What should you look for when buying coffee beans for your business or home? Hopefully, this guide will help you understand the differences between the basic types of coffee and break down the jargon so you can choose which variety will work for you.
You have two primary varieties of coffee plants: arabica and robusta. Arabica originated from Ethiopia, while robusta came from Uganda. Both are now grown in several other regions worldwide, and most coffee is labeled clearly to show which country and region it was grown in. Generally speaking, arabica is superior to robusta, with a much stronger and more distinct flavor- robusta can be bitter and weak-tasting- however, the taste also varies depending on which region the coffee comes from and the processes it is subjected to during growing shipping, storing and brewing.
You will often find that coffee is described in terms similar to those you might find in wine tasting: the main three categories used are flavor (such as ‘sweet’ or ‘spicy’), aroma (such as ‘flowery’ or ‘chocolaty’), body (such as ‘medium-bodied’ or ‘full-bodied’) and acidity (which refers to how ‘sharp’ or ‘clean’ the coffee tastes, NOT to its pH).
When you buy coffee beans, you will probably buy them already roasted; however, you can ‘home-roast’ them if you choose. Roasting unlocks the bean's flavor, and the extent to which beans are roasted varies—for example, you can buy ‘medium roast’ beans or ‘Italian roast’ beans (‘Italian’ refers to the roast—it does not indicate that the beans came from Italy), and so on.
It is worth trying different types of coffee, using the above points as a guide. You will be amazed at the range of flavors available, and the more you try, the more expert you will become.
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