Gourmet
Coffee Beans - a Brief
Overview
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 Coffea 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.
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.
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.
About The
Author
Jerry Powell is the Owner of a Popular site Know as
Gourmet911.com. As you can see from our name, we are here
to help you learn more about different kinds of Gourmet
food and Wines, Coffees from all around the world.
http://www.gourmet911.com/
gourmetboy911@aol.com
Jerry Powell