Welcome to Coffee-Review.org

By Yogi Shinde

Most consumers would think that coffee is coffee and that it wouldn’t matter if it’s instant or brewed as long as it tastes okay and wakes them up. While that is all fine and dandy, it is worth noting that picking the best beans according to your preference can result in a coffee which will be most looked forward to every morning. And if you own a grinder or a grind and brew coffee maker, you will notice the difference once you start thinking about your options and you will be glad that you did.

• Do Coffee Species Matter?

There are different species of coffee plants like Coffea arabica, Coffea benghalensis, Coffea canephora, Coffea congensis, Coffea excelsa, Coffea gallienii, Coffea bonnieri, Coffea mogeneti, Coffea liberica, and Coffea stenophylla. Each species produce beans that have certain different characteristics and distinct flavor profiles.Around 75% of the world’s coffee trade is comprised of Coffee Arabica, the reason being its preferred flavor and ability to thrive in most areas. Arabica beans are coveted for the deep aroma and great flavor that can go with most coffee additives like cream, sugar, and so on. This is something that most coffee drinkers agree on with good reason. You can never go wrong with a high quality brand of 100% Arabica with a medium roast.

• Which Roast Is The Best?

There are different types of roast, depending on how long the beans are roasted. It can be determined by different degrees of darkness. There are four main types of roasts - Light (Cinnamon Roast, Half City, New England), Medium (Full city, American, Regular, Breakfast, Brown), Dark (High, Viennese, Italian Espresso, Continental), and Darkest (Italian, French, Spanish).

Describing the taste of different roasts is as subjective as that of wine. There is no substitute to judging them with your own palate as only you can decide what your personal taste is. Choosing a type of roast is mostly on personal preference, but most people do like medium roast for its balanced flavor and sweetness.

• How Important Is The Origin?

Coffee beans are distinct in their terrier, or capturing the place in where they were grown. While differences in flavor can be subtle, beans grown in Hawaii and Central America are more of snappy and vibrant variety, while those from East Africa and Yemen are deeper in bitterness, and those grown in Indonesia and Sumatra are even more complex in flavor.

• Storing Coffee Beans

When open to air and light, roasted coffee beans can lose their flavor and go stale quite quickly. The best way to store beans is with an opaque airtight canister at room temperature. Theoretically, refrigeration can help preserve the beans longer, but with frequent opening of containers for use creating condensation, the moisture can tamper with the beans’ flavor.When purchasing beans, make sure to get those stored in a sealed bag with a one-way valve laminated on it, which lets carbon dioxide out and keeping outside air from entering. Upon roasting, coffee beans produce prodigious amounts of carbon dioxide, so such valves are necessary for initial storage. Either that or frequent opening of jars for venting as done by most coffee shops. Do not go for beans stored in open beans as they would mostly be stale.

• Grinding It Right

The perfect grind size is crucial so that the right amount of the flavor is extracted from the beans without going to far, which will take excess bitterness along for the ride. The smaller the grind size, the more surface area there is and over extraction is a big possibility. Too big of a grind size will just keep the hot water from getting enough flavor. Most people would say that they don’t like strong coffee, while the reality is that they don’t like bitter coffee. With coffee, strong doesn’t really have to mean bitter.

If your coffee maker comes with a grinder, then use it. Experiment with different grind sizes to find your preference. If there is no grinder along with your coffee maker, then a small coffee grinder with pulse action will do the job just fine. Grinding your own is best as it is better to draw out the flavors closer to brewing time than having them ground in the shop. Most find a 15-20 second grind best while espresso calls for a finer grind.

Selecting and storing the beans right can have a great impact on the flavor of your coffee, a difference of changing the mediocre coffee from your coffee machine to a restaurant quality one in the comforts of your own home. So next time you are grocery shopping for coffee give coffee beans choice some thought.

Having the best coffee maker helps, but buying the best beans and grinding them right can make a huge difference to the quality of your brew.

Yogi Shinde is the webmaster of Coffee Maker Ratings & Reviews website which provides unbiased information on different types and brands of coffee makers. This article is free for publishing provided the resource link is maintained.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Yogi_Shinde

Posted on July 3rd, 2008 by admin
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By Robert J. Carlton

The fact that frequently results are as good as pros and roasting coffee beans is even easier will result in happy home wine makers!

Although, even a popcorn popper or a frying pan can be used there are range of roaster types which are available. Though, you must be certain to begin with extremely clean equipment. Left over butter or fish oils can ruin the coffee taste.

Compared to the lighter roasts, dark roasts lack the acid taste and contain lesser caffeine. Of course, be sure to begin with superior beans.

You must be ready for a bit of smoke as the beans will have to be heated between 460F and 530F. Either with a stove top exhaust or a small room fan you can easily manage that part. Probably, with no one home and the windows open is how your first experiments must be done as there will be an odor beyond the smoke too.

The heat must be turned up after the beans are put in the roaster! (Those over-sensitive fire alarms at home should be taken care of and be temporarily disabled.)

The thermometer is built into some roaster models although for those frying pan experiments or for when it’s open you may want to have an extra. For this purpose thermometers used for candy making work well.

The beans will turn brown from yellow during the process. The individual choice about your liking of how dark your roast should be depends on how brown it can get.

When it bursts a loud crack will be heard by you as both water and oil moisture heat up putting a pressure on the bean surface. This is normal and there is nothing to worry. After the heating progresses for four to seven minutes you can hear for every 30 seconds or more this stirring.

As the roasting continues the inside sugar will start to caramelize (burning slightly and turning brow). The matter of taste is what the degree depends on. For every 30 second or so the color must be checked.

Occasionally a second loud crack will happen if for long enough the roasting continues. A little overdone for some palates and quite dark beans will develop at this stage. Boiling the sugar away while simple burning the beans is what you are doing if you continue beyond the second crack. For most the outcome will be too harsh.

Agitate after in a metal colander you have poured to cool. Some method for removing the produced chaff (as the beans are agitated the fine skin that detaches from the bean) during the roasting process may be wanted by you. One option is the mesh cooking screens.

See that the beans are not clinging to the surfaces by stirring them to move them around by being sure to get one that allows you that in case you want the roasting style to be popcorn popper. A cast iron skillet works superbly for the stove top style. Get ready for lots of viewing and stirring. Rapidly the roasting occurs! Then the beans will be ready for your coffee makers and cappachino machines.

Being particularly interested in all about cappuchino and home cappuccino machines, Robert Carlton was writing a lot of informative papers in this particular area. You might discover his contributions on coffee makers and cappachino machines at http://www.coffee-espresso-maker-tips.com and different sources for coffee makers and cappachino machines knowledge.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_J._Carlton

Posted on July 3rd, 2008 by admin
Filed under: Article | No Comments »