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
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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There is something so relaxing and lazy about sitting at a table having an aromatic cup of coffee. It is hard to stop at one cup that is for certain. However, coffee isn’t what it used to be. Since gourmet coffee has hit the shelves it is not longer just something to you do just to perk you up in the morning, it something you drink to enjoy the taste and irresistible flavor of these incredibly made coffees.

People who do not drink coffee often wonder what is so great about gourmet coffee. They ask whether it is made a certain way or it is the taste that lures you in. In fact, it is both reasons. Gourmet coffee is made from very high quality ‘Arabica’ coffee beans that are hand picked and thoroughly checked over to makes sure they are superior. Unlike commercial coffees that are machine graded, people that are experienced in gourmet coffee beans will be able to see if there is any dirt, leaves, or anything else in the beans that will spoil the taste.

The gourmet coffee beans are then treated with special oils after the roasting process which is what gives it the special flavor that is so tempting to drink. It is a blend of natural oils that are used for the coffee bean treatment. These oils are able to sustain a healthy shelf life without ever spoiling or losing it’s characteristic flavors once mixed with the blend of your favorite type of gourmet coffee. The oils and the flavors neutralize each other so you get a very smooth taste without any overpowering blend.

Gourmet coffee is then roasted in a way that customizes the coffee for your taste. Using a light roast, you will contain the natural aroma without the overcooked taste that you find in many of the traditional coffees. Arabic coffee beans are ground perfect fineness to give you the best taste that you can have in a full bodied cup of coffee. There are gourmet coffees that use a more coarser grind to give a completely different taste. It is up to your personal preference as to which level of fineness gives you the best cup of coffee.

Finer grinds are similar to those found in espresso which has a great rich taste, but most gourmet coffee lovers will lean towards the coarse ground coffee powder. That gives the grinds time to mix with the hot water and really pull out the flavor completely, especially when made with drip type filters. What makes Arabica gourmet coffee so great is that the Arabica coffee beans are never stored in a warehouse so after harvesting, roasting, and grinding they go very quickly to the store in which you buy them.

What makes gourmet coffee so great is the way the taste makes you feel. There is no burnt flavor or heavy after taste. It is just pure delight when you drink in the fragrant, warm, and rich taste of gourmet coffee.

Learn how to make your home gatherings and parties special creating chocolate fondue fountains. Get great tips to prepare gourmet coffee and how to guides about popcorn machines. Visit us today!.

Author: Ivan A Cuxeva
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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While particular coffee roasts and grinds determine a lot of the flavor and aroma of the coffee in the cup, the method of brewing is also significant. While the perfect cup of coffee can depend on personal preference, including strength and flavor, there are 3 essential elements that are necessary for preparing a good cup of coffee, fresh filtered water, a good coffee maker and fresh quality coffee beans, ground to desired level.

There are several methods for brewing coffee, and they are significant as each yields a particular flavor and strength of the brew in the cup. Also, deciding on the brewing method and the best coffee makers for you depends on personal preference, including how much time one wants to invest in preparing coffee and the convenience factor.

Automatic Filter Drip

The automatic drip is probably the most common method of brewing coffee, remember Mr. Coffee? This type of coffee pot is also the most common in the United States and is least common in Europe. The automatic drip is also the easiest coffee brewing method, and many drip coffee makers can be set to auto and they will turn on and brew coffee on a timer, so you can wake up to an all ready made pot.

Automatic drip works by heating water in a chamber to almost boiling and slowly pouring the water over ground coffee beans. The two common ways are via an electronic drip machine where the water is sprayed over the coffee grinds, or manually poured over grounds in a cone-shaped filter.

French Press

A French press, also known as a press pot, coffee press or coffee plunger and is a very simple coffee brewing device.

A French press has a narrow cylindrical jug usually made of glass with a lid and a plastic or metal plunger, which fits tightly in the cylinder and has a fine wire or nylon mesh acting as a filter. Coffee is brewed by placing the coffee and water together, leaving to brew for a few minutes, then depressing the plunger to trap the coffee grinds at the bottom of the jug. The French press requires a coarse grind of coffee in order to get the best results.

Espresso

Caffe espresso or espresso is a concentrated coffee beverage brewed by forcing steam or hot water under pressure through very finely ground coffee. What defines espresso is a thicker consistency and a much stronger flavor than drip coffee because of the high-pressure coffee brewing process. All of the flavors and chemicals in a typical cup of coffee are concentrated with espresso, because it is so concentrated, espresso often becomes the base for other drinks, such as lattes, mochas, cappuccinos and macchiatos.

All though many do drink espresso straight up, especially in Europe, it is coffee on turbo and not intended for the first time drinker or the caffeine squeamish. In order to make espresso you need an espresso machine, which comes in a variety of types, from very elaborate ones to plain little pots that brew espresso on the stove top.

K-Cup Coffee Brewing

Recently there have been several coffee makers created that provide a new and innovative way to brew coffee because they brew gourmet coffee house java with the convenience of brewing immediately in your own kitchen. The innovation of these types of brewers is that they brew one cup at a time and make a fine cup of coffee in under a minute and takes away all the guesswork from making a consistently great cup of coffee. One of the best brands of these are Kuerig.

In reality, you do not have to spend hundreds of dollars a year getting your java from an expensive coffee house, such as Starbucks, you can brew a great cup of coffee at home with one of these brewing methods and save lots of money.

Learn more about coffee, coffee beans, grinds and Coffee Health Benefits and browse all types of cheap coffee makers, including, Espresso, French Press. Bunn and Kuerig coffee maker.

Author: JR Lang
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Is iced coffee different from regular hot coffee? Many people think iced coffee is merely a hot cup of joe poured over ice. This, however, is a popular misconception. Iced coffee is different on many levels, beginning first with the brewing process.

Iced coffees are brewed cold. After the coffee beans have been ground, the grinds are soaked in ice cold water. After several hours, the mixture of cold water and coffee grinds is filtered leaving a concentration of cold coffee grinds. Depending on your personal preference, this concentrate is then diluted with either milk or water.

Iced coffee, also known as “Toddy Coffee”, was created by Todd Simpson, hence “Toddy Coffee”. In 1964, he patented a coffee machine exclusively for making cold coffee. However, a lot has happened in 30 years and now you can use other types of coffee machines for brewing and making iced coffees rather than using a Toddy brewing machine.

Iced coffee has become a popular drink millions of people around the world enjoy. It is refreshing, smooth, cold and very satisfying. Their are a variety of ways of preparing your iced coffee. Many people prefer a simple glass of iced coffee with crushed or cubed ice, cream and sugar. Others like their iced coffee topped with one or two scoops of coffee flavored ice cream. Some even like their drinks blended with the ice cream topped with whipped cream making their iced coffee smoother and creamier.

For the most part, iced coffee drinks are most popular during the summer time. This cool and refreshing drink relieves the summer time heat and is sure to satisfy the taste buds.

One advantage to making iced coffee is that you can make it at home, rather than spend your hard earned money on a simple drink. The key ingredients to making a iced coffee drink at home are crushed or cubed ice, cream, sugar, coffee mix, milk and cold water. Other ingredients can be added to make a gourmet iced coffee drink. These ingredients include: caramel or chocolate sauce; vanillla, cinnamon or even cardamom powder; ice cream and whipped cream. One disadvantage to making iced coffee is that when crushed or cubed ice is added to the coffee much of the coffee taste, flavor and caffeine are diluted, which is why many coffee experts suggest using dark roast coffee beans. Using a dark roast helps maintain the strength and robust flavor of the coffee.

With the crazy number of health concerns today, why not drink iced coffee instead of those high calorie and high sugar colas and soft drinks. So, instead of grabbing that ice cold soft drink, grab yourself an easy to make iced coffee. Or, better yet, make yourself an iced coffee with honey, iced Jamaican coffee, iced Amaretto coffee, or even an ice coffee soda! All these recipes are easy to find and even easier to make. But, if you love your colas and soft drink but love your coffee at the same time, go for a Coffee Coke Float mixing together ice cream, coffee and cola!

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

Author: Michael Russell
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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