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COFFEE SELECTOR GUIDE
Our coffee selector helps you choose your gourmet coffee by determining your taste preferences by roast level and flavor complexity. These are two key factors that can help you determine which gourmet coffee you might prefer. The roast levels include 4 roasting levels including light roast, medium roast, medium-dark roast, and dark roasted coffee. The flavor complexity represents a combination of taste factors, including the level of acidity and the body fullness, ranging from light, medium or full body. You can read more about these flavor factors in our coffee taste and aroma section and our coffee cupping section.
LIGHT ROAST / SMOOTH FLAVOR
* Brazilian Santos Coffee
MEDIUM ROAST / SMOOTH FLAVOR
* Colombian Supremo Coffee
* Costa Rica Tarrazu Coffee
* Guatemala Coffee
MEDIUM ROAST / COMPLEX FLAVOR
* Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Coffee
* Kenya AA Coffee
MEDIUM - DARK ROAST / SMOOTH FLAVOR
* Panama Boquete Coffee
MEDIUM - DARK ROAST / COMPLEX FLAVOR
* Breakfast Blend Coffee
DARK ROAST / SMOOTH FLAVOR
* Dark Roast Brazil Santos Coffee
DARK ROAST / COMPLEX FLAVOR
* French Roast Coffee
DARK ESPRESSO ROAST / SMOOTH FLAVOR
* Espresso Roast Coffee
COFFEE BEAN ROAST LEVELS
There are many attributes and techniques to consider when roasting coffee beans. We won't go into roasting techniques, but will identify typically accepted roast levels to help you in selecting your coffee. Generally, the time and temperature a coffee bean is roasted determines the roast level.
LIGHT ROASTS - light brown in color, generally preferred for milder coffee varieties. The surface of the bean is dry with no oils present. Light roasts in order of increasing level of roast include:
* Light City Roast
* Half City Roast
* Cinnamon Roast
* New England Roast
MEDIUM ROASTS - medium brown in color wit a stronger flavor and a non-oily surface of the bean. The bean is typically slightly sweeter than a light roast. This roast is sometimes referred to as American roast, because it is generally preferred in the U.S.. Medium roasts in order of increasing level of roast include:
* American Roast
* City Roast
* City Roast +
MEDIUM - DARK ROASTS - a rich, dark color with some oil on the surface of the bean. A medium-dark roasted bean has a slightly bittersweet aftertaste. Medium-Dark roasts in order of increasing level of roast include:
* Breakfast Roast
* Full City Roast
* Full City Roast +
* High Roast
* Vienna Roast or Viennese Roast
DARK ROASTS - exhibited by shiny black beans with an oily surface. This roast produces a significant amount of bitterness. Darker roasted beans have lower levels of acidity. Many roasters name their dark roasts differently, and the beans can be anywhere from black to charred. Dark roasts in order of increasing level of roast include:
* Continental Roast
* New Orleans Roast
* French Roast
* Dark French Roast
* Espresso Roast
* European Roast
* Italian Roast
* Spanish Roast
COFFEE TASTE & AROMA
Similar to wine, coffee has some specific tastes and aromas that are present. Judging these characteristics can be both objective and subjective. There are certain tastes and aromas that good coffee cuppers look for; but the bottom line is how the coffee tastes to you and what type of coffee do you typically like. Here are some guidelines in helping choose your coffee:
* Aroma - how does the coffee smell, after grinding and after brewing. This provides an indication of how your coffee will taste.
* Acidity - this just means the level of tanginess or liveliness available from a small to a large amount for a particular coffee. Many people like a certain level of acidity in their coffee. In general, different coffee growing regions have different acidity levels because of the soil and climate.
* Body - how the coffee feels in your mouth. This is the thickness or heaviness of the coffee on your tongue. The body level ranges from light to full.
* Roast - the level of roasting, ranging from a light roast to a very dark roast.
* Balance - the overall level of combination of the above factors. Typically ranging from low to high, a coffee with a medium or "good" balance would exhibit fairly equal levels of acidity, body and aroma. No single characteristic would overpower another.
These characteristics combine to provide the overall flavor characteristics of your selected coffee.
Like fine wines, coffee tastes typically evolve for an individual over time. The more different types of coffee you try, help you determine what characteristics you like or dislike. Over time, you will develop a preference for what types of coffees you choose.
COFFEE CUPPING
Coffee Cupping is a method of evaluating the aroma and taste of coffee beans. Typically used by coffee growers, buyers and roasters to determine the quality of a particular coffee sample.
There are specific techniques learned for proper cupping, but essentially coffee is freshly ground and placed in a small bowl, then covered with boiling water. The coffee is allowed to brew a few moments then a trained coffee cupper uses a cupping spoon to gently remove floating coffee grounds and taste the coffee. Properly tasting the coffee with a cupping spoon, the cupper uses a slurping technique to draw coffee into their mouth. After tasting, the coffee is then spit out. A trained coffee cupper typically considers these characteristics of the coffee:
* Fragrance - the smell of the beans after grinding
* Aroma - the smell of coffee after it is brewed
* Taste - the flavor of the coffee
* Nose - the vapors released by the coffee in the mouth
* Aftertaste - the vapors and flavors that remain after swallowing
* Body - the feel of the coffee in the mouth
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