Brewing Coffee At Home? Get to Know Your Beans
Who doesn't like a fresh cup of brewing coffee to kick-start their day? The tempting taste, the irresistible aroma, and the caffeine kick is simply the ideal way to start the day and prepare for the chaos that lies ahead. A day without the best coffee brand truly feels incomplete.
Most of us prefer to brew our own coffee. Indeed, people love experimenting with various coffee brewing methods to quench their thirst. But wait. Have you ever wondered why the cup of coffee you make at home tastes so different from the one at famous coffee houses? Is it the brewing method, or is there something more to it? Does the secret lie in the coffee grounds? What else is required to make the cup truly magical?
Fortunately, we have the answer right here. If you really want your coffee to stand out, you have to invest in premium coffee beans. Of course, you will come across plenty of brands claiming to offer the best coffee beans in the world. But how do you determine what brand will provide you with that perfect brew?
Want The Best Coffee Beans In The World? Here's What To Know!
Gone are the days when coffee was about merely sipping from a mug. Now, it is viewed as an excuse to slow down and enjoy life. Whenever you pour a cup of the beverage, you look forward to some quiet time wherein you can simply relax. Coffee can indeed be much more than you realize.
Have you ever taken a pause to open a fresh pack of coffee beans and breathe in the vibrant aromas? If not, you are undoubtedly missing out on a soothing experience. So, how do you get the best of the rich and complex flavor? Yes! Premium coffee beans should be your choice.
Paying a Premium For High-Quality Coffee Beans Is Worth It
Imagine this. You are tired after a hectic day at work. You reach out for a hot cup of freshly brewed coffee and look forward to relaxing as you savor the rich flavor. But alas, the low-grade, stale coffee plays a spoilsport. Within minutes, your spirits come crashing down, and your mood witnesses a nosedive. Surely you wouldn't want to face this situation. Finding the best coffee beans in the world might seem like a lot of work. But in the end, it would prove to be worth it.
You will come across three types of coffee beans in the market. The first one is a low-grade commodity coffee that is roasted without craftsmanship. It is sold stale and, needless to say, wouldn't provide you with a fulfilling experience. Another option is to go for profound quality coffee beans but with dark roasting. These mostly offer bitter flavors and are often used in coffee places like Starbucks.
Then you have premium coffee beans wherein roasting is optimal to bring out the most flavor. This is the perfect choice for coffee lovers who yearn for an authentic coffee taste.
The thing about premium coffee beans is that great attention is paid to quality and transparency at every step along the way. Whether it is the supply chain, brewing, or roasting, no compromise has been made at any stage.
Low-quality coffee beans decay quickly. They lose their clear flavor due to the breakdown of acids within a short span. The loss in freshness renders the beans incapable of providing you with a fulfilling cup of brew. So, if you truly want to enjoy the moment, investing in the best coffee brand should be your goal.
Why Are The Best Coffee Beans In The World From High Altitude?
Have you wondered why most renowned premium coffee beans like Tanzania peaberry coffee are from high altitude? What is so special about high altitude coffee bean plant? Well, we are about to uncover the secret.
By now, it must be quite clear to you that coffee quality is complex influenced by various factors. However, one thing that never fails to overshadow the others is altitude. We aren't just claiming this out of thin air. Studies have established that the best coffee beans in the world are the ones that come from high altitudes.
Intrigued to know why? First and foremost, it is the soil that is primarily responsible. The soil high up in the mountain is more fertile and porous and therefore ideal for the coffee bean plant growth. Indeed, the best-tasted beans are the ones that grow in volcanic soils. Interestingly, the mountainous soil hasn't yet been plundered by agriculture and so is rich and highly fertile.
Coffee beans grown at high altitudes are denser and rich in flavor. The cool temperature of the mountains leads to the slower growth of the coffee tree. The coffee bean development is prolonged, thereby making it harder and denser.
This extensive maturation process ensures that the coffee beans have more time to absorb the complex sugars. As a result, you get deeper and more interesting flavors from such coffee bean plants. Additionally, the drainage at high altitudes ensures that that amount of water is reduced in the fruit, which further concentrates the flavors.
Here's an interesting tidbit about the best coffee beans in the world. They are usually grown between 1200 to 1800m. Sounds incredible, doesn't it?
How Does Scoring Reveal The Best Coffee Beans?
Naturally, you want the best coffee beans for espresso to start your day. But how will you find out which coffee brand is capable of providing you with your desired taste and quality? Here's an interesting fact that most are unaware of. Coffee premium beans are scored from 1 to 100 based on their quality and other features.
A coffee brand is scored after it has been tested by at least three Q graders qualified to judge the coffee objectively as per set criteria. These judges score the coffee out of 100. If they find some defects like under-ripe beans, they cut down the marks. Similarly, if the coffee beans have positive attributes like aroma and flavor, the marks go up.
Premium coffee beans are the ones that get scoring within the range of 80 to 100. Needless to say, high-scoring coffee will cost you more. Most expensive coffee places like Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, and the Green Mountains invest in coffee beans that get 80 to 90 points. That's why their coffee tastes so unique.
On the other hand, coffee beans available at grocery stores are rarely scored above 70, which is why you can't get the same high-quality taste regardless of your brewing methods.
Coffee beans that score over 90 are undoubtedly the best. But they are quite rare, not to mention expensive.
Why Direct Purchase Of Premium Coffee Beans From Farmers Is The Best
It is now pretty clear that premium coffee beans are worth your money and effort. But wait, there's more. The question which now arises is from where should you buy these coffee beans? Should you invest in a famous coffee brand or attempt to promote the farm trade? Which one is a more sustainable option?
Fair-trade coffee refers to the purchase of coffee beans through big corporations. In this case, the cooperation is in charge of all the transactions. Some of the cash is provided to the farmers, which more often than not is the minimum trade price. A small amount of profit goes to the communal fund, which is meant for use by farmers and workers.
The system does sound reasonable but is it really effective? All of us have heard how farmers struggle to make ends meet and get the bare minimum wage for all their efforts. Coffee farm slaves are common worldwide who work day and night simply to meet their basic needs. Is it fair? Would you want it on your conscience that you could have made a difference to their situation via a simple step, yet you turned a blind eye? Surely not!
This brings us to the direct coffee trade. You can buy premium coffee beans directly from the farmer. In this case, the farmer is paid by the roaster and purchaser, thereby establishing a direct relationship. As a result, farmers get a fair deal while the buyers get a great product. Farmers undoubtedly get a better deal in this case as they acquire a more considerable amount of transactions. The roasters are happy, too, since they have more control over the quality of coffee beans. Sounds like a win-win for both, doesn't it?
Of course, buying directly from farmers isn't always easy. You have to face problems with exporting and language barriers. Using a language translator or researching local exporters can make things easier for you.
What You Need To Know About The Harvest Of Coffee Beans
If you really want the best coffee beans in the world, you should know everything about the process. How else will you determine if your coffee bean ticks all the boxes? Harvest of coffee beans is undoubtedly a critical factor that determines the quality of your coffee.
Typically, the coffee bean is harvested by hand via two methods, selective picking, and strip picking.
- During the process of strip picking, all the trees are harvested at one time, and the beans are stripped off the branches simultaneously, including the unripe cherries. Machine harvest can also be done for this method wherein the trees are shaken such that all the cherries are knocked off at one time.
- Selective picking is a much more elaborate process. Numerous passes are made over coffee trees, and only the ripe cherries are selected. The cherries are picked only when they ripen. Needless to say, this one is more expensive as more labor is involved.
Pickers usually pick around 100 to 200 pounds of cherries daily. Out of all these, merely 20% are actually coffee beans. These coffee beans are further filtered to ensure that the best quality ones make their way to the market.
Various factors influence the harvesting period, including climate and geographical location. For instance, May to September is the harvesting period in Brazil, while in Central America, the period is from October to March.
Keep in mind that the presence of unripe seeds makes coffee bitter. Therefore, selective picking ensures a better taste of your coffee.
Sustainable coffee farming is, of course, a desirable choice since less water is used. The land's natural nutrients are replaced by spreading natural matter and fertilizers between the coffee trees in a sustainable farm. Furthermore, trees are not cut down in sustainable farms. Instead, coffee husks are reused. New trees are planted to replace the old ones during heating.
Sustainable farms pay heed to the environment. Therefore, pollution-free tools are used to heat the coffee beans. Best practices are adhered to in sustainable farming, including shade growing and bio-diversification, among other things. Sustainable farms mostly use renewable energy resources and maintain good working conditions.
So if you want to ensure that you play your role in the wellbeing of the environment while simultaneously enjoying a steaming cup of coffee, you know what to go for.
By going for premium coffee beans grown in sustainable farms, you not only protect the environment but also do well for the workers. All of this while getting high-quality coffee beans for yourself. What more could you want?
Get The Best Coffee Beans In The World Now!
Who would have thought there is so much to know about coffee beans? But then, ardent coffee lovers will undoubtedly appreciate everything they can learn, which will improve the taste of their brew.
For instance, isn't it interesting to know that the Tanzania Peaberry Coffee is suited for those who love an explosion of intense flavor? These beans are grown at high altitudes and don't involve the use of artificial fertilizers. That's the reason they are so flavorful and strong. You can literally feel the kick! Then you have koa coffee that has a mild and smooth aroma, which is truly a treat for your palate.
So, if you really want the best coffee beans for espresso or any other blend, know more about the various types of coffee beans and what they are most suited for.
Trust us; the world of coffee beans is majestic with many secrets. Every secret that you uncover reveals a fresh new experience of coffee blend that you couldn't have envisioned.
All the coffee lovers are surely in for a ride with the various coffee bean types. You are undoubtedly in for an exciting ride once you get all the information.