wine tip

If you are buying coffee beans for your business and not sure what you should be looking for
read on- this guide will help you to understand the differences between the basic types of coffee
and bust the coffee jargon
so you can decide which variety is right for you.

The two main varieties of coffee plant are arabica and robusta. Arabica originated from Ethiopia
whilst robusta came from Uganda. Both are now grown in several other regions throughout the world
and most coffee is labelled clearly to show which country and region it was grown in. Generally speaking
arabica is superior to robusta
with a much stronger and more distinct flavour- robusta can be bitter and weak-tasting- however the taste also varies depending on which region the coffee comes from
and the processes it is subjected to during growing
shipping
storing and brewing.

You will often find that coffee is described in terms similar to those you might find in wine tasting: the main three categories used are flavour (such as ‘sweet’ or ‘spicy’)
aroma (such as ‘flowery’ or ‘chocolaty’)
body (such as ‘medium-bodied’ or ‘full-bodied’) and acidity (which refers to how ‘sharp’ or ‘clean’ the coffee tastes
NOT to its pH).

When you buy coffee beans
you will probably buy them already roasted
however you can ‘home-roast’ them if you choose. Roasting unlocks the flavour from the bean
and the extent to which beans are roasted varies- for example
you can buy ‘medium roast’ beans
‘Italian roast’ beans (‘Italian’ refers to the roast- it does not indicate that the beans came from Italy)
and so on.

It is worth trying out different types of coffee
using the above points as a guide. You will be amazed at the range of flavours out there
and the more effort you make to try the different flavours
the more of an expert you will become.