The Best Coffee Beans

Some coffee drinkers prefer to make every cup from freshly ground whole beans.

Every coffee connoisseur has their own vision of what constitutes the best coffee bean. What type of coffee bean, where it was grown and how it was processed all affect the flavor of the final product.

Characteristics

Professional coffee tasters, known as cuppers, look for acidity or sharpness of flavor, body or mouth feel, aroma or fragrance of the roasted beans and flavors such as spicy, fruity or mellow tastes.

Growing

Coffee beans are grown in tropic locations. Popular coffee growing locations include South East Asia, Africa and South America and Central America. Soil composition as well as weather conditions all affect the flavor of the coffee bean.

Roasting

Roasting the raw, dry coffee beans brings out the flavor in the beans. Roasts vary from light to dark, depending on the amount of heat and time the beans are roasted.

Blends

Coffee producers sometimes blend coffee beans from different regions to create a particular balance of flavor. A coffee bean composition is often a trade secret.

References

• Mission Coffee Roasters: Bean Basics
• Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf: Learn About Coffee
• What's Cooking America: Coffee, Perfect Cup of Coffee
• Coffee Makers cafe: Coffee Beans