Coffee Bean

Choosing good coffee beans has a lot more to do with art than with science. And those who know how to, will spare nothing just to find the best coffee beans that money can buy. But why should you care? Coffee beans are just coffee beans, right? And coffee is just…coffee. What’s the big deal?

Well, if you’re fond of the common supermarket variety of coffee beans, then chances are that you’re right. It isn’t such a big deal. But once you have tried the real good coffee beans you will understand why so many people go to such lengths just to find the perfect beans for the perfect cup of coffee.

So where do you start?

When it comes to good coffee, there’s no better place to start than what the experts say is a good place to start. But make no mistake. Their words are no bible. However, they do give you some idea on how to go about taking your first tentative step towards genuinely good coffee.

First, you need to learn that freshly roasted and ground coffee beans are what make a superior cup of coffee. You can never go wrong with fresh beans. In fact, the underlying philosophy is: the fresher the beans, the better. Just try it and you’ll be surprised to find how a few fresh coffee beans can transform your favorite cup of java into a fantastic gastronomic experience.

Next, where do you find fresh coffee beans? You may get lucky and stumble upon a few bags in the supermarket. But if you want to be certain that you are getting fresh, good quality beans, then start at your local specialty or gourmet stores. The salespeople at these stores are usually very knowledgeable about coffee and helpful to the extent that they may allow you to taste before buying anything.

But how do you know if they’re good?

Well, for one thing good coffee beans are never splintered or broken. They should be whole and well-shaped. If you encounter a bin or bag of splintered or broken beans, then put it right back where you found it and look for another.

It’s quite possible that you won’t find any helpful salesperson around, especially if you’re doing your shopping at a supermarket. If that’s the case, then you have to learn to trust your own eyes and nose.

Okay, so now you know that good coffee beans are whole and well-shaped, but what about the smell? They smell good, period. That’s all you need to know. It has to do with gut instinct, similar to how you’d know right away that the milk has gone sour when you smell it.

Coffee beans that have gone bad will smell just a bit off and you’ll recognize that smell, even if you’re a novice.

Gourmet Coffee Beans

So you have aspirations to become a coffee gourmet. But there are yet a few things you need to learn about gourmet coffee beans before you become one. Here are some of them:

Proper Storage

First thing’s first: Coffee? It’s more like wine than you think, especially when it comes to proper storage. That’s because gourmet coffee beans are very sensitive to moisture, light, and above all, air. So if you want to preserve their flavor, make sure you keep the beans where moisture, light, and air can’t get to them.

The best choice you have is an air-tight, opaque container stored in a cool, dark place between 50 and 70 degrees. For even better results, store your gourmet coffee beans in small quantities in valve bags. That way, you can ensure fresh, coffee bean flavor even after long months of storage for those beans that you don’t use right away.

Bean Selection

The best way to get superior tasting coffee is to start with the freshest, highest quality gourmet coffee beans you can find. It’s always advisable to start small, sampling a bit of everything here and there until you find one that you like.

Water

You must know by now that the quality of your gourmet coffee beans can affect the taste of your coffee. So inferior beans will naturally result in inferior coffee just as superior beans will yield superior coffee. But the taste of your coffee is not affected by the mere quality of your beans. The water that you use can also make or break your coffee.

Always use fresh water with your gourmet coffee beans. If you decide to use tap water, make sure that it tastes fine to drink before using it for making fresh coffee. However, if you notice anything funny about the taste of your tap water, then don’t use it. Instead, use a quality bottled water or a water filter.

The Right Grind

Even with the best gourmet coffee beans and the finest bottled water around, your coffee may still taste less than perfect with the wrong grind. In fact, the wrong grind is the one thing that can completely destroy the flavor of your coffee.

When grinding gourmet coffee beans, just remember two things:

* Grind that is too fine will produce bitter and over-extracted coffee.
* Grind that is too coarse will produce weak tasting and sour coffee.

So when grinding gourmet coffee beans, make sure that the beans are ground specifically for the chosen brewing method.

Proportion

And lastly, the most important thing you need to learn about gourmet coffee beans is that it’s all about proportions. Making great coffee is really a balancing act – the right amount of water for the right amount of coffee beans, the right grind for the right method of brewing, the quality of gourmet coffee beans for the right taste of coffee. Once you learn the importance of proportion, then you are on your way to become a coffee gourmet.

Choosing the Right Coffee Beans for You

Wondering what kind of coffee to buy? Not sure which of the available coffee products is right for you? Well, finding and choosing the right coffee is as easy as pie only if you know some of the basic facts about coffee and its production. Two of the most important things to know about it are the types of coffee beans and the degree of roast. Once you’ve got the idea behind these concepts, it would be easy for you to choose the right coffee beans for an unforgettable cup.

So let’s start.

When choosing good coffee beans, it is important to note what’s in the name. The coffee beans come in a number of varieties, and each variety possesses characteristics that are to some degree different from the others. Basically, coffee beans can be classified in two types: the coffee Arabica and the coffee Robusta. The former type is known throughout the industry as the older type originating in Ethiopia that possesses a better taste and aroma, while the latter is noted for its bitter taste and distinct flavor. Of the two types, it is the coffee Arabica that is preferred by many consumers as it tastes better than the Robusta.

The right coffee beans can also be identified according to the way the beans are roasted. In the first place, the beans are harvested green. They appear like a dried legume and usually have a little resemblance to the roasted product. They are roasted fresh by the professionals and the longer the beans roast, the darker their color and the stronger their flavor. Given this fact, it is best then to look at yourself and ask how strong you want and prefer. Note that the roasts come in a number of names. For instance, the light roasts include New England, Light and Cinnamon. The color of these coffee beans appears to be somewhat similar to a milk chocolate, and much to your surprise, they contain more caffeine than the dark roasts. According to some researches, about 10% is the increase in the caffeine contained in light roasted coffee beans.

There are also the medium roasted coffee beans, which come in dark brown color with certain spots on the grains. In this degree of roast, only a lesser amount of acidity is obtained. The medium roasted beans also tend to be spicy and nutty in taste. Well, according to some experts, a good medium roast can feature the best qualities of every type of coffee, whether Arabica or Robusta. And, to mention but one, the Costa Rica coffee is one of the best varieties of medium roast.

Finally, there are the dark roasts which appear almost black in color and are very oily and shinny. In this degree of roast, the coffee beans tend to have a smoky and deep flavor. The beans also taste much bitter than the first mentioned degrees, and one of the most well-known varieties that fall under this degree is the Mocha Java, which is marketed throughout the world these days for its strong aroma and taste.

When choosing the right coffee beans, it is important to make sure that beans are freshly roasted. Also, make sure that the coffee beans are never broken, but whole and well-shaped. Most of all go for those that smell good. If your instinct tells you that “this is the good product”, then it probably is.