Try Gourmet Coffee Beans and Taste the Difference

Coffee has become one of the most popular beverages in the world. Most people drink it hot but coffee can also be drunk cold. Millions of people are very interested in what makes a coffee special. They experiment with different brands, textures and flavours. This enormous interest has led to a huge demand for gourmet coffee beans.

Gourmet coffee depends on the raw product that is coffee beans. To a coffee connoisseur the source of the beans used is very important. For example, a very small amount of coffee beans is grown in Jamaica. Due to the scarcity and high quality of Jamaican grown beans it is very expensive. Good quality coffee is also grown in Kenya. Much larger quantities of coffee beans are grown in other regions of Africa and also South America.

It is not only the location that matters but also exactly how the beans are treated. Gourmet coffee beans are carefully treated because the whole object is to end up with beans that have an excellent flavour and aroma. The process is as follows:

After harvesting, the flesh of the beans is taken out. The separation of flesh and seed is done by machine. It is the seed that is called the bean. The beans are fermented for a specific period. It is the fermentation that does away with a slimy covering. Next they are washed with water. The clean water gets rid of a bad smelling residue from fermentation. The beans are dried by sun or machine. High quality beans must only have a moisture level of ten percent. Dry beans called green beans are graded then stored then shipped across the world.

Beans can be further aged to get a flavour Europeans enjoy. The extra aging comes from the days when it took many months for beans to arrive in Europe and so Europeans became accustomed to that flavour.

Coffee beans must be roasted to the right degree. It is easy to burn the beans so great care must be taken. As soon as the beans are roasted they must be quickly cooled. It is the roasting process that determines how much flavour and aroma will be released.

Coffee beans must be ground. The exact texture is an individual choice. The coffee can be coarse or fine. Coarse would be brewed Turkish or Greek style. Finer coffee can be percolated. Espresso style requires very fine coffee.

The flavour of the beans is released over time. Both flavour and aroma peaks and then gradually starts to downgrade. Proper airtight storage containers must be used. As the coffee beans and ground coffee have a limited life it is better to only buy enough for shorter periods of time. This ensures you always get the best flavour and aroma.

It is usual for coffee lovers to buy their gourmet coffee beans from a specialist outlet and grind them at home. This standard of bean is determined by where it was grown and the precise care taken during the entire process from growing and harvesting to roasting and grinding. It is these factors that determine whether the flavour and aroma is superior to standard coffee.

Article Source: Articles Engine
Lawrence White