Coffee Bean Types
Created on 02 May 2008 | Tagged as: Uncategorized
Print This Page
Coffee Beans
What are the best coffee beans? This is a point of contention amongst coffee connoisseurs—so there is no definitive answer.
The way in which coffee beans are grown and processed has a huge impact on their taste. Soil, environmental conditions and freshness also play such key roles in coffee bean flavour that all coffee is labelled according to geographic region.
After coffee berries are picked, they are sorted by ripeness and colour. The fruit or pulp from the coffee berry is then removed. How this is achieved depends on the specific coffee processing method. There are several such techniques, including Wet, Dry and Semi Dry. Whichever process is used can have a significant effect on flavour.
Removing the fruit leaves the seed or coffee bean, which is then dried.
Roasting
Next, the roasting process releases pungent oils, makes the coffee beans expand in size and changes them from a green colour to a light or dark brown. Lighter ones uncover more of the flavour of gourmet coffee beans, while darker roasts taste more like the roasting process.
Gourmet or specialty coffee beans are mostly made from the Arabica bean because of its better-quality flavour and smoother taste. However, many blends also include Robusta coffee beans as well—for that extra edge.
Among the many gourmet coffee beans available, there is Ethiopian, Jamaican Blue Mountain, Guatemalan, Italian, Columbian, Peruvian, Hawaiian Kona and Costa Rican.
Gourmet Coffees
For many people, the best coffee beans are those that are not only considered gourmet coffees, but are also certified, and the result of Fair Trade practices. And yet still others, only like decaffeinated coffee.
So what is the best coffee bean? Like many things in life, it depends on personal taste.
on 15 Oct 2008 at 3:19 pm 1.vicki said …
what is the name of the coffee bean and the story behind the critter urinating on the bean and giving it it’s special flavor…refer me to a website or where to get the info…or just the name of the coffee bean…please and thank you
vicki
on 16 Oct 2008 at 6:25 pm 2.nardo said …
Hello Vicki,
I think you may be referring to Kopi Luwak coffee? (Kopi is Indonesian for coffee) This is the world’s most expensive coffee, at $300-500 a pound.
This coffee does not come from a critter urinating on the bean, however, but rather from beans that have been digested by a small cat-like nocturnal animal called the luwak.
They live on the Indonesian islands of Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi. The luwaks eat the ripe coffee berries, and the beans pass through their digestive system undigested. The chemical reactions within the animal change the bean somewhat, resulting in coffee that is less bitter. The quality seems to be superb, probably because the luwaks select the ripest berries to eat. However, whether it is worth its price tag… People probably buy it because of the bragging rights that come with it ;o)
Thank you for your question; we may be exploring the Kopi Luwak a little further in a future article.
- Nardo
on 12 Mar 2009 at 4:29 pm 3.Kathy said …
We buy Coffee Bean French Roast for our office, but lately it taste different. Would you know why the flavor changed?