First, how about a little useful information.

According to the SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America) Here's some True and False:  Test yourself!!

 
FALSE:          Specialty Coffee is Expensive. 

TRUE:           Even the most highly prized single-origin (Varietal) estate grown specialty coffees sell for only 12.00 a pound. Even if you brew coffee exceptionally strong, you will still get at least 50 cups from that Pound, making the cost of each cup just 24 cents, cheaper than bottled water!!

FALSE:         Strong tasting coffee has more caffeine than weak tasting coffee

TRUE            Caffeine contributes no flavor to coffee. Caffeine content is primarily a product of the type of coffee beans used, the water-to-coffee ratio, and the method of brewing.

FALSE:          The Term "specialty" coffee, or "gourmet" coffee refers to espresso-based drinks such as cappuccino, lattes, and mochas.

TRUE:           The term "specialty" coffee, or "gourmet" coffee refers to the highest quality green coffee beans roasted to their greatest flavor potential by true craftspeople and then properly brewed to well established standards.   

How to Brew a perfect cup of coffee 

Start with good quality coffee in whole bean form, if possible. Store the coffee in an airtight container (glass is best) in a cool, dry place. If you plan to keep the coffee more than 7-10 days, it is best kept in the freezer. Grind only enough for the pot you are making and keep your brewing equipment clean.

Water Ninety-eight percent of a cup of coffee is water, so it makes sense that the quality of water used will affect the taste. Use spring or filtered water, not distilled water which lacks the minerals necessary to bind to the flavor components of the coffee bean. Start with water that is fresh and cold. The aeration of freshly drawn cold water gives it a refreshing taste. The optimum temperature to brew coffee at is 185-195 degrees Fahrenheit.

Grind Different brewing methods require different grinds. The fastest brewing method is espresso. The espresso brew extracts best from a fine grind. Espresso-ground coffee holds a clear imprint when you press your thumb in it. The only brewing method requiring a finer grind than espresso is Turkish coffee which is boiled in water on the stove with sugar or honey added afterwards.

Drip Brew The most commonly used brewing method is the drip maker. Drip makers use a medium grind. This slightly coarser grind allows the flavor components of the bean to be picked up by the constant stream of water passing over the beans which eliminates bitterness. A thumbprint in a handful of drip ground coffee will leave an impression that crumbles slightly.

French Press Another excellent method of brewing coffee is the french press, or plunger method. The coarse/drip ground coffee is placed in the bottom of a glass cylinder and hot water is poured over it. After steeping for 3-5 minutes, a plunger with a filter pushes the grind to the bottom and allows the hot coffee to separate, resulting in a smooth, hot pot of coffee. This is a romantic and beautiful presentation of your specialty coffee.

Cold Water Gaining in popularity is the toddy method – a cold water brewing process. Drip ground coffee is put into the brewing container and filled with fresh, cold water. After steeping overnight, the coffee drains through a filter, resulting in a smooth coffee concentrate. This method is great for flavored coffees and makes the best iced lattes when milk and syrup are added to a little of the concentrate.

Percolator The percolator is still in use, although it tends to produce a harsher brew than the previous methods. The water in a percolator is repeatedly poured over the ground coffee, picking up more flavor each time. Because the coffee is repeatedly exposed to the liquid, a coarser grind is required, exposing less surface area of the beans. This reduces the bitterness associated with percolated coffee. Coffee ground for a percolator barely holds an impression and feels gritty in the hand. It leaves little or no residue when brushed away.

Weak Brew - Check your grind. It may need to be finer or the brewing temperature of the water may be too low. In espresso coffee, the pump pressure in the machine and the amount of force used when tamping the coffee may be too little. Often people who have been drinking coffee for several years will develop their palate to a point where a darker roast will be more satisfying.

Bitter Taste - Again, check your grind. Bitterness is often the result of too fine a grind. A dark-roasted coffee will naturally have a bittersweet flavor – a desirable characteristic for those who enjoy the smokiness of Italian or French roast. Espresso coffees which have been extracted for more than 18-22 seconds will also take on a bitter taste. Never re-use the spent grounds. In contrast to OCR’s arabica coffees, robusta coffees naturally have a harsher taste. A quality cup requires a quality coffee.

Burnt Taste - Brewed coffee sitting on a burner starts losing flavor after about 15 minutes. After that time, it starts to burn. Transfer it to an airpot if you need to keep it longer. In an espresso maker, the coffee in a portafilter should not be left in the brew head before extraction. The heat of the brew head will scorch the coffee.

What's the Difference between High-Grown Arabica coffee versus Rubusto coffees?

 Arabica is a different plant species than the more common robusta coffee. Arabica is from the "coffea arabica" seed and needs extensive nurturing to grow; taking years before the first harvest. By comparison, robusta plants, "coffea laurentii", are hardy, large plants that grow at lower elevations, producing a softer bean with less flavor than the arabica.

Our arabica coffees are grown on small farms at high altitudes producing a distinctive flavor in each varietal (type of coffee from a region or country). High-grown coffees take longer to mature, with a resulting bean that is large, dense and more flavorful. Also adding subtle flavor to the coffee are the shade trees such as banana, rubber and orange which grow around the coffee fields.

Arabica coffees are of such high quality they require careful hand picking every day during the season. Only the red cherries are picked each time. Robusta coffees are grown on the flatter land in rows and are machine picked, stripping the trees of every bean – green, ripe red, overripe, rotten, etc. One bad bean used in a pot of coffee will affect the taste of the whole pot.

COFFEE - SOME GREAT BENEFITS!!

A study released today from the University of Scranton revealed that coffee is America's No. 1 source of antioxidants, an important compound that protects your body from disease.

"Antioxidants are your army to protect you from the toxic free radicals, which come from breathing oxygen and eating sugar, that start chronic diseases," said Dr. Joe Vinson, the chemistry professor who led the coffee study. "Antioxidants help stave off cancer, heart disease, diabetes and stroke."

The study ranked black tea as second source of antioxidants, and bananas as third, in the average American diet.

Americans consume, on average, more than eight ounces of coffee a day, which translates into more than a large cup of coffee a day, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. So saying coffee is the No. 1 source of antioxidants in America is like saying that white bread is the No. 1 source of fiber -- there are better fiber sources out there, but white bread is the one we eat the most.

"Coffee contains a lot of antioxidants and we drink a lot of coffee," said Vinson, who has been working on the study for 10 years.

Antioxidants are plant-derived -- as is coffee -- and plants in general are good are you, he added.

There are many sources of antioxidants and "variety is key," because different sources provide different types of antioxidants, Vinson said. He also recommended people drink tea and red wine (in moderation).

A Cup a Day May Keep the Doctor Away

For those who are excited about coffee as a source of antioxidants, Vinson recommends drinking one cup of joe a day.

"It's the optimum I see that has a benefit for the heart," he said.

He also offered some advice for coffee drinkers.

"Spread your coffee drinking throughout the day," he said.

"Caffeine raises your blood pressure, so if you are going to drink a lot of coffee, choose decaf," he added.

Decaf has the same antioxidant benefits as regular coffee.

Coffee Terms:

Acidity: The sharp lively quality characteristic of high-grown coffee, tasted mainly at the tip of the tongue. The brisk, snappy quality that makes coffee refreshing. It is not the same as bitter or sour and has nothing to do with pH factors. Coffees are low in acidity, between 5 and 6 on the pH scale. Describes coffee with a pleasant sharpness, snap, and liveliness. While a coffee low in acidity can result in a pleasant-tasting "mellow" or "soft" cup of coffee, the complete lack of acidity will leave the coffee tasting flat, or "dead". 

Barista: A person who makes coffee drinks as a profession.

Blend: A mixture of two or more individual varietals of coffee.

Body: The tactile impression of the weight of the coffee in the mouth. May range from thin to medium to full to buttery to syrupy. The sense of heaviness or richness (mouthfeel and texture at the back of the tongue). Body describes the depth of flavor, often in terms such as "rough" or "water". This should be a strong, full, pleasant characteristic.

Caffeine: The drug contained in coffee. A bitter white alkaloid derived from coffee (or tea) and used in medicine for a mild stimulant or to treat certain kinds of headache.

Cappuccino: Cappuccino gets its name from the Italian order of Catholic Capuchin monks, whose hooded robes resemble the drink's cap of foam in shape and color. The frothed milk from the top of the steaming pitcher is spooned on top to "cap" the cappuccino and retain heat. The proportion of espresso to steamed and frothed milk for cappuccino is usually 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk and 1/3 frothed milk on top.

Cupping: While tasting wine is called "tasting", tasting coffee is called "cupping".

Demitasse: A small (1/2 size) cup used for serving espresso. It is a French term meaning 'half cup'.

Flavor: This is the all-encompassing coffee term and includes the impressions of acidity, aroma, and body. It is also used to convey any specific taste that is present in the coffee, such as "nutty", "spicy", or "musty".

French Press: A device for making coffee in which ground coffee is steeped in water. The grounds are then removed from the coffee by means of a filter plunger which presses the grounds to the bottom of the pot. Also referred to as a plunger pot.

French Roast: Dark Roasted. Taste bittersweet but not like burnt charcoal.

Hard Bean: Coffee grown at relatively high altitudes, 4,000 to 4,500 feet. Coffee grown above 4,500 feet is referred to as strictly hard bean. This terminology says that beans grown at higher altitudes mature more slowly and are harder and denser than other beans and are thus more desirable.

Latte: A shot or two of espresso that has been poured into a cup filled with steamed milk and topped off with foamed milk (about a 1/4").

Mocha: A small irregular bean. Has a unique acid character. Generally shipped from Mocha Yemen. It is sometimes mixed with coffee shipped from Mocha Yemen.

Monsooned Coffee: Coffee deliberately exposed to monsoon winds in open warehouse to increase body and reduce acidity.

Peaberry: Normally, each coffee cherry contains two beans. Occasionally, a cherry will form with only one bean. These are called peaberries and are frequently separated and sold as its own distinct varietal. New Guinea is one of the more popular ones.

Stale: Coffee that has been exposed to oxygen for too long. It becomes flat and has a cardboard taste.

Sweet: Smooth and palatable coffee that is free from defects and harsh flavors.

Tone: The appearance or color of coffee. i.e. "This light toned coffee resembles the brown robes of the Franciscan Order."

Varietal: The term used for the coffee that comes from a geographical region. A Sumatra, Kenya, Costa Rica or a Java are varietals. As in wine...soil, climate and cultivation methods affect the taste of your coffee. The term varietal is actually a misnomer, since Arabica coffee plants are basically of the same species, unlike wine grapes which come from different species of grape vines.