Buying
coffee may not be that difficult if there are only two choices on the shelves.
But what happens when you have more than ten kinds of coffee to choose from? A
little difficult, yes, but still manageable. However, what happens when you
have as many as 30 varieties lined up on the shelf, which coffee would you
choose? A little bit crazy I bet.
This,
however, is the reality of things. In a coffee specialty shop you can find more
than 30 different kinds of coffee, more brands that you have ever seen some of
which you've never heard of and more unique flavors and combinations than any
coffee shop could ever provide.
Whenever you
buy coffee you get to see a lot of French, Italian, Viennese, and Continental names
on the packaging. Usually, these brands are made from darker coffees and don't
really mean that the beans themselves came from these regions.
But instead
of the location where they were planted and harvested, these coffee names are
dependent on the actual length of time the beans were roasted. For example,
Italian roasts are generally darker in color since they have been roasted
longer than the Viennese coffee, and so on.
If European
names refer to the length of being roasted, non-European names refer to the
origin of the coffee bean. So if you see a coffee named Mexican roast, then the
beans came from Mexico.
There are
other names on coffee labels. One of the more exclusive ones is the Estate
named brands. Estate labeled coffees are distinct in a way that the coffee has
been grown, harvested and processed in a single farm or estate. Estate coffee
growers pride themselves of having their coffees pure.
They never
mixed their own estate coffee varieties with other coffees the grew and were
harvested in other regions. Probably, one of the most known and trusted estate
grown coffee is the Wallensford
Blue Mountain brand, which is grown exclusively
in Jamaica.
We've talked
about names referring to roasts and place of origin, now let's take a look at
the various flavored coffee names. Generally, these kinds of coffees are less
expensive but are really good nonetheless. Flavored coffee names are the ones
that have the words crème, chocolate, vanilla, or any nut or fruit names
attached to the word "coffee."
Unlike most
of the pure coffees which are roasted black, flavored coffees are roasted
medium brown. The flavor themselves are added into the coffee in liquid form.
Blends, on
the other hand, are a mix of two or more coffees. The main consideration and certainly
the key feature of blends is that the coffees that are mixed together should
complement each other.
The aroma,
taste, and flavor should never be distinct but at the same time harmonious.
Just like estate coffees, there are several well known house blends that have
trusted coffee combinations.
There are
also various organic coffees and other commercial brand names that have their
own distinct flavors. Just remember to choose calmly and don't get overwhelmed
by the number of varieties out there.
