Coffee Selection Guide

posted in Coffee, Informative by Louise on June 12, 2018

Life offers us a bewildering amount of choice – Coffee is no exception.

Most of us are caught up in this new Cafe Culture, it’s sociable, it’s accessible (it’s hard on your waistline 🙄) Let’s face it if you’re new to coffee then it’s confusing.

The easiest & cheapest way to ease yourself into coffee is to buy a Cafetiere (glass & metal thing with a plunger – google it) read the info below then go shopping.

Starting with the basics – Fresh is best.

– If you don’t have a coffee bean grinder go for ground coffee (filter ground). It won’t retain its freshness as long a bean but it’s a good place to start.

– One more important point before you dash off to the supermarket (or Amazon) – Roast types:

Espresso roast – designed for espresso coffee machines
Filter roast – designed for pour over method of making coffee IE Caferiere, Aeropress, Drip fed.

and this is where it gets a murky or milky as you like – another guideline for you

If you prefer it black 🤨 then go for a Single origin coffee (from a single known geographical location – such as a farm or estate)
If you like to drink it with milk/cream go for a Blend

First, try your coffee black & add milk if you want to…. are you still with me?

Now lets chose a region from which your coffee will have originated – the worlds “Coffee Belt”

Coffee is grown in the worlds warmer latitudes between the Tropic of Cancer & Capricorn. Within this “coffee belt” there is a vast array of altitude, rainfall, sunshine & soil conditions which will alter the taste of the coffee, much like wine growing.

Central & South American coffee for chocolate flavor, clean & sweet Known for its hint of a chocolatey, nutty flavor. Brazil has a heavier bodied peanut character. Colombian coffee is mellow with a caramel or toffee taste.
East African or Arabian coffee for fruity complex flavor. East African and Arabian coffees have a bit of a fruity flavor. They do have undertones similar to a fruitier, sweeter wine. They also have a lighter taste than coffee from other regions. Ethiopian coffee has complex berry & wine-like aromas, whereas Kenya is known for its stone fruit influence.

Asian coffee for earthy, luscious flavor. If you prefer an earthier, more bitter flavor, Asian coffee is a good option. Coffees made in Asian countries tend to have an earthier, richer flavor. They will be more bitter than sweet in comparison to coffee from other regions.

Indonesian coffee for earthy, spicy flavor. Indonesian coffee has an earthy heavier bodied flavor, along with a hint of spice. If you want something bitter, but flavorsome, Indonesian coffee is an excellent choice.

The Roast & therefore the Taste

Light roast: likely to be a bit sourer than other roasts. If you dislike sweeter tasting coffees, a light roast is a good option

Medium roast: tend to best preserve flavours best during brewing. If you want to taste the distinct caramel flavour of a Colombian then go for a medium roast.

Dark roast: will diminish flavour a little. You’ll still get some of the coffee’s original flavor, but you may end up with a bittersweet aftertaste or undertones. Try it if you prefer your coffee less sweet.

A few additional points:

As coffee roasts get darker, they lose the origin flavors of the beans and take on more flavor from the roasting process.
The body of the coffee gets heavier, until the second crack, where the body again thins.
Lighter roasts have more acidity than darker roasts.
Light roasted beans are dry, while darker roasts develop oil on the bean surface.
The caffeine level decreases as the roast gets darker.

And lastly….a good coffee should provide:

Details about its origin, where it was farmed, roasted & ground.
A “roasted on” date, try and consume within a month of this date.
Check the Ethics, a large % now carry Fair Trade & Rain Forest Alliance – but just because it doesn’t have a badge, it does not mean it is unethical. Small coffee farmers maybe part of a co-operative which have set standards for fair pay etc.

Be careful Caffeine levels vary by coffee. Coffee usually has anywhere between 65 to 100 milligrams of caffeine per cup. Stronger coffee would be on the higher end of this spectrum, while weaker coffee would be on the lower end.

No Decaf coffee is 100% caffeine free so if you’re sensitive to caffeine always check the content…our decaf is delicious

Hope this helps! …………I’m exhausted and in need of a brew.. you can shop for Crazy Cat Coffee here via Amazon.co.uk

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