Coffee Buying Guide
Who knew 6 letters could be so powerful?
Coffee can help us get through the day, get through the night, and give us a great tasting beverage like no other. Everyone's favorite wakeshop'>shop is easy enough, but what really goes into a brew that makes you say, "Wow that's a great cup of coffee?" Read below to find out!
Beans
When grinding your own, the key to good coffee is to buy whole
La Colombe and
Peet's.
There are two kinds of coffee beans available:
espresso blends to promote formation of crema. Arabica coffee, on the other hand, is more difficult to grow (and therefore more expensive) but brews a more flavorful, complex cup. Robusta also has almost twice as much caffeine as arabica.
Roasts
There is much more to coffee than popping open a can of
roaster causes a series of chemical reactions; the end products are the aromatic compounds that give coffee its distinctive aroma and flavor. The longer you roast the beans, the darker the coffee gets.
Coffees by Region
Coffee originated in eastern Africa and is now grown throughout the tropics. Although only two species are grown, subspecies, local cultivars, and regional influences all affect how the coffee tastes and smells.
'''Latin America'''
Coffees from Latin America are some of the most popular;
Puerto Rico all grow coffee.
'''Africa/Middle East'''
Coffee was said to have originally been prepared in
Uganda is another major producer.
'''South Asia/Pacific Islands'''
Coffees from the South Pacific are well known coffee'>Indonesia is one of the biggest coffee producers in the world. Most of the coffee grown in this region is robusta.
'''United States'''
Only one state out of fifty has a climate appropriate for growing coffee Hawai'i. Kona coffee grows on one side of Big Island (Hawai'i) and is some of the rarest in the world. If you ever find yourself shopping on the big island, look for "100% Kona Coffee" on the label to make sure you're getting the real deal.
Fair Trade, Shade Grown, and Organic
Coffee growers have come under intense scrutiny in the last decade or so for their labor practices. You might have noticed that some of the coffee even in your local supermarket is now labeled "
Fair Trade Certified". Basically, Fair Trade Certification guarantees that the laborers and farmers receive a fair price for their coffee beans, not an artificially low price due to the glut of cheap robusta coffee on the market. Fair Trade coffee growers have greater stability within their families and Fair Trade practices can benefit and strengthen entire communities.
Another increasingly common label on coffee is "
Coffee Making Essentials
Now that you've got the lowdown on coffee beans of all types, perhaps you've picked some up and decided to make your own coffee or gotten a coffee maker to brew the grounds. Whether you've just bought a coffee maker or need some replacement items, check out the products below to help you keep on brewing.
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