It comes as a shocker to most newbie coffee lovers when they first get to know that there’s much more than simply an instant coffee. It gets way more complicated when you get to know there are different types of beans that yield diverse tastes of coffee.
Now, how do you select one type out of these so many? More importantly, why would you go for a specific bean type? Well, today, we will be looking at 9 tips for choosing the best coffee beans for yourself
9 Tips for choosing the best coffee beans
Who doesn’t want to enjoy the taste of fresh coffee? We Hope you want to. However, due to a lack of knowledge about coffee, it is always not possible to buy good quality coffee beans from the market. As a result, it waste both your labor and money.
We found the 9 tips on how to collect best coffee beans for you that will provide in below.
So coffee lovers, Let’s hop in!
- Know Where is the coffee grown?
- Is the Coffee organic?
- Learn About The Bean Types
- Know About Coffee Roasts
- How Much Caffeine Do You Want?
- Which One Is Your Type – Single Or Blended Origin?
- Decide On Your Coffee Maker
- Keep Exploring!
- Always find out the roast date
Tip 01: Know Where is the coffee grown?
If you taste different coffee, you already know that different coffee regions offer different flavors. The flavor will depend largely on where it was grown. Coffee grown worldwide has its own uniqueness.
Don’t worry, and this information chapter will reach your expectations.
Central America coffee: Coffee is grown in about 70 countries worldwide. Central American grown coffee is usually Smooth, Fruity, Subtly nutty, Bright, acidic (not sour)
South America Coffee: Colombia is the largest producer of coffee in South America. Usually, the Coffee is Slight sweetness, Mellow, Hints of caramel and honey.
Asia Coffee: Indonesia produces the most coffee among the Asian countries. The Indonesian coffees are usually Woody, Earthy, Low-acidity.
Africa coffee: African grown coffee usually Hints of wine, berry, Fruity, floral. Ethiopia’s trademark is its strong blueberry flavor.
Tip 02: Is the Coffee organic?
All the coffees available in the market are of two types in terms of production. There are Organic coffee and Conventional Coffee (non organic coffee). No doubt organic coffee is healthy and a bit expensive.
We can consider coffee organic when grown without the use of chemical-based fertilizers, artificial fertilizers, pesticides, or genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
If you don’t want to drink a cup of coffee that has been exposed to pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and harmful fertilizers, organic coffee is a surefire way to guarantee the cleanest coffee while staying better for the environment.
Organic Vs. Non-Organic Coffee which is the best! You should read for more information.
Tip 03: Learn About The Bean Types
Generally, there are 4 different types of beans that are produced around the globe. These are known as
- Arabica
- Robusta
- Liberica
- and Excelsa.
The latter two are kind of similar in nature as the Excelsa is actually an upgraded version of the Liberica.
But these two are kind of the least found beans right now and probably fall into the luxury beans category for many. On the other hand, the Arabica and Robusta are the most common beans available right now that the entire world is consuming.
Arabica shares around 60% of the total production of coffee beans across the world today. That means the beans you find in the market are most probably Arabica. The second most common one is, of course, the Robusta.
The look and taste definitely vary between these two types. The Arabica bean comes with a bright body that you can instantly differentiate from other types. Plus, the beans contain a certain amount of acidity, as well.
On the other hand, the Robusta has a smooth texture on it as its signature look. But it comes with a lot of caffeine, as well. The amount of caffeine in the Robusta bean is almost double the amount found in Arabica.
Tip 04: Know About Coffee Roasts
After you settle down with a certain bean type, it’s time to learn more about the roasting process of the beans. You don’t grind the beans immediately after collecting them from the coffee tree. It needs to be roasted before you can grind it and take a sip in.
Now, there are 4 types of roasting methods for coffee beans.
- Light Roast
- Medium Roast
- Dark Roast
- Extra Dark Roast
The lightly roasted beans are kind of raw. You can feel the green texture of the raw beans even after it is roasted. It retains its acidity to a notice-worthy level and keeps the moisture in it. You can feel the acidity when you taste it.
As for the medium roast is when the lightly roasted beans are roasted a bit further. It eliminates a significant amount of acid from the beans. It still lies somewhere between its original form and a burnt one.
Now, the dark roast is when you burn the beans up to 446-degree Fahrenheit. It will leave a deep brown texture on the beans, and it makes it nearly acid-less and causes an oily surface. It loses most of its raw flavor and brings in a bit of burnt flavor.
And the extra dark roast is done beyond 446-degree F, and the bean is now completely burnt and acid-free. It tastes nothing like a raw bean and comes with a different burnt flavor.
Tip 05: How Much Caffeine Do You Want?
Most people think the darker is the bean, the more caffeine it releases. Well, wrong idea. It depends on the way you are roasting the bean. The more you roast, the more its weight and size will differ.
Apart from that, some coffee plants are more resistant to heat than other types, hence contain more caffeine than most other beans. For example, as we said earlier, the Robusta coffee beans have double the caffeine than the Arabica beans.
So, you need to make sure how much caffeine do you need to relieve yourself every morning! Then decide on the bean and roast type.
Tip 06: Which One Is Your Type – Single Or Blended Origin?
This depends entirely on your taste and preference. Single-origin coffee bean means the beans are collected from a specific location, a specific farm, or a specific area where the climate and atmosphere are well-defined.
For single-origin coffee, roasters usually prefer light roasting to retain the original flavor of the raw beans so that sticking to a specific location can make more sense. If you are a black coffee guy, the consistency of a specific type will suit you the most.
On the other hand, blended coffee beans are a mixture of beans collected from different locations and regions. Roasters mix up diverse beans and roast them evenly to create a different flavor and aroma. It attracts most coffee lovers beyond doubt.
Tip 07: Decide On Your Coffee Maker
Now, you may be wondering what does a coffee maker has to do with the beans? Well, certain coffee makers work differently than the other types.
Some are quite efficient in extracting flavors, while some are experts in grinding beans into the finest powder.
That brings up the question – which one is your preference? For example, a French press coffee machine often gives you fine ground coffee, while a drip machine uses filters to retain the flavor to a greater extent.
Tip 08: Keep Exploring!
There’s no need to stop and settle for one coffee bean type. Why would you need to do that when you have different options available? Even if you find a bean type that suits your taste bud, you may find something more exciting in other beans, as well.
So, don’t settle down! Keep exploring and experimenting with flavors and aromas!
Tip 09: Always find out the roast date
You must always get fresh coffee. Before buying your coffee beans, find out the date of roast on the label so that you have to know how many days have passed since they roasted the beans.
If you don’t have a coffee grinder at home, take the whole bean bag and ask the supermarket or cafe to grind it for you, or you can buy it from our best coffee grinder spell out here.
Avoid packaged coffee as ground as it may not go into the special treatment process.
Final Words
Remember, these 9 tips are not the end of the world. The more you get familiar with coffee beans, the more you become a coffee geek. In the course of time, you yourself can explore more and find out more tricks to find out the best coffee beans that soothe your taste buds!
And most importantly, don’t stop when you find something tasty.