10 Quick Tips On Coffee Beans

The Best Fresh Coffee Beans

If you want to enjoy the finest coffee, purchase whole beans from a local coffee roaster or shop. A retailer that has several blends would be a good option.

Koffee Kult's Thunder Bolt is a dark French roast that has an intensely satisfying taste. It is a bit more expensive but it's organic1, fair-trade2 and has no added ingredients.

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe

Known for its delicate fragrance and tangy taste, the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe is among the most sought-after coffee beans around the world. It's also a good source of antioxidants. It is recommended to brew it without milk or sugar to preserve the distinctive flavor profile. It is great with food items that are savory to balance the sweet-salty. It's also a great pick to take a break from the day.

Ethiopia is often called the birthplace of coffee. The story goes that a goat herder named Kaldi noticed that his flock became more energetic after eating the red berries growing in a nearby plant home. He then tried the berries for himself and realized that they have a powerful effect on his energy levels. The herder shared the berry with his family and this is how coffee was first consumed.

The coffee that is grown in the Yirgacheffe region of Sidamo in Ethiopia is typically wet-processed, also known as "washed." This process removes sour tastes and gives a fresh, clean taste. In the mid-2000s, global coffee prices soared to unsustainable levels, which affected many farmers in Ethiopia. The Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union was able to keep the farmers in business by being able to negotiate on the market and implementing fair trade initiatives. This led to the new wave of fruity single origin Ethiopian coffees dubbed the "new naturals." Today the world is once again enjoying the distinctive fruity, floral and citrusy flavor of the Yirgacheffe bean.

Geisha

Geisha is among the most expensive coffee beans (website link) in the world. It has a subtle tea-like flavor with hints of mango, peach, and raspberry. It also has a delicate mouthfeel, similar to black tea. But does the price really justify the price?

The Geisha variety was first discovered in the highland region of Gesha (it was mispelled throughout the process) in Western Ethiopia in the 1930s by an British consul. The seeds were later transported to CATIE in Costa Rica, and finally to Panama by the late Francisco Serracin, known as Don Pachi. When the Peterson family began experimenting with it on their Hacienda Esmeralda farm, they discovered that it produced amazing flavors that had balance and finesse.

Geisha is more than a great coffee; it has a significant impact on the communities that produce it. It allows farmers to invest their profits into improving their farming practices and processes. This results in better quality coffee beans of all the coffee varieties that they grow.

Despite this, many everyday coffee drinkers are reluctant to give it a go due to the steep price tag. Geisha coffee is worth the price. Do yourself a favor, and get some.

Ethiopian Harrar

Ethiopian Harrar coffee is exotic and full-bodied. This coffee is a dry processed (natural) arabica and comes from the Oromia region, also known as Harrar, in southern Ethiopia at elevations between 4,500 and 6,300 feet. It is characterized by its wine-like, fruity acidity and mocha-like flavor.

The coffee is harvested in the spring, and then dried and fermented to release its flavors and aromas. The coffee is not contaminated with chemicals and low in calories, unlike most commercial coffees. It also has a range of health benefits, such as reducing the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. It is also high in antioxidants and contains many other nutrients. It is recommended to consume a cup of Ethiopian Harrar on an empty stomach to maximize the benefits.

Ethiopian Harrar is one of the world's most prized coffees is from the Ethiopian region that is the most eastern. It is grown at the highest altitudes in the region, near the city's walled fortifications of Harrar. This coffee is a distinct blend that can be enjoyed as espresso or lattes.

The coffee is sorted by hand and then harvested, and finally dried in the sun using traditional cloth bags. This method preserves aromas and improves flavor. It is also a more sustainable process. It can be brewed with any brewing method, but is especially suited to a French press or pour over.

Monsooned Malabar

Monsooned Malabar, one of the world's most well-known and unique coffees, is a rich and chocolatey coffee beans to buy with the flavor of nutty wood and almost no acidity. Its name comes from the "monsooning" process as well as the region from which it comes: the wettest part of India and the mountainous region of Malabar which encompasses Karnataka and Kerala.

The legend of this coffee is a bit anecdotal, but during time of the British Raj, when large wooden ships transported raw coffee to Europe The cargo was often delayed due to monsoon weather conditions. While it was at sea, humidity and the wind on board caused the coffee to develop naturally, and eventually turn into a pale off-white shade. Arriving in Europe, the beans were found to have a distinct, highly desirable flavor character.

This unique and specialized coffee processing process, also known as monsooning, continues to today in Keezhanthoor which is a hamlet with a high-end range cocooned in the Western Ghats and surrounded by small-scale tribal farmers who are committed to delivering the highest quality of coffeee beans. They make a full-bodied, well-balanced and aromatic coffee that has notes of baker's chocolate sweet syrup and mild vanilla.

This coffee is fantastic by itself or mixed with fruitier varieties. It is also able to stand up to milk well, making it an ideal espresso or cafe coffee beans cream coffee. Pour-overs, like in the Bialetti Moka Pot, are also popular. Monsooned Malabar is also heat resistant because of its lower acidity.