee-crema: http://www.amazines.com/article_detail.cfm?articleid=1773843

Robert Booth owns and runs “Good Coffee at Home” ( http://goodcoffeeathome.com/ ) where you can see that making good coffee at home is very possible; it gives simple, informative descriptions of coffee styles, ways to make coffee and the various coffee making equipment currently on the market.

Author: Robert Booth
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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If you always thought that Starbucks coffee was good, then to you the Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee will definitely be extraordinary. Blue Mountain Coffee is a treat you will love to deserve. The best lots of blue mountain coffee are noted for their mild flavor and lack of bitterness. What makes this coffee so much better than all the other coffee has something to do with the unique growing, harvesting or roasting processes. Unfortunately, a lot of coffee is wrongly labeled as “Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee” as they are sometimes blended with inferior grades of coffee and sold to unsuspecting customers for lower prices. So be sure to get the real stuffs to taste the goodness of this coffee has for you.

Jamaican Blue Mountain ranks right up there with Kona as the most overrated coffee on the market today. Broadly speaking, coffee harvested from the parishes of Saint Andrew, Saint Thomas, Portland and Saint Mary, and grown at elevations between 1,500 and 3,000 feet, may be considered Blue Mountain coffee. Coffee grown below 1,500 foot elevation is called Jamaica Supreme or Jamaica Low Mountain. This fine gourmet coffee has to be certified by the Jamaican Coffee Industry Board (the highest regulatory authority for coffee in Jamaica) and is widely recognized in the industry and by coffee connoisseurs by name for its smooth delicate taste, and unmistakable aroma.

When you place your order for this coffee, always be sure to order freshly roasted Grade 1, export quality Blue Mountain Coffee beans. The fresh ground beans are the main factor that made a significant difference in taste. On the other hand, although freshness and variety counts, it’s the roast that matters the most. When buying the coffee, do buy those that are vacuum packed in one-way valve bags to further ensure quality and freshness. If you are a regular drinker of good coffee, you can even consider buying good high grade single crop coffee beans in bulk as it is far cheaper and it also ensure freshness from the roaster.

If drinking premium coffee is your area of expertise, then you will find that Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee will definitely make your taste buds happier than any other coffee in the world. It is a great coffee day for Fridays when one is catching up on paperwork and mindless data entry. Starbucks coffee is good, Dunkin Donuts coffee is good, but Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is one coffee that belongs in the category of true excellence in coffee.

Looking for more info on Blue Mountain Coffee? Click for more info on Blue Mountain Coffee now or go to http://www.espresso-coffee.greenhealthcoffeeclub.com/

Christopher Wen is the webmaster for http://www.greenhealthcoffeeclub.com/ where he provides you articles, info, and news on coffee and coffee related info.

Author: Chris Wen
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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When you want to get the best of your coffee then you should know about the different blends of coffee. You should also understand about acidity, aroma, bitterness, and nuttiness. Knowing these differences will make a big difference about how you pick your coffee.

There are many different types of coffee from all over the world. Coffee tastes differently from each of the different countries. Some of the most well known coffees are from Columbia, Mexico, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mauna Loa, Europe, and Italy.

Columbia is known for their coffee. The best coffee in the world comes from this country and they are the second largest producer of coffee in the world. Columbian coffee is sweet and light and available in blends that are supreme and excelso.

Brazil is the largest coffee producer in the world and has been for over one hundred years. Brazilian coffee is famous for the wonderful blends.

Mexico produces coffee beans that are considered to be light and delicate. Some people say that the coffee in Mexico is very acidic and noticeable. However, it is enjoyed by many people.

Indonesian coffee is another well known blend because they are the fourth largest producer in the world. The coffee in Malaysia is brewed in a muslin bag that filters the grounds. Malaysia is known for an extremely strong cup of coffee. Thailand is known for fabulous blends of coffee also that is enjoyed when it is poured over ice.

When you are thinking about coffee you should consider the differences in the different blends. You should consider the acidity of the coffee. If you cannot handle the acidity then you might not want to consider a blend from Mexico because they tend to be very tart and acidic. The roast varies with the beans the most.

Some people choose their coffee based on the aroma of the beans. Coffee from Kona has a fruity aroma. Columbian beans have a strong aroma to them. The aroma of the coffee beans is very important when you are choosing which coffee you will drink. You can get a good idea how the coffee will taste by the smell of the coffee beans.

When you are checking out coffee beans then you also want to think about the bitterness. Many people say that you can put an eggshell in the coffee grounds when brewing coffee to take away the bitterness from the blend. However, if you properly choose your coffee beans then you won’t have to worry about taking away the bitterness. Arabica coffee is known to be extremely bitter. The bitterest coffee blend is the Robusta. One way to figure out the bitterness of the coffee is that you can swill the beans in your mouth and taste any bitterness.

As a coffee lover, you should know the differences of the coffees from different countries. You should also know the type of coffee it is that you favor the most. You should know if you are looking for an acidic, aromatic, or bitter blend of coffee.

Paul is a regular contributor to Coffee Maker Review, an informational website for Coffee Machines ratings and reviews so the customer can choose the Best Coffee Maker

Author: Paul Simon
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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