Coffee

There is nothing like a delicious cup of Joe, but what exactly goes into a premium coffee blend? Many coffee roasters prefer to blend their coffee beans to create a completely new taste altogether, making it one-of-a-kind. When roasters blend different roast types, that enables them to marry together different aspects of flavor, aroma, and taste within one coffee roast.

For instance, some roasters may choose to blend a light and a medium roast to bring different flavors together that cannot be found in one type of coffee bean from a specific region. Oftentimes, a lighter roast will bring brightness and complexity to the table, and a darker roast will add more intensity to the complete flavor of the blend.

Another way to create a unique blend is to use flavor to produce flavored coffees. If you are going to purchase a flavored coffee, it is important that you know that it was created with natural flavorings without the use of harmful additives or chemicals. Flavored coffee became popular in the 1970s, and it has been a standout choice in coffee drinking since that time. The best part of all is that the average flavored coffee will not contain calories, sugar, or fat, so it is a wonderful way to enjoy a delicious coffee treat without packing on the pounds!

When a roaster is considering creating a blend of coffee, they will take into account what each roast has to offer. In general, a light or medium roast will offer a crisp and mild flavor, and it will have many characteristics from the origin in which it was grown. On the other hand, a medium to dark roast will be more intense, and because it is roasted for a longer period of time, it will also lose many of its characteristics from the region in which it was grown. A medium to dark roast will be fuller in body and have more intensity in its flavor.

From there, a roaster will decide the best way to blend these choices together to create a completely new flavor altogether. That is why it is always worthwhile to look into custom blended coffee to be able to experience something that you may have never before in your cup of Joe. Many roasters also look to pairing coffee with food, which provides an even better way to enjoy your Java. Overall, if you are looking to pair your coffee with your meals, then drink dark roasts with sweeter or richer foods, especially desserts. Lighter bodied coffees are more suitable with neutral foods because they bring a brighter taste to the palate.

Regardless of which way you choose to enjoy your coffee, consider a blend as an amazing way to sample the best of both worlds. Roasting is a process in which the coffee beans are brought to a high intensity so that the sugars are caramelized on the outside of the beans, which means that a light and dark roast will have something different to offer. Take your time to sample a variety of choices, or why not try a blend?

For the best coffee makers commercial with a great selection, check out Mark Ramos’ website, The Coffee Bump.

Author: Mark Ramos
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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What would you say if your child or young teen wanted to become an official taster of coffee?

Would it be any different from becoming a wine or orange juice taster? What does it take to become an official coffee taster or “cupper”?

Cupping can be a fun occupation and a hobby. Cuppers run in families and it is not unusual for the job to pass from father to son and so on. There are female cuppers but the majority are males.

If your child or teen wants to become a cupper, they can practice at home and look for cupping events through coffee clubs or other groups. Who knows? You could have a cupper in the making right at home!

Cupping is a technique used to evaluate coffee aroma and the flavor profile of a coffee. Cupping is used to taste defective coffee or to evaluate coffee blends.

Learning how to distinguish coffees through cupping takes much practice and a love for coffee. It also requires following certain standards and habits to ensure objectivity and the ability to cup many times throughout the day as a professional cupper

Cupping takes place after the green (un-roasted) beans go through inspection before being graded for sale, especially for export. The professional cupper inspects the beans for color, shape, size, appearance, density and fragility. Next the samples are roasted. The beans are examined again for discoloration, appearance and smell.

What is a coffee cupping session like?

• Coffee cupping sessions usually start with the coffee table preparation set up with a cup for each of the 6 to 10 coffees to be sampled.
• The cupping session includes several coffees to evaluate.
• Throughout the various steps of the session, the coffees are evaluated in a consistent order.
• The setting includes a sample of the roasted coffee and a sample of the green coffee.
• These samples are covered until the coffee cupping session is completed and the aroma, fragrance and flavor profile of the coffee are documented.
• In addition, on the table, there is a cup of water at room temperature and an empty cup with the cupping spoons.
• The coffee sample preparation requires placing 2 tablespoons of freshly roasted and freshly ground coffee in an empty cup.
• The coffee is ground to a standard fineness and a weight of about 10 grams or equivalent to the weight of a nickel.
• Visual verification of roast similarity among the coffees included in each session is common practice.
• This requires placing ground samples next to each other on a black sheet of paper.

How does the cupper prepare to taste the fragrance and the aroma of the coffee?

• The cupper smells the ground coffee before water is added to evaluate the coffee fragrance.
• Next, the cupper adds hot water to each of the cups and to the cup with the cupping spoons so everything is at the same temperature.
• The cupper smells each of the cups without disturbing them and writes down observations about the coffee aroma.
• After 1 to 2 minutes, the cupper breaks the crust of the coffee using one of the preheated cupping spoons.
• The cupper puts his nose directly over the cup and pushes the coffee down.
• This is the time to get the best burst of aroma of the coffee during cupping and to write down observations.
• Next, the cupper stirs the coffee to make sure it is covered by water and to help the coffee sink to the bottom of the cup.
• Again, the cupper writes down additional observations.
• The cupper then rinses the spoon with hot water and moves on to the next sample cup until sampling all of them.

When does the cupper slurp coffee?

• When the coffee is sufficiently cool, the cupper takes sufficient coffee from a cup into the spoon and slurps the coffee to cover the entire tongue.
• Correct aspiration is important because the objective is to cover all the tongue evenly and to allow some drops to go into the throat and the nasal passages. Why? The aromatic compounds in the flavor of coffee are evident when your nose and tongue smell and taste coffee.
• The cupper writes down observations about the coffee flavor.
• Cuppers testing more than a couple of cups of coffee spit out the coffee to prevent too much caffeine which can impact the cupping ability of the professional doing this job.

Cupping is a very important step in the coffee evaluation process because it helps grade the coffee in terms of fragrance, aroma and flavor. Positive cupping marks mean higher prices for specific beans and branding opportunities for limited editions, selected varietals and other marketing qualifications.

So, ready to enjoy your next cup of coffee?

Timothy (“Tim”) S. Collins, the author, is called by those who know him “Gourmet Coffee Guy.” He is an expert in article writing who has done extensive research online and offline in his area of expertise, coffee marketing, as well as in other areas of personal and professional interest. Come visit the author’s website: http://www.ourgourmetcoffee.com

Copyright – Timothy S. Collins. All Rights Reserved Worldwide

Author: Timothy S. Collins
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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