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| COFFEE |
The region from where a coffee is grown has a lot to do with how it tastes. The soil and climate of a specific area affects the growing conditions of the tree and the flavor of its coffee beans.
A coffee grown in Kenya will taste very different from a coffee grown in Costa Rica. That's not to say better or worse, only different. One of the joys of gourmet coffees is tasting all of the different varieties, learning to identify and describe the nuances that distinguish them. We can indeed separate the varietals (unblended coffee from a single country, region, and crop) into geographic families displaying similar characteristics.
Latin America: Bright, brisk and clean, straightforward flavor
* Guatemala (Antigua)
* Costa Rica (high grown, LaMinita)
* Jamaica (Blue Mountain)
* Colombia
* Mexico
* Peru
* Brazil (Bourbon Santos)
* Puerto Rico (Yauco)
Africa: Distinctive sharp, vibrant flavor
* Yemen (Mocha Mattari)
* Kenya
* Ethiopia (Yrgacheffe)
* Tanzania
Indonesia and New Guinea: Full rich, heavy body
* Sumatra (Mandheling)
* Sulawesi or Celebes
* New Guinea
* Java
The following coffees have nothing in common geographically; they are simply different from all other families...
* Hawaii (Kona)
* India (Mysore)
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How To Brew |
Many people grind their beans themselves, to ensure a fresh and flavorful cup of coffee. But not as many people roast their own. Whether you are a home roaster or not, knowing the different roast levels and their taste characteristics can be helpful when purchasing coffee.
What exactly does roasting do? The sugars, fats and starches that are within the bean are emulsified, caramelized and released. This creates the delicate coffee oil. This oil is what gives coffee its distinctive aroma and taste.
In general, lighter roasts are sharper and more acidic than the darker roasts. Darker roasts have a fuller flavor. Beans that have been over roastedwill take on a burned, smoky or charcoal fflavor Also, there is less caffeine in the darker roasted coffees than in the lighter ones. The roast alone doesn't determine the resulting coffee taste or quality. The origin of the beans makes a big difference. A bean from Ethiopia will taste differently than a bean from India, even if they are both French roast.
Here are the basic roast terms. Many are used interchangeably, so be careful.
Cinnamon
The bean is light brown, and dry (no oil visible). The flavor is baked or bready, like toasted grain. There will likely be definite sour tones. There is not much body in cinnamon roasted coffee.
New England
A term not as frequently used as the others, though this roast is apparently common in the eastern United States. It's a little darker than the cinnamon roast, but without the grainy flavor. New England roast will still have some sour tones to it.
American, Light
Medium light brown beans. This roast is the norm for eastern USA. This roast (and sometimes cinnamon as well) is the most often used for cupping or professional tasting.
City, Medium
The color is darker still, more of a medium brown (think chocolate). This roast is common in the western parts of the USA. This roast is a good choice to taste the differences between varietals.
Full City
Medium dark brown beans. The beans will start to show some oily drops on the surface with this roast. Full City will have caramel or chocolate undertones.
French, Espresso
Beans are starting to get dark brown, and French roasted beans are shiny with oil. There is less acidity, but with burned undertones. This roast is often used when making Espresso. Many people think this is the darkest roast available, but that's not true.
Italian, Dark French
Similar to regular French, but more so. Darker and oilier looking, and with a stronger burned flavor.
Spanish
Darkest roast of all. Color is nearly black, and the flavor is flat with a charcoal undertone. |
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| How to Brew Coffee |
Brewing: Twelve Tips for Brewing A Perfect Cup of Coffee!
1. Grind your own coffee just prior to brewing. If you don't already grind your own, you should consider doing so. It's a key factor in getting the greatest amount of wonderful flavor from your coffee.
2. Use the correct grind for your method of brewing. If your coffee is bitter and overly strong it may mean that you're using too fine a grind and thus slowing up the brewing process too much. If your brew lacks flavor or strength it may mean that you're using a grind that's too coarse for your method .
3. Use freshly drawn cold water. Hot water has a tendency to be flat and stale.
4. Use the right amount of coffee. Suggested proportions are two level tablespoons (or 1 standard coffee measure) of coffee per twelve ounces (one coffee cup) of water. Adjust the amount of coffee to your own taste, but strongly brewed coffee tastes better.
5. Clean the coffee maker and server often. Be sure to "descale" your automatic drip coffee maker often...especially if you have a lot of minerals in your water.
6. Make sure the water temperature is as close to 200 degrees as possible. If you're using a pour over drip method or plunger pot, just heat the water to boiling, and then let it cool off a minute or two before pouring through the coffee. If you use an automatic drip coffee maker, test the temperature of the water as it comes out into the ground coffee chamber. If it is substantially lower that 200 degrees (cheap coffee makers often are), invest in a new high quality coffee maker.
7. Make a full pot. When using an automatic drip coffee maker it is best to brew to full capacity. A drip pot made to brew six cups of coffee will make its best tasting coffee if you brew all six.
8. Never re-use grounds. If using plunger method, pour and serve as soon as brewing is complete.
9. Serve coffee immediately after brewing. With drip methods stir the brew before serving. Coffee holds its flavor very well for about 20 minutes, and is usually still drinkable for up to an hour. Don't serve coffee that has been on the hot plate for an hour... only bad restaurants do that.
10. Do not reheat cooled coffee. And, don't mix old coffee with new. Consider a thermal vacuum coffee carafe. It will keep freshly brewed coffee hot for eight hours at full flavor.
11. Don't use bad tasting water to make your coffee. If your tap water isn't pleasant to drink, use bottled or purified water for your coffee.
12. Use 2 Spoons Fresh Roasted Coffee! When combined with the above tips, you'll have the greatest cup of coffee in the world...every day of the year.
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History of Java
The origin of coffee is most often related in this Middle Eastern myth. The story of Kaldi and his dancing goats...
Once upon a time in the land of Arabia lived a kind and dedicated goatherd, named Kaldi. Kaldi was a responsible and patient goatherd. He would wait in the evening for his loyal herd to return to him after their daily grazing. One night, Kaldi's goats did not return. He searched for his herd and found them at dawn, dancing with reckless delight amongst patches of shiny, dark-leafed shrubs with bright red berries. He stared, amazed as his goats pranced and bounced with glee. Then he understood, it must indeed be the shiny red berries that caused his goats to dance! Kaldi tried the berries for himself, and soon enough Kaldi was dancing with his goats as well.
About this time of merriment a sleepy, but dutiful monk was on his way to prayer. Soon he came upon a sight so unbelievable. Before him, cavorting in bliss were Kaldi and his goats. Men and goats dancing together, he pondered what could be behind this strange sight. He saw the berries they danced around, being a curious man he gathered some of these red berries to take back to his monastery. He began his own experimentation and boiled the berries creating a beverage. He shared his discovery with the other monks and soon none of the monks in the monastery fell asleep during prayer. Word quickly spread and the use of coffee flourished throughout the rest of the world.
The End
Owing to stories such as this one, coffee was thought to have originated in what is now Yemen, on the Arabian Peninsula. But in fact botanical evidence indicates that coffee arabica originated in central Ethiopia, several thousand feet above sea level, where to this day it still flourishes in the wild, beneath the canopy of the rain forest. How the beans made it from Ethiopia across the Red Sea to Yemen is uncertain. At any rate, coffee arabica seems to have been cultivated in Yemen from about the sixth century on. In Arabia coffee was first used as medicine, and later as a beverage used in religion and meditation. From there it spread into the streets, and the coffeehouse was born. Once the beverage was tasted it spread rapidly throughout the world. The extraordinary story of the spread of coffee from the seed of possibility in one plant to the entire world, displaying the beginnings of the passion coffee elicits from people around the world.
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