FAQ
About Gourmet Coffee

Did You Know?

• There are over 4,000 gourmet coffee beans in a pound of our coffee – that’s 2,000 hand-picked cherries since each cherry contains two coffee beans
• A coffee tree will bare fruit for up to 30 years – producing about 2 pounds of roasted coffee per year, that’s only 60 pounds of gourmet coffee beans for the life of the tree.
• Green coffee beans stay fresh much longer than roasted coffee beans – so we always roast our gourmet coffee beans just prior to shipping.

If you have questions about buying gourmet coffee beans online or how to get the best gourmet coffee at home or in your office, perhaps we can help! Here are answers to our most frequently asked questions about fresh roasted gourmet coffee beans.

What’s the difference between light roast, medium roast and dark roast gourmet coffee?

Roasting brings out the natural flavors and oils that give each coffee bean its inherent taste and aroma. Some gourmet coffee beans fare better as Light Roasted Coffee, while the intrinsic characteristics of others fare better as a Medium Roast or Dark Roast. Even the roasting process itself can add a unique “roasting” flavor to the bean. Our roasting experience and expertise allows us to find the optimum roast for each gourmet coffee we carry.

Typically, as green coffee beans are roasted they lose their acidity and develop a smooth, full-body taste. Light roasted coffee beans retain more of their original earthy flavor and have a lighter-body taste while dark roasted coffee beans retain the roasting flavor and have a bittersweet, smoky flavor with a heavier-body taste.

What’s the difference between light acidity and high acidity?

Gourmet Coffee Beans that are lightly acidic tend to have a sweeter, smoother taste like those found in Hawaiian Kona or our Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee. Coffee beans with high acidity, like our Guatemala Antigua or Costa Rica Reserve tend to be bolder with a more floral, wine-like taste.

What coffee grind should I be asking for?

We recommend ordering whole gourmet coffee beans as grinding them just prior to brewing maximizes the flavor. If you need to order your beans pre-ground, the grind type you ask for will depend on the type of coffee maker you brew your coffee in. Our drip ground coffee is a medium ground setting and is best used in drip-type coffee machines. Espresso machines require our fine grind while a French Press is best with our coarse grind.

What makes better gourmet coffee, a drip machine, a French Press or an espresso machine?

Determining which method brews a better cup of coffee depends on the type of coffee used, the coffee’s grind and of course, the subjective opinion of the coffee drinker.

Each brew type has its own unique characteristics. Most coffee experts prefer the French Press method. However, drip coffee is by far the most convenient and most common method. If you must do drip, we recommend a permanent filter drip machine as paper filters tend to filter out some of the essential oils that give the coffee its unique taste. Espresso machines have helped elevate coffee to an art and offer far more opportunities for producing a variety of coffee drink servings.

How should I store my gourmet coffee?

Green coffee beans have a longer shelf life than roasted coffee beans. Roasted whole bean coffee has a longer shelf life than ground coffee. Coffee is porous and will absorb other flavors and odors so avoid putting your coffee in a fridge and keep your coffee away from moisture, light, heat and air. Coffee oils give coffee its distinct flavor and freezing tends to break down these oils so we recommend that you do not freeze your coffee. For the best coffee and freshest cup we recommend buying whole bean coffee directly from a roaster. Store your whole bean coffee in a sealed container kept in a cool dry place and then grind your coffee immediately before brewing.