Coffee

The flavor of the coffee bean starts with the plant and the climate where it is grown. But what happens to the bean from picking until it is poured into your cup also has a lot to do with the flavor and the extent that you enjoy the end result or experience disappointment.

Roasting – What it Does

Roasting the coffee beans brings out the vibrant flavor of the beans. The heat from the process causes the coffee bean’s carbohydrates and fats to transform into aromatic oils. Roasting changes the flavor of the beans from something that is unpleasant into the wonderful coffee flavor that millions of people around the world enjoy every day.

There are also different roasting times that coffee beans experience. Each produces a different type of coffee. Light roast produces a light flavor, medium roast is sweeter and more full-bodied, and dark roast produces a deep taste that is fairly spicy and sweet.

The longest roasting time produces the really dark coffee. In those beans the natural sugar content of the beans will start to carbonize and caramelize, resulting in a smoky and full flavor.

Buying the Best Coffee Beans

Most coffee plants rely on the climate of the region where they are planted, and this produces the distinctive flavor found in the coffee cherries. For the very best beans, buy arabica coffee that is considered gourmet. Robusta beans have more caffeine, less flavor and are cheaper to make.

Your Own Coffee Grinder – A Must

People who want the best flavor in their coffee use coffee grinders. If you’d like to get the most flavor and nutritional benefit you can, buy whole coffee beans and grind your own as you use them. In order to enjoy the full flavor of the coffee, you should grind only the amount you intend to use just before brewing.

Keeping the Coffee Beans Fresh

For the best flavor you should purchase whole coffee beans from specialty shops only. After making your purchase, the whole beans should be used within a week of purchase in order to enjoy the full flavor of the coffee. Coffee beans are like sponges, soaking up the flavor of anything in their environment, which is why you want to make sure they are sealed in a air-tight container and used up within seven to ten days.

Coffee drinkers also advise against buying pre-ground coffee since pre-grinding diminishes the coffee flavor and aroma. By purchasing whole beans, grinding the fresh coffee beans and making only enough that you will drink immediately you are preparing a beautiful, intense flavor and aroma.

It wasn’t long ago that people had to depend on percolators and ground coffee. Hardly anyone had their own grinder, and few people had their own percolator. Percolators were for the church potluck or the local coffee shop.

Today we are spoiled to have available the best coffee beans for a reasonable price. In many kitchens there is a roaster, or at least a grinder and coffee maker, and often an espresso machine. This is a great time in history for coffee lovers everywhere.

Carol Stack has written numerous articles about coffee and coffee-related topics. She lives in the United States with her husband, three children, and various dogs and cats. Carol and her sister Barbara have a coffee site devoted to coffee lovers who are searching for a better cup of coffee. You can visit it at: http://www.coffeeloversportal.com

Author: Carol Stack
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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For the most part, Americans stuck to a medium or dark roast, one size fits all kind of coffee through the mid 1980′s. It wasn’t until that time that the coffee craze began to catch on and people began to realize that there is life out there beyond a cup of Folgers’ coffee in the morning. In fact, broadening your coffee experience can greatly enhance your morning routine if you give it a chance.

One way that people are doing that is by roasting their own coffee beans. We’ve learned over the years that the fresher your coffee is the better it tastes in your cup. This doesn’t only apply to coffee that is freshly brewed but also beans that are freshly roasted, and then freshly ground. Your morning coffee is only as good as the beans from which it began its journey to your cup.

Roasting your own coffee beans in this country has become a hobby for many and a passion for some. While there are all kinds of gadgets and gizmos that enable you to roast your own coffee quite effortlessly, there are those that consider it not really roasting your own coffee if you are not suffering for the sake of your art. I, however, am not one of those people. I like convenience and am a member of the modern age of coffee drinking by choice rather than accident.

As a thoroughly modern coffee drinking girl of the new millennium, I am all for the convenience that certain coffee roasting equipment affords. This is not my first choice, however, for my first cup of coffee in the morning. The good news is that you can store about three days worth of roasted beans without worrying about loosing freshness. This means that those who aren’t quite prepared to get up early enough on any given weekday morning to roast their own beans may still have a great and fresh tasting cup of coffee.

I recommend that you do your research and find a coffee roaster that suits your style. If you are a god or goddess of domesticity then by all means go the old fashion route with a cookie tray and a preheated oven. If you are domestically reluctant you might actually do well with a mid range coffee roaster. If you are domestically handicapped however, you might want to look into the full service coffee roasters. These simply ask you how you want it and they make all the pertinent decisions.

Roasting your own coffee though is a great way to experience many different types of roasts in order to make educated decisions as to what your true favorite is when it comes to coffee. Roasting coffee is very different from adding flavor or drinking gourmet coffee. When you roast coffee you are literally affecting the bean of the coffee rather than simply adding something to the coffee. When you roast coffee yourself you are affecting big change in the flavor. It’s a great way to allow yourself to try new things if nothing else.

Roasting coffee truly is an art form to those dedicated enough to do it by hand. For the rest of us, there is wonderful equipment that can keep us on track and on target for a great cup of coffee that has been roasted to perfection at just the perfect degree for our delicate palates.

Coffee City | Offers extensive articles and resources on coffee, espresso, coffee beans, coffee making, etc.

Author: Mel Ng
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Home Coffee Roasting – Makes all the difference

As I sit here one the deck with my daily morning cup of coffee, I realize… just a few years ago I’d have had a cup of dark strong, stovetop brew with some milk to ease the taste. No more!! Now there’s almost every kind of coffee available that you can imagine.

Roasting at Home

First, we’ll start with the fact that you can buy green coffee beans and roast them to your liking right in you own home. One way to roast coffee beans at home is to skillet fry the beans until they are brown. They need to be cooked somewhere between 460F degrees and 530F. Beans must be kept moving so it won’t cook them unevenly. The roasting must stop at the right time and cooled down quickly. This is the old method but definitely won’t taste like today’s methods and needs proper venting.

Another way to roast coffee beans is with a hot-air corn popper. Hot-air poppers roast pretty quickly causing a bright, medium roast and strong flavored dark roasts. Giving a clear-cut taste opposite of beans roasted in a gas oven or in a stovetop popper. This may be a little easier than other methods. There is less to worry about, such as setting the temperature just right.

Although a great taste, there is a down side to using these poppers. First of all only not all poppers are designed to roast coffee. You should only use the ones with the proper roasting chambers. This way makes a less amount each time than other methods. Roasting with the popper will also cause smoke to be more difficult to vent. Most of these poppers can be used to make French or Espresso coffee, which is darker but are not recommended. This may cause your popper to be over worked and shorten its life.

Roasting beans in a gas oven was also popular. You could roast more at a time and the oven did the venting for you. Just set the ovens temperature like baking. This had to be a much easier way and the results were rather good. Don’t forget, the timing and cooling process for all roasting is very important and may be different in other blends to achieving the goal for a great cup of coffee.

The only way you are going to find out which technique you might enjoy to use is to find a whole bean coffee roasted style that you already like, then try to make it yourself at home. Do a little experimenting!

Brewing Methods

Next let’s move on to the many different brewing methods. There are several different ways in which to brew coffee. Before you choose a coffee maker you need to understand first what you demand out of the machine. It will be a question only the person using it can answer. Let’s examine the differences a little closer.

The filter drip is the most popular method used to brew coffee because it is easy to operate and consistent. Water is poured in a chamber where it is heated and slowly poured over the ground coffee. This can be done two ways. It can be electronically dripped or manually poured over the grounds. Some electric machines can be preset to have the coffee ready for you when you wake up in the morning. Others may prefer the taste of hand-brewed coffee for a different flavor.

The French drip is another form of drip coffee making, which is made without paper filters. A separate top sits above the porcelain coffee pot and acts as the strainer as the water soaks into the grounds. Working its way through the strainer, coffee liquid makes its way to the bottom pot for hot steaming coffee.

The Percolator was the preferred way to make coffee in the 1950′s. Now coffee drinkers see the light that the coffee made this way was thin, watery and bitter. Most people may remember it by the perking pot and the aroma it gave off.

The Neapolitan flip device is made up of two segment. The whole product comes in aluminum, copper or stainless steel. An area in between the two segments holds the coffee grounds. The lower part is poured with water and put directly on the stovetop to heat. While boiling the steam goes through a hole under the grounds. After that, the pot is removed from the stove, flipped over to drip the water on the grounds, which go into the serving pot. The down side to this is that it only makes about 3 or 4 cups per serving.

There are two different types of espresso makers, stovetop and household electric counter top model. A nice characteristic about the counter top model is it can steam milk for cappuccino and latte’s. Stovetop on the other hand have two parts similar to the Neapolitan flip method only no flipping needed.

French Press is a trendy European way that allows for more oils and coffee solids that give you a cup of coffee with a lovely smell and has a dense body. More of your strong coffee drinkers would prefer this technique. Although good and strong, some grounds may enter the coffee during process.

Vacuum procedures are more involved and are used for ceremonies mostly by the Japanese. They are rare and very hard to find.
The Middle Eastern way is popular of course in the Middle East and also Greece and Turkey. Their form of making coffee is also very different and comes out to be dark, thick and syrupy tasting. Because it is so rich, one or two cups a day would probably be all I could drink.

Last but not least on the list, the cold water method Simply soaking the coffee grinds in cold water for about a day, straining the grounds, and storing the liquid in a refrigerator for a few weeks. When you want a cup, boil some water and add liquid to desired taste.

Makes a rather mild cup for those of you who like it that way.

If you’re not into roasting the beans yourself, your choices are still many. Coffee manufacturers have given us an almost unending list of different blends and flavors. How the coffee’s ground after its roasted will have a major effect on the taste of the coffee. There are regular, coarse and finely ground coffees. The taste is also affected by the combination of the type of coffee used. The two categories of trees from which the coffee beans come from are called Arabica and Robusta. The Arabica is a milder coffee and the Robusta a much stronger coffee.

Another important addition to the coffee world has been the addition of many flavorings, and flavored creamers. If you haven’t browsed through coffee selections lately, you owe it to your taste buds to check out the many varieties and flavors of coffee.

Hilda Maria is the mother of five great children. She understands the need for a great cup of coffee [http://www.ic-coffee-makers.com/index.html] in a flash and enjoys using a coffee maker [http://www.ic-coffee-makers.com/coffee_makers.html] and fresh green coffee beans [http://www.ic-coffee-makers.com/coffee_beans.html] to get it.

Author: Hilda Maria Sigurdardottir
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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