Coffee Basics 101 – Choosing a Great Coffee!

"I'm searching for a really great cup of coffee -- what variety should I buy?"

I've been asked this question many times over the years and I always provide the same answer -- "That depends!" Early coffee drinkers used to choose their coffee for the caffeine jolt it provided. But times have changed, and in today's world, when choosing a great coffee -- it's all about the taste, and the taste depends on many things.

The taste of a great coffee depends on the climate, soil and cultivation methods involved in the beans' production. Coffee beans contain hundreds of compounds that give them their flavor and aroma. The type of coffee bean you choose, arabica or robusta makes a huge difference in coffee quality and taste. Arabica beans are of a much higher-quality compared to robusta beans, which are normally used as filler for most lower-end coffees. The roasting and brewing process used on the beans can also greatly affect the taste. All of these factors, together, have an enormous impact on coffee taste and quality, and as a result, they do determine whether the coffee is really great or not.

But, I also think that when it comes right down to it, the most important factor that ultimately determines whether a coffee is really great or not is whether you the consumer like it. Not everyone prefers the same characteristics in a coffee; some prefer it light and mellow, while others prefer it heavy and full-bodied. So when asking what variety to buy in order to get a really great cup of coffee, you really have to look at your own personal likes and dislikes in a cup of joe.

Most people, when choosing their cup of preference, weigh the quality of a coffee by its aroma, acidity, flavor and body.

1. The aroma of a coffee is basically one's first impression or "sniff" as the gases released from the brew hit your nose. Words like "earthy," "fruity" and "herby" can be used to describe a coffee's aroma.

2. The acidity of a coffee is the "pleasant sharpness" you taste when you take a gulp (or a sip). Acidity is good in a coffee, in that if it had no acidity, the coffee would taste flat. A low acidity coffee is a pleasant-tasting, mellow coffee, whereas a high acidity coffee is very robust and knocks your socks off!

3. The flavor factor of a coffee is the perception in your mouth of those hundreds of aromatic elements or compounds of the coffee bean. It also refers to any specific taste you notice in the coffee, such as a "nuttiness" or "spiciness."

4. Finally, the body of a coffee is the impression of weight and texture that the coffee leaves in your mouth. This is known as "mouthfeel" and can often be described as "heavy," "watery" or "light."

Coffee comes from three main growing regions of the world: the Americas, Africa, and Asia/Pacific. Each region instills its own distinct characteristics into its coffee. So keeping in mind the four cup characteristics described above, and your own personal likes and dislikes, you can narrow down your search by having a look at some of the characteristics each coffee variety/region has to offer.

The Americas

--------------------

* Brazil -- smooth, sweet and spicy with hints of allspice and cloves. Complex aroma, mild acidity, medium body. Look for Santos coffees, with Bourbon Santos being the best.

* Colombia -- rich, full aroma, mild with good acidity, sweet caramelly taste, medium body. Look for Excelso and Supremo grades.

* Costa Rica -- the SHB (Strictly Hard Bean) grade has a good aroma, high acidity, and a fine body. The GHB (Good Hard Bean) grade has a good aroma, very good acidity and a good body. Both provide a sweet, smooth cup. Look for Tarrazu.

* Guatemala -- aromatic, a soft mild flavor with a subtle smokiness, heavy body.

* Haiti -- very mellow and flavorful with a mild sweetness, heavy body.

* Hawaii -- the famous Kona coffee has a splendid aroma and is rich with a mellow character. Very flavorful with a hint of cinnamon and cloves, full-bodied.

* Jamaica -- Blue Mountain being the best, it has a delightful aroma, is extremely mellow and sweet-tasting with a full body. High Mountain Supreme comes in second with a medium to sharp acidity and a good body.

* Mexico -- wonderful aroma, sweet, medium acidity, hints of hazelnuts in the flavor, smooth body.

* Nicaragua -- good acidity and mild flavor with a hint of cognac. Look for Matagalpa.

* Panama -- smooth and sweet, good acidity and mild flavor with a heavy body.

* Peru -- good acidity with a mild flavor and excellent body.

* Venezuela -- great aroma, smooth and mellow with low acidity, rich and delicately winey, a little on the sweet side, light body.

Africa

--------------------

* Burundi -- high acidity with a rich strong flavor and good body.

* Ethiopia -- amazing aroma of cinnamon, strawberries and fresh-mown grass, very acidic, winey, pungent, earthy flavors, spicy and complex, full-bodied. Look for Harrar - Longberry and Shortberry, and Yirgacheffe.

* Kenya -- Very fragrant and floral, sometimes winey, a mild coffee with a delicate acid flavor, and a great smoothness.

* Rwanda -- high acidity, strong flavor and good body.

* Tanzania -- rich and mellow with a delicate acidity. Look for peaberry varieties.

* Zaire -- rich, highly acidic, excellent flavor and body. Look for Kivu.

Asia/Pacific

--------------------

* India -- spicy aroma with hints of cinnamon and cedar, delicate acidity, complex and very rich, full-bodied. Look for Nilgiris and Monsoon Malabar.

* Indonesia -- rich with low acidity, spicy, strong flavor, heavy body - almost syrupy. Look for Sumatra, Celebes or Sulawesi.

* Papua New Guinea -- sweet and full-bodied. Look for Sigri and Koban.

* Yemen -- age old Mocha coffee - uniquely smooth and complex with a bit of sharpness, tremendous flavor, can be winey with cherry notes, heavy body. Look for Mattari or Sunani.

Once you have narrowed down your selection to a choice few, try to purchase some sample sizes and start slurping! You may discover you really enjoy one particular variety, or several different ones. Nothing wrong with having more than one favorite! Nonetheless, once you've found your favorite beans, always purchase them freshly roasted, and make sure to store them properly to maintain their freshness for as long as possible. Even a really great cup of coffee can turn into a dud if the beans were roasted ages ago, or left out to go stale.

By Mary E. MacDonald

How Do you Chose the Best Coffee With So Many Options

Your wife calls and asks you to stop on the way home and buy some coffee for in the morning. And she had been extra grouchy lately so you want to be sure she enjoys the coffee. But then you have to choose the right country and blends and roast and there must be 200 coffees to chose from.

So how do you pick the best coffee, the coffee that will touch their heart and soul with its exquisite taste? And how do you make sure that once you have chosen the right gourmet coffee bean that you brew iit so that you capture all the taste?

So hers is how to brew the best cup of coffee: the perfect cup: You buy some fresh dark roasted gourmet coffee beans from a coffee plant grown in South America - preferably from Costa Rica or even Brazil if you get desperate. Make sure the gourmet coffee is shade grown and grown at the top of the mountain. Make sure they are a dark Roast - to maximize the flavior - and not an esspresso or French roast ( You don't want burnt coffee); be sure the roast is as desired and no more than 45 minutes or you start losing flavor. Again use only Rain Forest shade grown top of the mountain beans. Grind them a lot or a little - the more you grind the more flavor you get. Add hot water, preferably bottled water or filtered water ideally around 195 - 200 degrees F. Wait maybe 5 to 7 minutes. Grab you a French press to remove the coffee filters and impress everyone watching - if nothing else it should improve the coffee ambiance. Drink it black and straight or optionally add spices, milk product, chocolate, sugar, fat free lactose milk creamer; then SIP; Drink. Smile . Wasn't that easy? You just made the perfect cup of coffee.

Now you need it to be the most satisfying cup of coffee. Now how do you turn the perfect cup of coffee into the most satisfying cup of coffee? You use Mission Grounds Gourmet Coffee beans to brew your coffee of course. The gourmet coffee that gives all its proceeds to helping orphans and impoverished children. With every purchase of Mission Grounds coffee beans you are directly helping a homeless child or orphan. As you sip your perfect cup of coffee think about all the orphans and homeless children you are helping; or the new school in Jinming China you are helping to build; or all the orphans in Venezuela who will be in their new casa de ninos soon that you are helping to build; or picture all the children in Africa and Russia that you are helping eat tonight.

The coffee is becoming even more satisfying. Think about all the babies in South Africa you are helping with books and all the homeless children in New Orleans you help provide backpacks and books and even some school supplies. So isn't it the most satisfying cup of coffee knowing about all the impoverished children you are helping as you sip the coffee made from the finest shade grown Tarrazu coffee bean grown in Costa Rica.

All our customers claim it's the best coffee they ever tasted but are they confusing satisfying with perfection - or are they? Kick back and picture the smiley children you are helping - amazing how contagious those smiles can be.

By George Moore

Choosing a Coffee Maker

If you like coffee you might agree with this " A perfect cup of coffee is dependent on 1) coffee and 2) coffee maker".

Choosing good quality coffee preferably whole beans, marks the first step to making a good cup of coffee Making sure that the water temperature is right for brewing and adding suitable amount of water to the coffee will impact on the aroma of the coffee that is going to be served.

The task of choosing a coffee maker thus seems to be important since the coffee maker will affect the brew. Interestingly, for the same beans that are used, the coffee that is brewed taste different. I'm saying this out of experience. The two different types of coffee maker that are available in my office produces different tastes of coffee though they use the same beans. Interesting? How could this has happened? The extraction of coffee from coffee grounds or beans by different coffee makers affect the flavor and taste of the coffee.

The most basic type of coffee maker is the automatic drip coffee maker. It is simple to use. Coffee grounds are put into a filter funnel and then water is boiled and flows through the funnel. If you are someone who like things simple and hassle free, you might want to go for this conventional and reliable type of coffee maker. Most such coffee makers in the market offers an automatic turn off safety feature and a pause and serve feature. Prices for such coffee makers are around the range of US$60 - US$140 dependent on the brand and model. The normal capacity is between 8 - 12 cups.

If you like to have a bit more options in customizing your cup of coffee you might wish to go for a coffee and espresso combination machine. These types of coffee makers offer more variety in the type of beverages that can be made from regular coffee to latte and espresso. Prices are steeper, starting from US$200 onwards. When choosing such a machine, you might want to consider the features such as the grinder, milk frother, good bean hopper, strong pump. If your skills in coffee making are good, you might want to choose a manual machine. If not, an automatic machine will help to save the trouble but give you a good cup of coffee.

Different brands of coffee makers are available in the market and as a conscious consumer looking for good value, it is important to consider the reliability of the machine and the reputation of the manufacturer other than price and functionality. When you are embarking on the journey to get the right coffee maker, why not keep these pointers in mind?

By Anne Lim