Secrets to Great Coffee

The majority of American adults (63%) drink coffee every day, and the average coffee drinker in the U.S. drinks 2.7 cups per day. That’s a lot of coffee, so make sure you get the best experience you can! Whether brewing coffee at home or getting it in a café or elsewhere, the guide below can greatly enhance your coffee-drinking pleasure.

Start with Good Beans!

Good coffee starts with good coffee beans. But even among high quality beans there are differences that affect the flavor profile. Some of the factors that our roasters take into account when selecting beans, and that we take into account when selecting our roasts, include:

TYPE OF BEAN

The two primary species of coffea plants used for the coffee we drink are Arabica and Robusta. Arabica is known for its more aromatic and delicate flavors. It’s also less resistant to disease and pests. Robusta is known for being more bitter, caffeinated, and hardy. Within every species, there are multiple varieties with their own distinctive characteristics.

DENSITY OF BEANS

Bean hardness, or density, gives us information about the coffee’s quality and how we should roast it. Harder beans developed more slowly, creating more complex flavors. They can also be roasted more quickly and at higher temperatures.

GROWING ELEVATION

Generally speaking (but not always), the higher the elevation where coffee is grown, the denser the beans and the better the quality.

PROCESSING METHOD

Coffee processing is the method by which the coffee beans are removed from the coffee cherry (see Coffee Basics for more detail!). The method used affects the coffee’s flavor and the optimal way to roast it.

• WET/WASHED: The cherry flesh was removed by water, and then the beans were dried. This offers a clean flavor profile.
• DRY/NATURAL: The coffee was slowly dried under the sun while still in the cherry. This method usually creates a sweet, fruity taste. The quality varies more with this method: it can result in poor quality if fermentation is uncontrolled or inconsistent or in high quality with careful drying and monitoring by the producer.

COUNTY OF ORIGIN

Each region of the world produces coffee with its own unique taste profile. Conditions such as altitude, climate, soil, and processing methods all affect the taste of the coffee. Differences in coffee based on region include the amount of body, the amount of acidity, and the sweetness level. Knowing the country of origin helps ensure that the bean meets the desired taste profile.

This can be narrowed further by selecting single origin coffee, which comes from a particular region within a country (or sometimes even a particular farm), or a micro lot, which comes from a particular area of a particular farm.

An alternative is to create a blend, in which coffees from multiple origins have been combined to achieve a more desirable flavor profile or to add any characteristics that were considered “missing.” Blends can be made either before or after roasting.

Experimenting and attending our cuppings (tastings) is a great way to figure out what you like and don’t like. Don’t be surprised that you like one style or flavor profile for mornings or with meals and a different style for a different time of day. This process can be super fun too!