Coffee

The superior flavor that Arabica coffee beans produce in a cup of coffee is well known. Robusta and Arabica coffee beans are the two principal classifications of java that are offered for sale. Coffee connoisseurs travel to their favorite coffee shops to get a mug of tasty Arabica coffee, however, what is found in a typical office building break room that has been sitting on the burner for hours in probably a pot of bitter Robusta coffee.

You can experience the great taste of Arabica coffee beans at home instead of having to trudge down to your local coffee hour and cafe. These kinds of beans are raised in an organic fashion meaning that they are not sprayed with synthetic fertilizers or pesticides which gives them quite a superior taste.

Chic coffee shops that retail coffee beans, espresso machines, and perhaps a mug of cafe latte will only sell Arabica beans. On the other hand, the major commercial coffee labels sell ground Robusta beans mixed with other tasteless filler or at best a mix of both Arabica and Robusta. The reason why this is the case is it makes the coffee that they sell considerably cheaper for the wholesaler and eventually for you the consumer. This is where the common church potluck cups of coffee come from. Arabica coffee beans are known for their well-defined savory flavor that many coffee lovers prefer but these kinds of beans actually have a lower caffeine content than Robusta beans.

Most people think that all the beans are grown in Columbia, but actually there are more than 80 countries around the world where coffee is grown for commercial purposes. The tropical climates around the equator are the best places to grow coffee and the beans have a richer flavor in high elevations compared to the low elevations where they can also be grown.

Back twenty years ago, in order to buy wholesale coffee beans, you would have to use mail-order catalogs. Now, there are numerous sites all over the World Wide Web where you are able to purchase Arabica coffee beans. You can also buy them in bulk at some retail shops but be prepared to pay a lot more because their prices will be considerably higher than what you might find online.

By purchasing your beans wholesale you are getting coffee beans that are much fresher because they have not been kept for as long. The best way to guarantee the freshness of your coffee is to buy green coffee beans.

In closing, the next time you are wanting to buy some gourmet beans to make a cup of coffee be sure to pick up some Arabica beans.

Steve writes about coffee beans and buying coffee online.

Author: Steve Turley
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The creation of flavored coffee is not simple at all.
There are mainly three factors that influence the production of the best flavored coffee. Two are the basic ingredients, the third one is the production method:

• ingredient no. 1: the selection of coffee
• ingredient no. 2: the quality of flavors
• the procedure used to process the above ingredients

1. INGREDIENT NO.1: COFFEE

A first key difference to highlight is about the coffee beans. The type of bean used to make flavored coffee greatly impacts the taste of the finished product. It is estimated that coffee beans contain over 800 different compounds, which contribute to their flavor, including sugars and other
carbohydrates, mineral salts, organic acids, aromatic oils, and methylxanthines, a chemical class which includes caffeine.

Arabica beans are most frequently used for creating the best flavored coffee, due to their low levels of acidity and bitterness. These top quality beans are milder and more flavorful than the harsher Robusta beans, which are used in many commercial and instant coffees.

The most experienced coffee roasters create their best flavored coffee from a blend of beans from various regions, putting in the coffee selection the same care that they reserve to the ‘classic’ coffees.

2. INGREDIENT NO.2: FLAVORINGS

The second key difference is given by the flavorings. The coffee roaster must choose between natural and artificial or ‘Nature Identical’ flavorings.

Best flavored coffee is flavored with 100% natural flavours, while commercial coffee is flavoured with artificial flavorings.

Natural oils used in flavored coffees are extracted from a variety of sources, such as vanilla beans, cocoa beans, and various nuts and berries. Synthetic flavor agents are chemicals which are manufactured on a commercial basis.

When food scientists want to make an imitation of a flavor, they extract its aromatic component from its place in nature, and use a spectograph to identify the molecular structure of the flavor.
As a result, those flavors are so-called ‘Nature Identical’. This means that they are comprised of exactly the same chemical structure as the natural flavors, but they are synthesized artificially.

Given the different sources, although the flavor name on the coffee package may be the same (‘French Vanilla’), the product inside can be vastly different. The natural ingredients are much more intense and persistent: try to flavor the same quantity of coffee with the same amount of flavorings, one sample natural another synthetic, and you will see the difference.

The natural flavors are sold in a liquid form. The not-natural are usually dust.

3. THE PRODUCTION PROCESS

The appropriate amount of flavoring to be used must be determined before flavor oils can be added to the roasted beans. The amount of flavoring required depends primarily on the type of flavor and its intensity, as well as the type of bean used and its roast level.

The quantity of flavours to be applied to the beans is established by experimental trial and error, in which test batches of beans are flavored with small quantities of oil until the desired characteristics are obtained.

Cost constraints also may play a role in determining how much flavor to apply to the coffee, because flavors are relatively expensive, or even very expensive (USD 3,000+ per unit) in case of 100% natural ingredients.

The flavors are usually introduced via a pressurized spray mechanism which breaks the oils into tiny droplets which allows for better mixing. Oils must be added to the beans very gradually to guard against areas of highly concentrated flavor called hot spots. The beans are agitated for a set amount of time to ensure the flavor is evenly spread.

The perfect roast color for flavored coffee is medium to brown.

According to some roasters, after the beans are roasted they must be quickly cooled before flavorings can be added. Flavoring the beans while they are still at high temperatures could destroy some of the flavor compounds. Vice-versa, another ‘school’ says that flavored coffee should be sprayed immediately after roasting, for the best absorption of flavor. Who is right? Every roaster has his own good reasons, experience, lies, and secrets. Nobody will ever share where he finds his mushrooms, right?

Even if the final flavoured coffee must be ground, best flavoured coffees require that flavouring is done before grinding.

And by the way, flavored coffee should never be ground in the same grinder as the not-flavored coffee.

Finally, flavored beans must be stored in a cool, dark place if they are to be used within three or four weeks.

As we have seen, the production of the best flavored coffee is a complex matter. Roaster must give the same care not only to his traditional practice, the roasting, but also to the selection of highest-quality flavoring ingredients. Furthermore, he must be very careful in the recipe of the two ingredients (coffee beans and flavor), and have the flexibility to consider the flavored coffee
not a ‘barbarian’ hybrid, but a brand new weapon to address a different market segment that he would never reach through his classic coffee blends.

Since 1940s, Coffee’IT is an Italian roaster of rare espresso and mocha coffees, marketed through importers, wholesalers, distributors, agents, and coffee professionals.
Visit Coffee’IT at Flavored Coffee for more information.

Author: Andrea Tonacchera
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Not all coffee beans are grown in environments that consist of huge commercial coffee plantations that are located in remote places in far off southern Latin American countries and it is also another common assumption that growing coffee requires plenty of sunshine as well.

There are however different kinds of coffee crops that grow under different conditions and which use different procedures of harvesting. Thus one can think of two different types of coffee that include the shade grown or organic coffee and the traditional coffee that is grown in direct sunlight.

Two Types Of Coffee

These two types of coffees are diametrically opposite as far as their production is concerned. There was a time when coffee was only grown in the shade and it was much like the present day organic coffee that we drink today. It is not usual for most kinds of coffee to grow properly under direct sunlight and grow at their best when under shade.

Thus shade grown coffee or organic coffee are used to benefiting from the falling of leaves that are instrumental in mulching the soil and helping in retaining moisture. Also, such type of coffee, when grown beneath trees means that the trees provide a home to birds and thus are a way of controlling pests.

Till about thirty years ago there was not much fertilizer or pesticides used and thus organic coffee was synonymous with healthy production. Then, in the seventies a number of new varieties of coffee began to appear and new methods of producing coffee became known which meant production of more Coffee beans, slower rate of harvesting and also use of direct sunlight to grow the crops.

Thus, the coming of non-organic coffee meant that farmers began to cut down on trees so that they could make plantation rows and in the United States alone it meant almost two million acres of land being dedicated to both organic as well as non-organic coffee growth. Only those farmers that were too poor to use fertilizers as well as pesticides continued producing organic coffee.

There is little doubt that organic coffee does cost a bit more, but the transition from organic to the sun coffee has also meant that the environment is being sacrificed. With erosion of soil and the depletion of nutrients, more chemical fertilizers are being sprayed into the ground and there has also been the removal of rainforest land just so that non-organic coffee can be grown.

This has led to just a few countries remaining that are still producing organic coffee and these countries include Ethiopia, Panama, El Salvador and Mexico. The bigger producers of coffee such as Costa Rica and Brazil are now producing sun coffee.

In the end, organic coffee does mean a better and cleaner environment that does produce a better coffee as far as health and a clean environment are concerned.

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A Popular website that specializes in tips and resources to include Gevalia Coffee [http://www.gevaliacoffeereviews.com]

Author: John Hilaire
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The coffee plant was first cultivated commercially in the Arab world in the fifteenth century. Here coffee was widely consumed by the populous but condemned by the Islamic leaders because of its supposed intoxicating effects. As coffee traveled from Constantinople to Venice and then to Vienna and other European capitals it was banned repeatedly. At first coffee beans were sold by pharmacists and then by coffee houses which became popular for revolution and enlightened thinking. Even today there is controversy surrounding coffee as to whether it is good for the health or not and a new study seems to be published each week either defending or condemning this drink.

When picked coffee beans are green and do not acquire the familiar brown color and intoxicating aroma until they are roasted. Commercial coffee beans belong to two main groups, Arabica and robusta. The Arabica beans are named for the Arabs who first grew them and are the better of the two. Robusta beans have twice the caffeine of Arabica beans but less flavor.

Supermarket coffee blends are usually made up of mostly Robusta beans with a few Arabica to add some flavor. On the other hand most coffee beans sold in coffee specialty shops are Arabica.

Africa, Indonesia and Central and South America are the three main regions where coffee is grown. But there is a small amount grown in the Hawaiian Islands and some in Yemen on the Red Sea. Africa, the birthplace of coffee still grow coffee with wild flowers that coffee lovers prize. The prized of these are the true Mochas. Named after the Yemeni Port from which the coffee was once shipped to the rest of the world. Today the word Mocha has come to mean a flavor combination of coffee and chocolate, but actually has nothing to do with Mocha beans which are rare and expensive.

Another favorite, Africa Coffee is from Kenya, a country that produces many superlative beans. Indonesian coffees are popular for their body and earthy flavor. Many good coffees also come from the island of Papua New Guinea. Coffee produced in Central America (particularly Guatemala and Costa Rica) are of real interest to coffee connoisseurs because many of the beans from these regions offer the balance and smoothness that made Jamaica’s Blue Mountain coffee legendary. This coffee is almost impossible to find in America as the Japanese buy almost all the tiny annual production and if it can be found it is extremely expensive.

One third of the coffee drunk worldwide is grown in Brazil but almost none of it is of any interest to coffee connoisseurs.

Colombia has put money and research into its coffee industry but unfortunately its beans are rarely exceptional.

The flavored coffees that are becoming increasingly popular are usually based on bland, mediocre beans that are stirred with chemical flavoring essences after roasting. If these flavored beans are ground at home they will impart their flavors, possibly forever, on to your grinder and brewing apparatus. If you prefer a flavored coffee a better idea is to brew good coffee from unflavored beans and dose it modestly with one or more of the flavoring essences that can be purchased at many gourmet shops.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Coffee [http://coffee-guides.com]

Author: Michael Russell
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Guest blogger

Many people have turned to organic fruits and vegetables (and even meats) in recent years, striving to live healthier, longer lives. You may be one of these people. But did you know that organic coffee is now available, too? If you can’t find it at your local health food store, then you can definitely find it online.

How Organic Coffee Differs From Traditional Coffee

The coffee plant has traditionally been grown in the company of shade trees and other food and cash crops. This approach made for healthier soil and prevented water contamination. Unfortunately, many coffee growers have abandoned this approach in favor of larger crops and hence larger profits. However, synthetic pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers have become necessary to maintain these crops, and along with them the taste of the coffee has suffered, the soil has suffered, and no one knows the potential impact they may have on the future health of the coffee consumer.

In addition, the loss of the shade trees has had a direct impact on migratory song birds. While an obvious connection may not immediately come to mind, the relationship has actually been symbiotic. These birds used the shade trees as their habitat as they migrated, and as a result they provided a natural defense against many of the bugs and pests that can ruin a coffee crop. Without them, pesticides must be used to do the job.

Unlike the large, commercial coffee plantations, organic coffees are generally grown on small farms with plenty of shade cover. There are plenty of migratory birds to control insects, and pesticides are unnecessary. In fact, the United States requires that organic coffees be grown on shaded land and be completely chemical free for three consecutive years.

Tips For A Great Cup of Organic Coffee

Whole beans should be used within a week of purchase in order to enjoy the full flavor of the coffee.

Avoid vacuum-packed coffee, even organic vaccum-packed coffee. The process of vacuum packing cannot be done immediately after roasting. The coffee must sit for nearly a week before it can be vacuum-packed. This degrades much of the flavor.

Coffee beans should be stored in an airtight container, not on the shelf in the paper bag you brought them home with from the store. And in order to enjoy the full flavor of the coffee, you should grind only the amount you intend to use just before brewing.

Whole coffee beans that will be stored longer than a week should be placed in an airtight glass container that’s kept in the freezer.

As with any coffee blend, organic or not, grind the beans according to the brewing method you intend to use. Keep in mind that if you grind your beans too fine your coffee may end up bitter and muddy; if you don’t grind them enough, your coffee may end up flavorless.

Often overlooked, many people consider the most important step toward a good cup of coffee to be the proportion of water to coffee. Experts recommend 2 tablespoons for every 6 ounces of water.

In Conclusion

While you will pay more for organic coffee, just as you’ll generally pay more for organic fruits and vegetables, choosing organic coffee promotes the environment, the health of the coffee grower, and your health, too. Just as important for coffee drinkers everywhere: organic coffee tastes as good if not better than non-organic coffee.

D. Silva is the webmaster for Coffee Pleasures, a website about coffee, coffee flavors, coffee makers, and more.

Author: D. Silva
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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