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The coffee plant has two main species. There is the Coffea
Arabica, which is the more traditional coffee and
considered to be superior in flavor, and the Coffee
Canephora known more commonly as Robusta. Robusta tends to
be higher in caffeine and can be grown in climates and
environments were Arabica would not be profitable. Robusta
is also typically more bitter and acidic in flavor.
Because of this Robusta tends to be less expensive. High
quality Robusta is also used to blend espresso for more
bite, and to lower costs.
Did You know that the world's second largest consumer of
coffee is Germany?
The volume of coffee drank by Germans each year comes to
16 pounds!
A little known fact is that some coffee beans improve
their flavor with age. It is the green unroasted beans
which are aged; the typical length of time is 3 years,
though there are some houses which sell beans aged to 7
years. Aged beans have a fuller flavor and are less
acidic.
Growing conditions, soil types and weather patterns during
the growing season all contribute to the flavor of the
bean, creating the differences in flavor from points of
origin, such as Kenya or Brazil. However, roasting adds
its own flavor, sometimes to the point that it is
difficult to tell where the beans originated from, even by
experienced cuppers.
The lighter the roast the more the natural flavor of the
bean remains. This is why beans from regions such as Kenya
or Java are normally roasted lightly, retaining their
regional characteristics and dominate flavors. There is a
method of roasting in Malaysia which adds butter during
the roasting producing a variety called Ipoh White Coffee.
Beans roasted to darker browns begin to taste more like
the method of roasting than the original flavors. Dark
roasts such as French or Vienna Roasts tend to completely
eclipse the original flavor. Roasting to whatever degree,
while adding stronger flavor does not effect the amount of
caffeine of the bean.
Fry pan roasting was popular in the 19th century, since
the beans were normally shipped and purchased still in
their green state. You simply poured the green coffee
beans in a frying pan and roasted them in the kitchen.
This process took a great deal of skill to do in a
consistent manner. Fry pan roasting became much less
popular when vacuum sealing pre-roasted coffee was
perfected. However, in order to vacuum seal roasted beans,
you had to wait for them to stop emitting CO2, as roasted
beans do for several days after the roasting process. What
this meant was that vacuum sealed coffee was always just a
little stale as the flavors begin to turn bitter and
deteriorate in just about a week after roasting.
Home roasting is once again becoming popular with the
creation of computerized drum roasters which help simplify
the process. There are some people who have found methods
of effectively roasting beans using their hot air pop corn
makers.
The region the bean is from as discussed before is a
primary factor to the type of flavor you can expect from
the brew, though it is very true that 'new' or unexpected
tastes come from every region.
Coffee Facts: Did you know that after petroleum, Coffee is
the next most traded product in the world. 6 million metric tonnes
of coffee are produced each year world wide.
Arabia and Africa grow their coffee beans in high
altitudes in the rich black soils of Kenya, Zimbabwe,
Ethiopia and Tanzania. The flavors of these beans are
distinct and of legendary status.
The Americas coffees are grown in near rainforest
conditions in areas such as Colombia, Costa Rica and
Guatemala. Coffees of the Americas tend to be very well
balanced and aromatic.
The Pacifics includes coffees from Sumatra, Java, New
Guinea and Sulawesi, which are as various in flavor as the
islands they come from.
Then there are the exotics such as certified Jamaica Blue
Mountain and certified Hawaiian Kona. These are rare
indeed and can go for as much as $60.00 per pound
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