Are you looking for tips for choosing your coffee?
There are hundreds of coffee bean brands out there, and choosing the right one can be challenging for the average coffee drinker. As well as there being numerous brands, there are equally as many variants to get your head around. So, if you’re scratching your head in your search for the perfect coffee bean, you’ve come to the right place. Through this article, we will offer six tips that will help you choose the right coffee for you.
Tips for Choosing Your Coffee – The Major Beans
To the average coffee fanatic, Arabica and Robusta are the primary coffee beans on the market, and understanding which one you prefer will help you in your choice. Grown at high altitudes, this best and most bitter bean is the Arabica. However, its processing journey heavily dictates the quality. Our favorite Arabica bean journey belongs to the rare Civet Coffee, which you can find out about through this visual guide.
The Robusta bean, taken from the Coffea Canephora plant, accounts for an estimated 30% of commercial coffee. Typically, the Robusta bean has a deep flavor, is strong, and is packed full of caffeine for a powerful punch. Our favorite Robusta bean brand is this Biohazard Coffee, which is labeled dangerous in strength.
Coffee to Your Taste
Coffee is an acquired taste and will be preferred differently by everyone. However, if you’re looking for a coffee that has a smooth taste, you should aim to invest in a light, dry coffee bean. The light-colored beans are roasted for a short time, which means the brew won’t have a bitter taste. Alternatively, if you’d like a strong bitter-tasting coffee, you should find a darker bean that has been roasted for longer.
Caffeine Content
People tend to think that the darker the bean, the greater the caffeine content. However, the complete opposite is true. Light coffee beans will pack the most powerful dose of caffeine. When baristas make Espresso, they will use a medium roasted bean.
Date of Roasting
Checking the roasting date on the coffee bag is important. You don’t want to be brewing your beans any more than 3-10 days after the roasting date. Usually, the darker the roast, the closer to this date you should enjoy. If you have medium roast coffee, you can stretch it out a month, but it’s not suggested to leave it any longer.
Avoid 100% Coffee Labels
Many brands label their coffee as 100% Arabica, which is typically bogus. Although there may not be any Robusta present, the varying roasting process means that such a guarantee can’t be made. That being said, you will usually brew a better-tasting coffee from a 100% labeled coffee. When choosing your coffee bean, you need to take into account the entire process, the brand, and the caffeine content as opposed to label wordings.
Only Reputable Brands
Your aim when buying coffee is usually to get a consistent taste. Buying from a reputable brand is the best way to do this. However, due to the nature of coffee roasting, you need to keep in mind that taste can fluctuate even within the same coffees.
Coffee is a great drink enjoyed worldwide, so there’s no surprise that there are so many different varieties. Choosing the bean for you comes down to your personal taste preferences and desired caffeine fix. Further, you should keep in mind the roasting date, the label, and the type of bean used for the roast. Once you’ve picked your coffee bean, you should stick to the same brand for a consistent roast. However, remember that the taste can vary from pack to pack of the same coffee.
Tips for Choosing Your Coffee is a feature post