Coffee

There is so much more to drinking coffee than just knowing whether you want a cappuccino or a shot of espresso. What really makes the drink are the beans, and the art of growing good beans is akin to the difference between a bottle of cheap wine and the finest Brunello from Montalcino.

Furthermore, coffee beans are a bit of a mystery to a lot people since they only grow in specific regions, due to their finicky nature and need for specific weather patterns. Here is a break-down of some of the most popular beans, and why they make such great coffee.

Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee
Ever enjoyed a drink at a bar that included Tia Maria? Then you know the secret of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee, which is known for its surprisingly mild flavor and serious lack of bitter aftertaste. In addition to flavoring one of the tastiest coffee liqueurs around, Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee also is brewed as regular coffee. The coffee beans grow between Kingston and Port Maria in the Blue Mountains, where a cool and misty climate with a huge annual rainfall ensures the soil is just right to grow these special beans.

Colombian Coffee
One of the biggest producers of coffee beans is Columbia, a country with a perfect environment for growing different varieties of Arabica beans, like Caturra, Typica, and Bourbon. The coffee grown in Columbia is imported by many countries around the world, like Japan, The United States, Australia, and Holland. Initially, harvested beans were roasted with charcoal in saucepans at the very beginning of Columbia’s long-going historical trade and harvesting.

Aloha Island Coffee Pods
Some of the best coffee in the world comes from Hawaii, really the only place in the States where coffee beans thrive. The type of beans, Kona, come in many varieties, but the absolute best are produced at a private coffee plantation on the Big Island of Hawaii, located right on the slopes of Mauna Loa, the famous volcano. It is the volcanic soil, coupled with rainfall and tropical sunshine, that makes these beans grow so well here, resulting in a cup of coffee that is incredibly smooth and not at all acidic.

Kopi Luwak
Always wanted to try a coffee made from beans that have already been eaten and digested? Well, you might have done that inadvertently, with Kopi Luwak coffee beans. Grown in Java, the coffee is some of the most popular around, all thanks to Asian Palm Civits, which love the coffee beans, eat them, and then digest them in a remarkable process that adds more flavor for us humans later. Apologies in advance if coffee was just ruined for you forever.

Remember, while different countries all produce different types of beans, it does not mean that the names on this list are the only type of coffee bean grown in that particular country. Furthermore, it is possible that many of these beans have shown up in different names and varieties through United States importers.

For socially-conscious consumers, one of the best things you can do, before deciding you absolutely must try a type of coffee bean, is to see if there’s an organization that produces and imports said beans in a fair-trade way. Harvesting coffee is tough work, and it is a shame how unfairly paid a number of these production countries are, especially considering how much the beans draw around the world.

Damian Papworth has always loved to start the day with a coffee. He recently purchased an 8 cup coffee maker which he wrote about on his website, One Cup Coffee Makers.

Author: Damian Papworth
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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If you are passionate about drinking the very best coffee, give Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee a try.

What is Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee?  

Although other Caribbean islands grow coffee, certainly Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee is the best, and the most well-known. The name Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee is a registered trademark of Jamaica’s Coffee Industry Board. Connoisseurs characterize Jamaica Blue Mountain as a perfect combination of acidity, body and aroma. It is rich and flavorful, with no bitterness and a hint of chocolatey sweetness – a very smooth, mild coffee. Some say it is also very low in caffeine.  

Blue Mountain is not a brand, but a coffee-growing region. At the Eastern end of Jamaica, the Blue Mountains form the backbone of the island and are among the highest mountains in the Caribbean, rising to 7,402 feet. To be called Jamaica Blue Mountain, the beans must be grown at altitudes between about 3,000 and 5,500 feet in the parishes of Saint Andrew, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas or Portland. Above 5,500 feet, the lushly wooded forest, which is home to over 800 species of plants and more than 200 species of birds, is maintained by the Jamaican Government as a Forest Reserve. (By the way, there are great hiking trails throughout this area.) Beans grown at lower elevations are called Jamaica Low Mountain or Jamaica High Mountain, based on elevation, and, while they may produce fine coffee, they tend to be more acidic and cannot legitimately be called Jamaican Blue Mountain.  

There is usually a cool misty cloud cover hanging over the Blue Mountains and the region gets about 200 inches of rain each year. This constant mist gives the mountains a bluish hue, which is where they derive their colorful name. Combined with volcanic soil rich in potash, nitrogen and phosphorus and good drainage, it makes for an ideal coffee-growing region (think about the climatic similarities with the Hawaiian Kona coffee-growing region). This perfect combination of factors causes the beans to mature more slowly (as many as 10 months to harvest), developing more character and producing a larger, harder bean with more intense flavor.  This is compared to other regions in the world where the beans mature in 5 or 6 months. Most of the coffee trees are of the Arabica Typica variety which produces delicious coffee.  

History  

Coffee is not native to Jamaica. The beans were brought to the island in 1728 by the governor at that time, Sir Nicholas Lawes, and coffee growing began as a plantation slave crop. Jamaica was able to produce such high quality beans that the industry grew quickly, resulting in more than 600 coffee plantations by 1814. After slavery was abolished, many former slaves acquired their own land and began to grow their own coffee. This caused a dramatic decline in the industry primarily due to labor shortages and, by 1850, only about 180 coffee plantations remained in operation.   Revived in the 1870s, some (mostly white) plantation owners started designating their coffee as Blue Mountain to distinguish it from the beans being produced by the emancipated slaves. These estate owners had access to better processing equipment and benefitted from their connections to merchants in colonial Britain (in power at the time), so their crops could be sold at the highest prices. Their reputation for high quality caused a high demand around the world even though this Blue Mountain coffee was only a small part of Jamaica’s total production.  

Jamaica’s coffee production has suffered many hardships caused by unscrupulous dealers, hurricanes and lack of organization. But in the 1950s and 1960s Japan developed a taste for their coffee, forming relationships with growers and processors, and investing in the production of the coffee crop. Today, Japan buys over 80% of the Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee crop under contract, adding to its rarity in world coffee markets.  

Regulation

Responding to the various problems, the Jamaican Coffee Industry Board (C.I.B.) was established in 1953 to reorganize and develop the industry, control the quality of the crop and provide assistance to farmers. Quality was once again the number one priority.   The Coffee Industry Board carefully examines crops, evaluating bean size and other qualities to determine whether or not the coffee will be certified, and how to grade it. Grade One Jamaica Blue Mountain is the finest coffee. Today, there are many coffee cooperatives consisting mainly of small farmers with plots between ½ to 10 acres. Jamaica’s farmers send all their beans to designated pulperies and are paid per box by CIB. Once certified, the coffee can be sent for roasting to a CIB-licensed roaster who is also the only entity authorized to market Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee in Jamaica and around the world.  

In addition to its use for brewed coffee, the beans are the flavor base of Tia Maria coffee liqueur, another delicious Jamaican product.  

Because of the restricted geographical range where it’s grown, Jamaica Blue Mountain is available in limited quantities and can sometimes be difficult to find and rather expensive. Its production of about 2,000,000 pounds per year makes Jamaica a small fry in comparison to the large coffee producing countries of the world like Brazil, Columbia, Guatemala and Costa Rica. About 65% of the total production is exported, with about 95% of that going to Japan. That doesn’t leave much for the rest of us and it explains the high prices this great coffee commands!  

Its coffee exports earn between $25 and $30 million a year – far less than its other exports like sugar, bauxite and rum. But Jamaica can rightfully say it produces the premier coffee of the world!

Visit http://www.keepitjiggy.com for loads of information about Jamaica, its history, its food, travel information, reggae music, its artists, and resources for locating those hard-to-find collectibles in the genre.

Author: Theresa Goodell
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The seeds that are produced by the coffee plant are known to us as beans. These beans that are produced by the coffee plant will create a beverage by first grinding the beans up and pouring hot water into them using different devices. There is an abundant amount of flavors and varieties of coffee on the market today. The most popular of all the species of coffee berries are the Coffea robusta and the Coffea arabica. The specific region from where the coffee plants are grown will have a bearing on the character of the coffee. Look at the difference in the coffee that is produced by these two countries.

Kenyan grown coffee is well known for its sweetness, hardy flavor, full body and fabulous aroma. Its aftertaste has a dry winey flavor. Kenya’s coffee beans are graded according to their size. There is hardly any bitterness in the better grades of coffee beans. They grow the coffee plants in acidic, volcanic soil up on the high plateaus of Mount Kenya. It wasn’t until the late 1800′s that Kenya started to process coffee beans. Kenya strives hard to make sure that the quality of their coffee is of the finest in the world.

The coffee beans that are grown in Costa Rica have a distinguishing quality about them that produce a full bodied and bright coffee. The coffee beans that produce the richest flavor are grown at an altitude of 3,300 feet and higher. The most sought after coffees of Costa Rica are grown in areas such as Tarrazu, Tres Rios, Heredia and Alajuela. The region that the coffee was grown in will determine what kind of coffee it will produce. They can produce one coffee that is mild, sweet and a sparkling tasting coffee, or one that will be of a heavy kind of coffee.

By roasting the coffee bean at different temperatures, they can control the flavor that the bean will produce when brewed. When they roast the beans they will go through a physical and chemical change. After the beans have been roasted and they have reached that desired flavor they can grind up the coffee beans and brew some coffee. Coffee can be brewed by using several different processes.

Once you have brewed the coffee, there are a few ways that it can be prepared. Most of the time after the coffee has been brewed either by a French press, a percolator or by slow drip, people will add milk, cream, sugar or ice cubes if they prefer it cold and some prefer not to add anything. There is another process to make coffee and it is called Espresso. Most prefer to drink it with steamed milk or as a shot.

Most coffee is brewed by using an automatic drip coffeemaker or a percolator. These appliances brew coffee by letting the hot water run through the coffee grounds and fill a pot below or the process takes place in a single vessel. When hot water is introduced to the coffee grounds, the grounds then release their flavors and mix with the water producing what we know as coffee.

There is another way to brew coffee using a similar process and that is with a French press. You mix the water and the grounds together and wait a few minutes. After a few minutes you take the plunger and push on it to seperate the liquid from the grounds. This process will create a stronger cup of coffee.

An Espresso maker will use hot pressurized water and it will force the water thru the coffee grounds. The coffee will be concentrated up to about 15 times stronger than a normal cup of coffee that has been brewed using the other processes.

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Author: John C Park
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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If any individual was to be asked to provide a one word description in response to the word Hawaii, there would be a variety of answers. Some of those responses could include the word aloha, Pearl Harbor, Waikiki, Honolulu, the hula, etc. Of course all of these word associations in response to Hawaii would be completely accurate.

However, if the individual asked was a coffee drinker the chances would be great that they would respond with the word coffee. In particular one Hawaii coffee that is particularly noteworthy is the Hawaiian coffee known as Kona coffee. Therefore, in pursuing the subject of Hawaii coffee it would be interesting to know the history of this coffee, how this Hawaii coffee is grown and what makes this particular brand of Hawaii coffee so flavorful.

The History Of Hawaii Coffee

The history of Hawaii coffee begins in 1825 with the transplant of coffee trees from Argentina. This transplantation of coffee trees from Argentina was facilitated as the British warship, the HMS Blonde, left a few trees on the island as they sailed back to London.

These first coffee tree cuttings were planted by a missionary and because of the volcanic soil, that was extremely rich, this blend became a perfect match for the production of coffee beans. The Island of Kona is the primary locale for growing coffee beans and the first coffee produced was mentioned in the year 1840.

How Hawaii Coffee From Kona Is Grown

There are a number of factors that blend together to make this Hawaii coffee the flavorful coffee that it is. Those factors include the rich soil volcanic soil, the fairly moderate altitude at which the coffee bean is grown and the attention, pride and dedication that is given by coffee growers. This dedication is due to the fact that many of the coffee growers take pride in the fact that they lay claim to being 5th generation coffee growers.

Another major factor that contributes to the flavor of Kona coffee is the climate. The weather of Kona is generally found to be very sunny in the morning hours followed by rainy afternoons.

The Flavor Of This Hawaii Coffee

The taste of this Hawaii coffee can best be described in terms of being clean tasting, very flavorful and mild. Also, Kona coffee is very aromatic. In addition, unlike other coffees, this coffee is not bitter nor does it leave an aftertaste in the mouth of the coffee drinker. In addition, Kona coffee does not carry a robust flavor. In actuality, the flavor of this Hawaii coffee is very mild and light in flavor.

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Author: John Hilaire
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Kenyan, Yemen, Brazilian, the list goes on and on. Which is your favorite flavor? Perhaps there are flavors you are not familiar with, such as brews from New Guinea or Sulawesi. Here is a quick guide to some of the most popular.

Robusta and Arabica – Two Kinds of Coffee Plants

Robusta

There are basically two kinds of coffee plants: Robusta and Arabica. A rare and costly variety of Robusta is the Indonesian Kopi Luwak and the Philippine Kape Alamid.

Robusta is also typically more bitter and acidic in flavor. Aside from the basic Robusta and Arabica variants, there are other rare coffee variants which gained a good following from coffee aficionados.

Arabica

You splurge on several pounds of the finest fresh roasted Arabica bean coffee the world has to offer. You probably know words like Arabica and Robusta in terms of taste, but did you know that these words can also tell us where those coffees were grown.

The state of Veracruz produces many average coffees in its low-lying regions, but atop the tall mountains near the city of Coatepec an excellent Arabica bean coffee called Altura Coatepec reigns.

Italian

Espresso, caffè normale and cappuccino are types of Italian coffee, and one might wonder if there are as many types of coffee in Italy as there are pastas.

An espresso machine is used to yield the traditional Italian coffee brew called espresso. Just like pasta, Italian coffee is also an art form linked to many customs and traditions.

Kona Coffee

Pure Kona Coffee is gourmet coffee grown only on the Island of Hawaii. Special care is taken throughout the process of creating the Kona coffee bean. Also, the volcanic soil and high altitude give this Kona arabica coffee plant everything it needs to thrive.

It is a well known fact that Kona produces some of the best coffee in the world. Some say that they can actually taste the Island of Hawaii in each cup of Kona coffee.

Jamaican

If cost was the determining factor for “best” coffee, the Jamaican Blue Mountain would be, hands-down, the winner. There is a huge demand for Blue Mountain Jamaican Coffee, and a limited supply. As a result, genuine, 100% Blue Mountain Jamaican coffee is sometimes not available, at any price.

Brazilian

Coffee was introduced in Europe in the 1600′s and they started growing coffee in Brazil (where most of it is grown today) in the 1700′s. In 1938 Brazil asked Nestle to help find a solution to their coffee surpluses so the Nestle Company comes up with freeze-dried coffee.

Coffee from Brazil can definitely hold its own these days against any other “specialty” coffees.

Kenyan

The Arabs, who monopolized the coffee trade for several hundred years, killed and enslaved many thousand Kenyans and put them to work in coffee production both in Kenya coffee fields and on Arabian coffee plantations. Coffee from Colombia is typically rich while coffees from Kenya often have a mildly sweet-tart flavor.

Conclusion – The Best Coffee

It all depends on who is tasting the coffee as to what flavor is the favorite. With so many to choose from, and different types of plants, there is a flavor for everyone.

Carol Stack has written numerous articles and reviews about coffee and related items. She lives with her husband, three children, and various dogs and cats in the United States. Carol and her sister Barbara are constantly adding to their website dedicated to the enjoyment of coffee. Visit it at: http://www.coffeeloversportal.com

Author: Carol Stack
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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