Coffees of the World
Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages in the world. The coffee growing belt can be seen on either side of the equator across the world. It is these regions in South America, Africa and other countries that offer the ideal climate suited for the growth of coffee. With each region and changing climatic conditions the coffee displays a distinct flavor as well as other characteristics in different measure.
Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Hawaii, India, Jamaica, Java, Sumatra, Kenya and Mexico are among the main countries where you are able to get the best grades of coffee. Quite often we see the coffee known by the region it is produced from. This is to ensure that the customer knows exactly what to expect as these flavors, acidity, body, aroma and richness are linked to the area that it is grown. The best coffee beans are obtained from the mountain grown varieties where the coffees mature at a much slower rate when compared with the lower grown varieties. The high grown coffee bean is a miracle of nature loaded with the most wonderful flavors and aromas.
Apart from the region and the climate other factors also impact the end product where coffee is concerned. The ways in which coffee beans are plucked and handled, stored and finally processed have a profound effect on the final taste of the coffee that is produced. In fact, the most expensive coffee in the world is found in Indonesia and adjoining regions and is revered as the best tasting coffee in the world. These coffee beans are not plucked but instead is eaten by a kind of civet cat and then excreted. It is these coffee beans that are used to produce the coffee which sells at around $600 per kg. The flavor is supposed to be unmatched.
Processing coffee is usually done in two different methods. One is wet processing and the other is dry processing. Wet processing involves the coffee beans being washed to remove the dust particles and the residue from the dried fruit. The dry process on the other hand allows the coffee cherries to dry in the sun and then rakes the beans to free it from the dried fruit with the leftover particles and bags them for use. For whatever reason, the second process produces coffee that has richness and a thick and silky body and excellent flavor.
Next comes the roasting of the coffee beans. This is the way that the wonderful flavors locked in the coffee beans, the richness of the body; aroma and taste are brought out. It is the roasting that transforms the grassy, woody and generally uninteresting coffee bean into a cup of the most satisfying brew on earth. Roasting styles determine the end product and the quality of the coffee can be changed by adjustments at this stage. As the coffee beans roast it undergoes many changes. First of all it will loose the moisture trapped inside the coffee bean. Then it will turn from a greenish yellow to slowly become cinnamon color. Roasting style is measured and known by the Agtron number. The Agtron number is 95 for the lightest and 25 for the darkest in color. There are 8 different shades in between. At 95 it is known as a cinnamon roast after the color. After that the different stages of roasting are light roast, medium roast, Viennese or full city roast, French, Italian or espresso roast or the dark French roast and ends with being charcoal and of no value at all when the roasting goes beyond this.
There is simply no other substitute for a well brewed cup of coffee bursting with heady aromas, wondrous flavors and a lingering taste in your mouth. The best way to find out what you like as to taste and other characteristics of the coffee is to try it out and you will never be sorry.
“Coffees of the World” courtesy of your online coffee bean store; Gourmet Coffee Beans
View 190+ Different Coffees from 31 countries around the World.
