Wake Up - Time for Coffee

By: Greg Mee
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:18:03
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The vast majority of coffees from around the world are either Arabica or Robusta. Arabica has about 60-80% of the market. It tends to be better flavored and have less caffeine than the Robusta, but some Robustas are good by themselves and they're frequently blended with Arabica.

Various other coffee types make up the rest of the market, but they aren't what you're going to find on your grocery store shelf. For example, Kona coffee comes from the Hawaiian islands and is a relatively rare, quite expensive bean. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is also rare and expensive. More so when hurricanes wipe out the crop. Look into specialty coffee shops or online stores and see what they have to offer. Explore a little and you might just find the perfect bean.

Traditionally, the owners of the coffee plantations, coffee brokers, and the processing companies made pretty much all the money from the coffee we buy. The people doing the actual work and harvesting made pennies. Fair trade coffee is an attempt to change that. The Fair Trade program tries to ensure that the workers and growers get a fair share of the price of the coffee. So while "Fair Trade" coffee isn't a different kind of bean the intent behind it might make that coffee taste a little better.

If you're looking to buy the fancier coffee beans (pre-roasted) just go to your favorite coffee house (Peet's Coffee, Starbucks, or where ever) or your favorite grocery store. More and more stores are starting to carry the fancier coffees. You can either grind the beans right there in the store, or take them home to do yourself. More and more people are going this route, rather than buying ground coffee in a can. (Does it taste like mud because it was ground?)

Green coffee is coffee that has not yet been roasted. The "cherry" may have been removed and the beans dried, but that's it. What you find in the stores has been roasted and processed. An advantage to the green coffee is that it stores very well.

You could buy a quantity of your favorite coffee in its green state, and then roast small amounts when the mood suits you. That way you'll always have the freshest coffee. Of course, you'll have to make room on your kitchen counter for a coffee roaster, along with whatever type of coffee maker you own. Coffee roasters are available in a variety of styles and price ranges, just like coffee makers. Many online stores, such as Amazon.com, have a great selection in all price ranges. Some of these are the single cup coffee machines, which are great for the person on the go. Instead of having 10 or 12 cups cooking away you make just the one cup, to your taste, and off you go.

We're all familiar with the old style drip coffee pot, of course. Load the coffee, boil and brew, and serve many. While many of us still like this style of coffee, there is a rapid growth in the number of people buying espresso machines.

An espresso coffee machine differs a bit from the standard machine. Espresso is made when highly pressurized steam is forced through packed down, finely ground coffee. The first few drops out contain the concentrated goodness of the coffee and the standard serving is just over one ounce. It'll wake you right up. If it doesn't, have another.

Coffee machines vary greatly in features and price. The fancier machines will wash the dishes and clean the kitchen. Well, maybe not. But some of them will not only brew your coffee or espresso, they'll grind the beans! All you do is pour your coffee beans in one end, hit the button, and a fresh cup of coffee or espresso comes out.

Article source: Expert Articles