Coffee

For those who love coffee, you know that you can distinctly tell the quality of the coffee just by the aroma you get from the brew. But for the average coffee drinker, brand names usually reign supreme when it comes to sipping their favorite cup of Joe.

With the growing market of delicious coffee, people continually search their local area for the best coffee that’s convenient. While some may argue that Whole Food has everything you need for the perfect brew, there are gourmet coffee brands that some might dismiss.

It would help those looking for a great brew to experiment and try these higher ticketed beans to get a better sense of what is out there. This article will cover the top five brands of coffee in America today. Some range from the everyday to the premium merchant names that we have all come to admire.

Starbucks

Coming in at number one, Starbucks still remains at the top of the list. With loyal followers nationwide, some argue this is the best coffer brand worldwide. However, this fame to glory can also be attributed to the marketing and public perception of Starbucks Coffee. Its trendiest and cozy couches do help draw in customers day in and day out.

Coffee is embedded in daily culture and it’s no longer a breakfast thing. It’s has become a social engagement as well. It caters to both young and old, across all demographics.

With humble roots back in Seattle, Starbucks has grown internationally with over 16,000 stores worldwide. They also have expanded their product line for coffee lovers to experience the prefect brew at home. One of their more famous creations is the latte and blended coffee being sold in sachet packs.

Pee’s Coffee

Another homegrown coffee brand from Seattle, Peet’s coffee has grown into a 500 million dollar business as of 2009. Its coffee is also sold in groceries stores nationwide. A little history shows a relationship with Starbucks coffee house.

The founders of Starbucks sued to be able to for Peet’s and ended up introducing their own specialty coffee blend.

Dunkin Donuts

On the other side of the coin, Dunkin Donuts ranks in the top five of coffee brands in the United States. The allure of a simple plain good ol’ cup of black coffee has its appeal. Made fresh daily and consistently, Dunkin Donuts still brews a favorite fresh cup of java for its loyal and frugal customers. Some argue it’s just as good as the fancy Starbuck brand.

The simplicity of cream, sugar and coffee is a winner everyday at Dunkin Donuts and their revenue shows that. After buying the Mister Donut brand, they quickly gobbled up more of the market share.

Maxwell House Coffee

The fourth popular coffee brand on consumer favorites is Maxwell House Coffee. Many coffee aficionados claim that their coffee rivals that of Starbucks and can be it in a blind taste test. As a household name, Maxwell house continues to serve its client base every quarter. This Kraft owned brand continues to brew coffee that’s good to the last drop.

Caribou Coffee

Caribou coffee is the second largest retailer of coffee and espresso in the United States to Starbucks.

One of their popular blends is their Rainforest Blend that gives the coffee brew a unique flavor of fruitiness.

So whatever brand fills your cup of coffee, there are a wide range of taste, textures and price ranges to suit your mood. Be sure to also visit your local supermarket for additional selections.

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Author: Timothy Schwartz
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True coffee lovers always drink their coffee black, yes? Wrong. Today, there are more flavors and blends of coffee than there in any wine selection, so let loose and start enjoying the 101 different ways to taste the marvelous gift of coffee.

The creativity of blends is nearly endless. One Indonesian blend combines Sumatran and the coffee beans of Papua New Guinea to create a tasty, full-bodied brew. What a surprise to those who never knew that Papua New Guineans even grew coffee. But, Sumatra can be mixed with more than just other Indonesian beans. Another great mixture is Sumatran with Colombian Patron to produce a delicious, dark roasted blend that combines to coffee perfection.

In addition to blends, flavorings can also make for a delicious coffee treat. Adding almond, vanilla and even cherry to a Brazilian can soften the acid and sweeten the brew, while a banana hazelnut flavoring turns a regular robusta into a bit more than a decent cup of coffee. Yet, a huge coffee breakthrough is the Tahitian vanilla latte, a dangerously delicious treat.

As far as making a mocha, the variety of chocolates is equivocal to that of the wide array of different beans. A Yemeni mixed with a hint of dark chocolate can enhance an already wonderful blend. Or, perhaps try an American roast with a hint of Ghiradelli milk chocolate when something heavy is to be avoided.

Coffee variations are as plentiful as they are delicious and delightful, but they are not limited to just beans, flavorings and roasts. Several different liqueurs and liquors offer even another twist for coffee lovers.

For instance, a Jamaican forms a solid base to which you can add brown sugar, dessert pears, and a good amount of rum or brandy. Or, try using apricots instead of the pears for another twist. Another tasty treat is to try Amaretto’s sweetness with a Costa Rican blend, that is if you prefer to get intoxicated and sober all with the same beverage.

Coffee and cocoa is a favorite for those who enjoy their coffee cut. You can enjoy it cold or hot, as Mexican coffee and cocoa beans can combine for a delicious treat in any season.

The coffee innovations do not end with cocoa. Frozen cappuccinos are becoming increasingly popular. They can wake you up when drowsy and refresh you when you need that something special to awaken your taste buds. Try adding a bit of chocolate mint flavoring for an extra zing.

It really is not clear why a true coffee lover would want decaf, but for these coffee drinkers there is still a wide selection of coffees from which to choose, including Decaf Marrakesh, Italian Espresso and even a Dutchman. Regardless of your caffeine preferences, broaden your coffee horizons to enjoy the many blends, flavors and options available today for your coffee maker Coffee is not just “coffee” anymore!

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As the coffee industry shifts toward fair trade practices and organic certification, more farmers are switching to organic and sustainable practices. But, what does that mean, and how does it affect the actual coffee? For answers to these questions and tips on where you can find gourmet organic coffee, keep reading.

What Does Organic Mean?

Organic coffee typically indicates it has been certified by the USDA and meets their stringent growing and harvesting standards for organic certification. Therefore, coffee that has been certified as organic has been farmed using methods that have a minimal impact on the environment and little to no reliance on chemical or unnatural methods.

Because coffee is harvested as a seed, buying organic has little-to-no health effects for the consumer. However, purchasing an organic coffee bean means you’re supporting environmentally friendly and sustainable farming methods.

Ethical or Fair Trade Purchasing

Fair trade certification focuses on the labor practices of the coffee farmer and manufacturer. By purchasing fair trade coffee, you’re supporting a trade standard that gives small-industry grower co-ops a standard price for their coffee.

While fair trade doesn’t carry the same environmental standards as organic certification, they do ban the use of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) and most pesticides.

Who Makes Organic Coffee?

Green Mountain Coffee Company (http://www.greenmountaincoffee.com)

The Green Mountain Coffee Company is based out of Vermont and is one of the country’s largest organic and fair trade coffee suppliers. They currently do the bulk of their business as a supplier for office and workplace coffee needs, including K-Cups and instant coffee machines.

Gloria Jean’s Coffee (http://www.gloriajeanscoffees.com.au)

As a roaster and supplier of 100 percent organic, fair trade coffee, this Australian coffee roaster was awarded the Corporate Green Globe Award by the prestigious Rainforest Alliance.

They sell a range of coffees and roasts while fulfilling their commitment to ethical environmental and social business practices.

Jim’s Organic Coffee (http://www.jimsorganiccoffee.com)

Jim’s Organic Coffee makes a range of blends and roasts that are certified organic and fair trade. The company also sells a Rainforest blend that is shade grown and certified by the Rainforest Alliance. This means the farming methods used to cultivate the coffee don’t destroy natural habitats or the existing rainforest ecosystem around the plantation.

Starbucks

Starbucks, a major coffee retailer all over the world, carries three kinds of organic coffee. They stock their Shade Grown Mexican, Organic Serena Blend and their own Organic Sumatra-Peru blend.

For additional informative details on coffee and enticing flavors that explode your taste buds, please visit http://www.coffeetryst.com – a popular site with insights on coffee options, such as flavored decaf coffee, gourmet coffee gift baskets, and many more!

Author: Wesley Johnson
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Gourmet coffee is more than just coffee for occasional drinkers or for those who drink it in order to stay awake. It is a special treat made of selected coffee beans, in a special manner, and its main purpose being to please the taste of the consumer.

One of the world’s most appreciated gourmet coffees is the kona coffee. Kona coffee is original from the Mauna Lao Hawaiian Island. It’s a rare and special coffee. The tree’s coffee beans come to be ripe especially after cold winters and they are then picked and carefully selected, dried and hulled.

The reddish kona coffee beans are roasted in different methods depending on the moisture of the bean, the result being a richly flavored coffee that is ready to be prepared. On the market Kona is generally sold as a blend, a Kona blend containing Arabic, Brazilian and African beans and only 10% of Kona coffee.

As the commercial market offers more and more sorts of ready-made coffee, coffee drinkers all over the world have come to favor “gourmet coffee”. Coffee’s sold by Starbucks, Peets, Tullies or Barnies can now be found in fine coffee shops and super markets alike.

Starbucks claims supremacy of the market as they offer a wide variety of coffees beverages ranging from the brewed coffee, to expresso drinks, to luxurious frappuccinos.

While Starbucks success is relatively new-founded, Peets coffee has a tradition in bringing tasty coffee to the consumers, dating back to the 1960′s; Gevalia proudly announces that they have been offering gourmet products to consumers for over 100 years.

Regardless of the time advantage that the two latter-named companies have, it is the young Barnies Coffee that challenges Starbucks as they come on the market with impeccable service and an extraordinary array of coffee types.

There are many kinds of coffee available today, varied enough to satisfy each consumer’s unique taste palette, no matter how finicky. Whether you prefer Columbian, Kona or Kenyan or Starbucks, Illy, or Gevalia as gourmet coffee, you can find a place to serve you your favorite coffee at virtually every corner.

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Author: Tyler Bond
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Do coffee drinkers perceive a difference between single origin coffee versus blended coffee? A scientific study was conducted by the University of Padova in collaboration with the Tasters Study Centre in order to provide a definitive answer to this question. In order to determine whether coffee drinkers can perceive a difference between single origin and blend, 350 taste tests were made at Padova according to standards established by the International Institute of Coffee Tasters coffee shop supplies. Among the contending coffees were a blend of Arabica coffees with seven ingredients of four different origins (namely Haiti XXXXX, Colombia Armenia Supremo, Ethiopia Sidamo, and Santo Domingo Barahona Toral AA). The group of tasters was half male and half female, age range between eighteen and sixty-four. The tasters were able to distinguish the blended coffee from the single origin coffee, preferring the blended coffee, in a way which is statistically significant. The study notes that coffee drinking has evolved as an art, with drinkers becoming more sophisticated in their tastes and at the same time fussier. This has caused a boom in coffee menus at restaurants, new niches in the coffee shop and bar sector, and selections of coffee type based upon sensory pleasure. Coffee roasters have also noticed the increased attentiveness and curiosity of coffee drinkers. Our society is increasingly producing people who are knowledgeable about taste and who are seeking new sensory experience. Brand loyalty doesn’t mean as much to these consumers as does qualitative excellence. The fact that tasters preferred the blend shows that roasters are very good at selecting coffees from distinct locations and bringing out the best characteristics of each in creating an unbeatable blend.

There are already many restaurants and bars which specialize in single origin coffee and supplies. Often the choice espressos change on a monthly basis, alternating between Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, etc. It is thought that consumer curiosity about single origin coffees is sparked by the ideas these places are connected with, rather than to genuine nuances in tastes. In the first place, the term “single origin” connotes a homogeneity of product which is not there. When consumers read the word “Brazil” on a bag of coffee they believe that all the coffee bearing that name is basically identical, which is not at all true. An example of a successful single origin marketing vision is Evancaffe, which introduced its menu of gourmet coffees into topnotch restaurants. In the beginning the clients were wary; but interest in single origin coffee has grown with the years. This was helped along by the enthusiasm of the proprietors and the maitres who ran the restaurants to promote single origin coffees.

Interest level varies with nation – in Italy it is noticeable that while there is a large interest in single origin coffees among the coffee drinking public, nonetheless restaurants and commercial coffee suppliers don’t seem to respond. At the present time single origin coffees are very much a small niche in the total volume of coffee marketed worldwide, but one that is bound to grow.

Commercial coffee suppliers should take note of the increasing interest in single origin coffee and supplies among knowledgeable consumers. Coffee shop supplies in the future will be geared more and more to single origin coffees.

Author: Alice Lane
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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