Different Kinds of Costa Rican Coffee

How would you know that your cup of coffee is perfect? Is there such a thing as perfect coffee? That is the critique labeled on Costa Rican coffees. They categorized their type of coffee as the classic cup, the traditional balanced coffee that has no defects or flaws. But there’s more to a Costa Rican coffee, for they are prized for their exceptionality- bright citrus or berry-like flavors in the acidity and in the best cups they fade into chocolate or spice flavors in the aftertaste.

Costa Rica sets the standards for fine wet-processed coffee for the rest of Central and South America. The most famous Costa Rican coffees by region are Tarrazú, Tres Rios, Herediá, and Alajuela. Most Costa Rican coffees come from a hybrid called caturra, a mutation of Bourbon discovered in Brazil, and is characterized as bright and full bodied. Other popular varieties are Mondo Novo and Catuai. The best coffees that are grown above 3, 900 feet are designated or classified as strictly hard bean, while the good hard bean are those grown from 3, 300 to 3, 900 feet.

The Tres Rios region near the pacific coast produces coffees that are mild sweet and bright. The Tarrazú region, which is situated in the interior mountains of Costa Rica, produces a fairly heavy coffee with more aromatic complexity. The La Minita estate is the most much loved coffee in all Costa Rica. What about the kinds of coffees that Costa Rica is so proud of?

The different kinds of coffee in Costa Rica are characterized by their type and from what zone they are harvested from. Let’s take a look at the different kinds of Costa Rican Coffee:

Cafe La Carpentira- This coffee is strictly classified as hard beans grown in La Carpentira Hill, Tres Rios, where perfect for producing the best quality coffee possible.

Cafe Atarazu- This bean comes from the volcanic mountains of Dota off the Great Mountain Range named Talamanca with rocky ladders and fertile valleys. It is classified as strictly hard beans from Tarrazú region.

Cafe El Gran Vito- This coffee has a string taste, and at the same times it is light and grateful like the mountains and forests that surround the city. It is classified as medium hard bean for Coto Brus region.

Cafe Zurqui- This coffee is cropped in one of the oldest plantation areas due to kindness of the soil and the excellent bean quality that it produces. On the slopes of Zurqui Hills is where this unique coffee with high acidity, very good body and aroma in produced. It is strictly hard bean from Herediá.

Cafe Ujarraci- This coffee grew on a beautiful landscape, fertile valley, and a lake with crystal clear waters near the zone of Cachí in the reventazón River Basin. This type of Costa Rican coffee is classified as High grown Atlantic from Cachí zone.

Cafe Buena Vista- This coffee has good aroma and body with a delightful acidity form San Isidro Del General and is a medium hard bean type.

Italian Coffee

The Italians have all sorts of names for it – espresso, caffe normale, cappuccino, caffe corretto, granite di caffe con panna, among others. How many types of pastas are there in Italy? That’s how many different names one small tazza of Italian coffee has.

Certainly, Italian coffee is more than just a beverage for the passionate Italian. A cup of Italian coffee is a form of art and for every occasion, for every mood, you are guaranteed to get one that fits perfectly.

In Search of the Perfect Tazza

The possibilities of Italian coffee are enough to bewilder anyone who has the taste for coffee but not the tongue for its numerously confusing names. So what kind of Italian coffee should you order in a caffe? Here is a list of some of the most popular caffeine-laden drinks that you will typically find in an Italian caffe:

* Caffe – generally a small cup of very strong coffee; often referred to as espresso but be sure to pronounce it with an ‘s’ instead of expresso.
* Caffe Americano – this is American-style coffee but stronger
* Caffe corretto – coffee “corrected” with a shot of grappa, cognac, or other spirits
* Caffe fredo – iced coffee drink
* Caffe hag – decaffeinated coffee
* Caffe latte – coffee mixed with hot milk; usually served in a glass for breakfast
* Caffe macchiato – espresso “stained” with a drop of steamed milk; really a small version of cappuccino
* Cappuccino – espresso infused with steamed milk and drunk in the mornings; never ever order this after lunch or dinner
* Granitadi di caffe con panne – iced coffee with whipped cream

Italians don’t drink coffee with any meal. In that regard, they are much like the French. The only exception is during breakfast when cappuccino is served with brioche and other breakfast treats. Most of the time, Italian coffee is only ordered after a meal and only the unwitting tourist orders cappuccino in a restaurant after lunch or dinner.

When you do order for Italian coffee after a meal, don’t ask for an espresso. Ask for un caffe, per favore.

How Italian Coffee is Made

There as many espresso machines in Italy as there are Italian coffee. From fully automatic espresso machines to lever piston espresso machines to even the classic aluminum espresso coffee maker, the choices are widely varied.

And just when you think you’ve got everything down, there are also the debates regarding the specific bean type to use. Italian coffee is often a heated battle between blade and burr grinders and factors like tamp pressure, water temperature, and humidity.

Lovers of Italian coffee even have their favorite caffeine haunts in the form of local torrefazione or coffee houses and barista who are valued for their ability to deliver a perfect caffe espresso.

Alto Grande Decaf Gourmet Coffee

Alto Grande Decaf Gourmet Coffee was founded in Puerto Rico back 1839. It has been grown and processed at the Alto Grande Hacienda in Lares, Puerto Rico. Lares is a town located in the central mountains of Puerto Rico which has a climate perfect to growing coffee. Alto Grande decaf gourmet coffee consists of only the finest Grade A Arabica coffee beans and uses the Swiss water decaffeination process. Its quality is the direct result of the time and attention Garrido has devoted to every single Alto Grande coffee bean. There are only three Super Premium Coffees in the world and Alto Grande, in regular and decaf, is one of them.

Alto Grande Decaf Gourmet coffee is recognized by the most prestigious and demanding coffee companies in the world. Its outstanding quality is the result of the time and attention that have been devoted to the carefully harvested selected Arabica coffee beans. Also, the processing begins with the careful selection of the finest beans which are used only in Alto Grande Decaf Gourmet coffee. These future Alto Grande decaf coffee beans are grown at an altitude of up to 3, 000 ft. and need eight days to process. Remember that most specialty coffees take a couple of days to process.

Once the beans are picked, they are sent to the hacienda. Only fresh ripe coffee cherries that have been picked within the last eight hours will be accepted. They will then be put in a specially designed float tank. The coffee cherries that rise to the top will be rejected immediately. Those that sink have the properties required to become Alto Grande coffee. This is how strict the process can be, suited only for the best.

Each future Alto Grande Decaf Gourmet coffee bean has its pulp removed and goes into a second float and wash cycle. Next, the beans will then be moved to special pools, where they are removed and washed every three hours with fresh water. The constant exposure to water is critical to the product, ensuring the beans perfectly washed. Even the water source is carefully selected. It should come from a well 600 ft deep, exceeding the purity level standard for bottled water. Once used for washing, the water is never reused and should be discarded.

After the completion of wash process, the dry process starts. The beans are rotated every 45 seconds and dried slowly at specific temperature similar to sunlight. It takes at least 5 days for the coffee beans to dry. Once dry, beans will be laced in a parchment to protect from humidity while waiting its turn to become part of the legend. Now that you know how the process goes, I think I saw a big question on your forehead saying: how does it taste? Well, Alto Grande Decaf Gourmet Coffee is described to have a bright sparkling flavor, heavy body flavor with a fragrant aroma and a pleasant aftertaste. Yes, it’s truly a perfectly balanced cup of coffee- your kind of cup of coffee.

Gevalia Coffee

Want to taste a highly European coffee? If so, then the best option for you would be Gevalia coffee.

Gevalia is a famous European coffee brand name. This European coffee is produced by Gevalia Kaffe that has been satisfying the tastes of coffee aficionados for decades now. The company has actually been the business for almost a century and they have been offering more than 30 varieties of coffee, including 13 varieties of tea. It is this selection of coffee varieties that makes Gevalia capable of satisfying every taste and desire of every coffee lover, even those who are highly discriminating.

The Gevalia coffee is produced from a number of coffee farms around the world. The company purchases the coffee beans from the trusted coffee farms, and they produce the coffee with strong dedication to quality and taste. They even pay a premium over the prevailing market prices of today.

As mentioned earlier, the Gevalia coffee comes in a number of types and varieties. All of the varieties are designed to suit every customer’s need. The Gevalia coffees are produced with the customers’ taste and level of satisfaction in mind. And, perhaps this is one of the factors that make Gevalia coffee best.

Currently, the coffee produced by Gevalia includes the following:

* Kenya – This coffee variety is noted for its being full bodied. Many of those who tasted it have claimed that this product has a delicate floral aroma with berry like undertones. This is actually one of Gevalia’s bestsellers.

* Hazelnut – Just like Kenya, this coffee product has a delicate aroma and taste. It is a mellow coffee with a hazelnut flavor, hence the name. Also notable in this variety is its vanilla flavor.

* Colombia – Known in the market as a smooth and invigorating coffee, the Gevalia Colombia has a rich and vibrant flavor. It is also noted for the complexity of its taste.

* Dark Roast – Roasting plays a very vital role in coffee production. With that, it’s no wonder that Gevalia accepts the idea of roasting. Well, the Gevalia coffee now varies in the degree of roast, and one of the widely marketed varieties of the company’s coffee is the Dark Roast. According to some reviews, this type is a full flavored coffee that possesses an enticing aroma. What’s best about Dark Roast is that it has no burnt or bitter taste.

* Medium Roast – This variety is obviously a counterpart of the Dark Roast. This coffee is deemed smooth and full bodied. It has a deeper darker taste, but is perfect for those who love a delicate, mild coffee with a heavenly aroma.

Note that all of the above mentioned Gevalia coffees are now available in the market in delicious caffeinated and decaffeinated varieties. These products come in 2.5 oz. frac packs in 24 case counts. The Gevalia coffee also includes a number of gourmet kinds.

Kona Coffee

Known throughout Hawaii and to the world, Kona coffee is a gourmet type of coffee. It comes from Hawaii, but is grown and cultivated solely from the Kona region, which is located on the west coast of the Hawaii Island.

Kona coffee is commercially valued for its distinct aroma and flavor. It is one of the most expensive types of coffee available on the market, and many consumers have considered it as the best of the best.

But what makes the Kona coffee really best?

There is one factor that makes Kona coffee such a special variety – the tropical environment from which it is grown. According to some researches, Kona is grown and cultivated on the dark volcanic lava rock slopes of Kona, Hawaii. They grow in rich volcanic soil where sunny mornings and cloudy afternoons strike to provide a natural shade. The plants are shielded by the volcanoes from strong trade winds that would otherwise destroy the coffee plants. The volcanoes also give Kona the ashen soil from which they grow and thrive to produce the gourmet beans. Growing in this kind of unique environment, it’s no wonder that Kona coffee possesses a distinct edge over the other coffee varieties available in the world.

The way the Kona coffee is processed and produced also play a vital role to Kona’s being a great variety of coffee. Typically, the coffee is harvested by hand. The beans are handpicked carefully, usually from late August to late January. Perhaps what is interesting to know about the Kona coffee production is that they are handpicked meticulously to ensure that only the matured beans are harvested, and since the coffee beans of this kind do not ripen all at the same time, each coffee plant will be picked by a number of times throughout the harvest season.

The Kona coffee is also pulped, dried and then hulled prior to being graded. The beans are sorted into a number of sizes, shapes and grades with the use of machinery. They are sun dried and roasted depending on what is desired by the company. What usually happens during the sun drying process is that the beans are pulped first to remove the outer flesh. It is fermented to provide it a clear flavor and is thoroughly washed in clean water. Then, they are sun dried typically on huge decks, known throughout Hawaii as hoshidanas. Once dried, the Kona coffee beans are milled and prepared for the roasting process.

Speaking of roasting, Kona coffee is usually roasted in a number of ways. For instance, the flavored Kona is either sprayed or powdered immediately after roasting, and many of the Kona coffee producers have maintained this technique to provide the coffee an added flavor. Just like the other varieties, the Kona is roasted in different degrees, depending on what is desired. After the roasting, the oxidation process follows, leaving the Kona coffee at its freshest stage.

Prepared and produced in such processes, Kona coffee tastes deliciously rich. They are slightly acidic and are commonly distinguished for their heady aroma and spicy, wine-like taste. Today, Kona comes in a number of varieties, and one of the most valued varieties is the pearberry.

Gourmet Coffees

So coffee drinker that you are, you’re probably no stranger to gourmet coffees. But have you ever stopped and wondered what makes gourmet coffees gourmet coffees? Is it the gourmet coffee beans? The roast? The blend? The grind? The flavor? The freshness?

The answer is: it’s all of the above.

The truth is that gourmet coffees are the culmination of every characteristic and consideration you can think of when it comes to choosing quality coffee. After all, why do you think they call it “gourmet coffees”?

The Beans

As you probably know, coffee is a bean. But did you also know that there isn’t just one coffee bean being sold commercially? There are two types – Robusta (Coffea robusta) and Arabica (Coffea Arabica). Robusta is the bean used to produce everyday instant coffee while Arabica is what gourmet coffees are made of.

Why the difference? Because unlike Robusta, Arabica coffees are very particular about their growing conditions: the plant only grows at high altitudes in tropical or sub-tropical climates.

So?

So these growing conditions combined with the particular soil type does all sorts of nice things to the coffee bean so that when you make a beverage out of these beans, your cup of java gives off unique flavors, aromas, and other characteristics that you commonly identify with gourmet coffees.

Where Are Gourmet Coffees Grown?

As there are specific regions where grapes used for winemaking grow, there are also specific regions that are ideal for growing gourmet coffees. There are actually many countries that grow the Arabica plant, but there are only three major growing areas:

* South and Central America – Gourmet coffees from this region are known for their lively acidity, crisp and sparkling quality, and sweet or spicey side. Some of the more famous gourmet coffees grown in this region include Columbian Supremo, Costa Rican Tarrazu, and Guatemala Antigua.

* Africa and Arabia – As the place where coffee was first discovered, this particular region is known for producing gourmet coffees with a wide range of flavors, mellow taste, and fine balance of acidity and body. Gourmet coffees include Kenya AA, Ethiopian fancy, and Yemen Mocha.

* Pacific or Island – Known for producing rich, full-bodied gourmet coffees, this region is particularly identified with coffees that have a very earthy and nutty quality and smooth, dry finish. Gourmet coffees from this region include Sumatra Mandheling, Jamaican Blue Mountain, and Hawaiian Kona Coffee.

Roasting

Before the beans are roasted, they are just beans, not much different from even those beans taken from coffee plants grown in less than ideal conditions. So how does one turn these green coffee beans turn from just another ordinary bean to something more profound?

The answer lies in the art of roasting.

Roasting to the coffee beans to perfection is what makes gourmet coffees what they are. And there are so many considerations to think of from the process itself to the timing, moisture, and content.

Espresso Coffee

Coffee is one of the most popular beverages all over the world and it comes with different flavors, and types. And, espresso is one of them. The term espresso means pressed-out in Italian, referring to the brewing process. Espresso coffee is a flavorful coffee beverage brewed by forcing very hot, but not boiling water under high pressure through coffee that has been ground to a consistency between extremely fine and powder. It was first made known in Italy back in the beginning of the 20th century, but it was in 1940’s that it became a beverage produced only with steam pressure. The invention of the spring priston lever machine and its subsequent commercial success changed espresso coffee into the very famous beverage that we know of at the present. Coffee lovers or not must have known what an espresso is.

Some people who got so addicted with espresso coffee know the difference between it and the drip coffee. The distinct differences are that espresso has thicker consistency compared to drip coffee; it has higher amount of dissolved solids than drip coffee every relative volume, and a serving size that is measured in shots. Espresso coffee is chemically complex and volatile, with many of its components degrading from oxidation or loss of temperature. Again, those espresso-holic would know that there is a distinguishing factor of a properly brewed espresso and it is the presence of crema. Crema is actually the reddish brown foam, which floats from your cup of espresso coffee. It essentially contains vegetable oils proteins, and sugars. If you have tried a properly brewed one, you must have noticed it.

As the result of high-pressure brewing process, all of the flavors and chemicals in a simple cup of coffee are concentrated. This is why some caffeine lovers prefer one or two shots of espresso coffee instead of one or two cups of plain brewed coffee just to get a quick shot of caffeine. In addition, due to its intense and highly and highly concentrated ingredients, which include caffeine, espresso coffee is also mixed into other coffee drinks, like lattes, cappuccino, macchiatos, and mochas without the need to excessively dilute the resulting drink. All of these various coffee drinks are sold in most coffee shops.

The popularity of different levels of roast in espresso varies significantly. This type of coffee is normally a blend of beans roasted anywhere from very light to very dark with a lot of surface oil evident. Espresso coffee is the most famous type of coffee in Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, France and Southern Europe, obviously Brazil, and to other parts of Europe and North America. It accounts nearly all of the commercial café, coffeehouse, and restaurant coffee business. No wonder it becomes known all throughout the world.

Coffee and Its Varietals

Second to water in popularity, coffee is consumed by billions of people throughout the world. Statistics have shown that about 400 billion cups are consumed annually and that children and adults have been taking it for several good reasons.

Coffee is a popular beverage served in two ways: hot or with ice. It is naturally prepared from the roasted seeds of a coffee plant, and these seeds are known as “coffee beans”. The beans originate from an evergreen tree which has grown and has been cultivated in a number of subtropical areas around the world, including Latin America, the Caribbean Islands, Africa, Arabian Peninsula, Indonesia and other regions in Southeast Asia.

Being cultivated and produced in a number of countries, coffee comes in varieties. Each variety has its distinctive quality and differs according to flavor, acidity, amount of caffeine, and mouth feel. All of these characteristics are highly dependent on the environment where the coffee plants are grown, as well as on the way they are processed and produced.

There are three major varietals of coffee: the C. Robusta, C. Arabica, and the Blended types. Below are short descriptions for each type. Read on.

* C. Robusta – Known scientifically as coffee canephora, the Robusta variety naturally contains 40 to 50 percent of caffeine and is cultivated in some major areas in the world where the second variety, C. Arabica, will not thrive. This type has a bitter taste and has little flavor. Its aroma is deemed as something similar to that of brunt rubber or wet cardboard. And, one of the very pricey and unusual subtype of this species is the Indonesian Kopi Luwak and the Kape Alamid, which is known and highly valued in the Philippines.

* C. Arabica – Noted to have originated from the Arabian Peninsula, the Coffee Arabica is the older type of coffee known to man. It is thought to be indigenous to Ethiopia, and is widely known for its richer flavor and taste. Some of the well-known subtypes of C. Arabica are Colombian, Colombian milds, Costa Rican Tarrazu, Guatemala, Hawaiian Kona, Jamaica Blue Mountain, Ethiopian Harrar, Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, Sulawesi Toraja Kalossi, Tanzania Peaberry, Sumatra Mandheling, Sumatra Lintong, Java, and Kenya AA.

* Blends – As the name implies, this coffee variety is a combination of both C. Arabica and C. Robusta. Blends are generally considered mainly to create a sense of balance and complexity. With this idea, a number of blends are available nowadays and one of the oldest is the Mocha Java, which is but a combination of coffee beans belonging to the same name. This blend is noted for its chocolate flavor, leading to the blending of the known Café Mocha.

Several other varieties of coffee exist nowadays. All of these varieties are prepared from the blends, which are mixed with other less expensive varieties to provide a new taste and flavor. The Jamaica Blue Mountain and the Hawaiian Kona are but two of the most prominent examples of these recent coffee blends.