A Guide to Different Types of Coffees
There's more to drinking coffee than just walking into a shop and asking for a small, medium, or large cup of whatever the house blend is. The amount of time and effort it takes to grow and harvest coffee beans around the world deserves a little more respect from the average consumer, especially since the delicate taste you get has nothing to do with the barista at Starbucks, and more to do with faraway volcanic slopes and mountain ridges.
The great tasting varieties of coffee are lucky, because they're made from products grown on the sides of volcanic mountains, or assisted in their harvesting by exciting and exotic animals, in the far-flung regions of the world. That's why the coffee tastes so great, not the brewing process. For a little bit of information on some varieties of coffee beans, or the countries that grow them, read on.
Kenya AA People around the world know Kenya AA as a type of coffee, but there's actually more of a distinction to be made. Rather than a specific bean, this is a classification given depending on the size of the bean. So really, Kenya AA is letting customers know that they're getting the highest grade of Kenyan coffee beans, which are grown on the high plateaus on Mount Kenya, where the perfect mixture of great soil and suitable weather lead to a bean known for intense flavor as well as a lovely aroma.
Colombian Coffee One of the biggest producers of coffee beans is Columbia, a country with a perfect environment for growing different varieties of Arabica beans, like Caturra, Typica, and Bourbon. The coffee grown in Columbia is imported by many countries around the world, like Japan, The United States, Australia, and Holland. Initially, harvested beans were roasted with charcoal in saucepans at the very beginning of Columbia's long-going historical trade and harvesting.
Costa Rican coffee Not as well known as Columbian coffee by any means, Costa Rica has long been a country where coffee was a hugely important cash crop. The most popular varieties of beans are West Valley, Tres Rios, and Tarrazu, which are known worldwide for their very good body and aroma, as well as a level of acidity that's rather manageable. These coffee beans are used in blends frequently.
Santos Leave it to Brazil to make one of the most interesting coffee beans in the game. Instead of high acidity, like so many other varieties of Arabica coffee, this bean instead produces a light-bodied brew with surprisingly low acidity. The hot, humid climate in Brazil is what makes the beans so low in acidity, and the lower growing elevation means that harvests can be timed to when the fruit on the plant still smells sweet, which carries over into the beans once roasted.
Remember, while different countries all produce different types of beans, it doesn't mean that the names on this list are the only type of coffee bean grown in that particular country. Furthermore, it is possible that many of these beans have shown up in different names and varieties through United States importers.
For socially-conscious consumers, one of the best things you can do, before deciding you absolutely must try a type of coffee bean, is to see if there's an organization that produces and imports said beans in a fair-trade way. Harvesting coffee is tough work, and it's a shame how unfairly paid a number of these production countries are, especially considering how much the beans draw around the world. - 17274
The great tasting varieties of coffee are lucky, because they're made from products grown on the sides of volcanic mountains, or assisted in their harvesting by exciting and exotic animals, in the far-flung regions of the world. That's why the coffee tastes so great, not the brewing process. For a little bit of information on some varieties of coffee beans, or the countries that grow them, read on.
Kenya AA People around the world know Kenya AA as a type of coffee, but there's actually more of a distinction to be made. Rather than a specific bean, this is a classification given depending on the size of the bean. So really, Kenya AA is letting customers know that they're getting the highest grade of Kenyan coffee beans, which are grown on the high plateaus on Mount Kenya, where the perfect mixture of great soil and suitable weather lead to a bean known for intense flavor as well as a lovely aroma.
Colombian Coffee One of the biggest producers of coffee beans is Columbia, a country with a perfect environment for growing different varieties of Arabica beans, like Caturra, Typica, and Bourbon. The coffee grown in Columbia is imported by many countries around the world, like Japan, The United States, Australia, and Holland. Initially, harvested beans were roasted with charcoal in saucepans at the very beginning of Columbia's long-going historical trade and harvesting.
Costa Rican coffee Not as well known as Columbian coffee by any means, Costa Rica has long been a country where coffee was a hugely important cash crop. The most popular varieties of beans are West Valley, Tres Rios, and Tarrazu, which are known worldwide for their very good body and aroma, as well as a level of acidity that's rather manageable. These coffee beans are used in blends frequently.
Santos Leave it to Brazil to make one of the most interesting coffee beans in the game. Instead of high acidity, like so many other varieties of Arabica coffee, this bean instead produces a light-bodied brew with surprisingly low acidity. The hot, humid climate in Brazil is what makes the beans so low in acidity, and the lower growing elevation means that harvests can be timed to when the fruit on the plant still smells sweet, which carries over into the beans once roasted.
Remember, while different countries all produce different types of beans, it doesn't mean that the names on this list are the only type of coffee bean grown in that particular country. Furthermore, it is possible that many of these beans have shown up in different names and varieties through United States importers.
For socially-conscious consumers, one of the best things you can do, before deciding you absolutely must try a type of coffee bean, is to see if there's an organization that produces and imports said beans in a fair-trade way. Harvesting coffee is tough work, and it's a shame how unfairly paid a number of these production countries are, especially considering how much the beans draw around the world. - 17274
About the Author:
For a large Saturday BBQ, Damian Papworth's 8 cup coffee maker comes in real handy. On any other typical day though, one cup coffee makers are more appropriate.
posted by X - Men at
12:56 AM
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