Archive for the ‘gourmet coffee beans’ Category
Buying Organic Coffee Beans
What is an organic coffee bean?
The answer is quite simple. Organic coffee beans are beans which have been grown under strict conditions laid down by various governments and overseeing organisations ensuring purity of the product..
In short these conditions state that the organic coffee beans have to be grown without the use of chemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers on land which has been left fallow for anything from three to ten years to allow any such chemicals existing in the soil to degrade. The coffee beans cannot be in anyway genetically modified or given any chemicals to aid growth or improve the quality of the end product. Any flavoring added to the organic coffee beans must not be synthetic and the same applies to colourings and preservatives. Even the packaging must conform to prevent any chemicals or metal salts breaking down and contaminating the coffee beans during storage.
Any variety of coffee bean can be grown organically and all of the main coffee providers will have organic coffee beans available usually sold under their own label.
How do you know your coffee beans are truly organic?
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The extent to which a bag of coffee beans are organic can vary but they must be labelled accordingly. They will have one of the three statements on the pack:
1. 100% Organic Coffee Beans – If you see this you can be certain that the coffee beans you have purchased are completely organic.
2. Organic Coffee Beans – To be allowed to display such a claim a minimum of 95% of the coffee beans are organic.
3. Contains Organic Coffee Beans – Buy a pack of coffee beans with this label you would be guaranteed that 75% of the coffee beans in the packet are organic.
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The main advantage which draws avid coffee drinkers to buy organic coffee beans is the knowledge that the beans they grind to make their morning coffee are totally unadulterated and the flavour they savour is that of pure coffee. The one disadvantage which may prevent some from purchasing 100% organic coffee beans is the cost – good things always come at a price.
The biggest barrier to purchasing organic coffee is that it is not always widely available at your local store – other than some speciality stores. It has to be borne in mind that sales of organic coffee beans still only make up a very small proportion of the coffee bean market. However, buying on-line is a great option. Top quality organic coffee beans delivered directly to your door.
Discover The Delights Of Flavored Decaf Coffee
It is everyone’s right to be able to thoroughly enjoy a good cup of decaf coffee whether it is flavored decaf coffee or natural. There are many reasons why people drink decaf coffee but regardless they should still be allowed to enjoy the ultimate gourmet coffee experience without the adverse effects caffeine can have on the body.
What is caffeine?
Well, it is a colourless, odourless, slightly bitter substance found in coffee beans. After beans have been through the decafeination process – which is carried out whilst the beans are still green i.e. before roasting – they contain around 1/40th of the caffeine found in untreated beans. In fact, before a coffee producer in the USA can claim that a coffee is decaffeinated it has to have a minimum of 97% of the caffeine removed.
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Different varieties of coffee beans contain varying levels of caffeine. A good example of this is the Arabica bean which is typically used in gourmet coffees. This coffee bean contains around half the caffeine of the next most commonly used coffee bean – the Robusta.
It is true to say that flavored decaf coffees and regular decaf coffees tend to be more expensive than their regular equivalent. This is due to the increased in production and labour costs because of the extra processing required by the green coffee beans to remove the caffeine.
Flavored decaf coffee beans then have a coating added which gives them the subtle overtones of which ever flavor takes your fancy to enhance the natural coffee flavor.
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The compounds used are very complex and require specialist chemists to mix them to perfection – one flavour can in some instances contain up to 80 different components. The individual components are derived from both natural and synthetic sources. The natural flavorings being things such as vanilla, nut flavours the use of cloves and cinnamon is also common. Others with smoky or earth undertones are created synthetically in a lab.
With today’s technology and the skill of these specialist chemists virtually any flavor of decaf or regular coffee is possible – all you have to do in enjoy!
Gourmet Coffee – Indulge Yourself
Coffee is what makes the world go round! Some of the most important historical events took place in coffee houses – one of the most famous has to be The Boston Tea Party which was planned in the Green Dragon Coffee House.
It is part of our culture and for many of us it is our way of coping with a hectic lifestyle. It gets us moving in the morning and when we want to relax we reach for a steaming mug of coffee. So why do we often drink mediocre coffee when we should indulge ourselves in the best coffee we can afford – Gourmet
coffee.
What is the difference? Well quite simply gourmet coffee is produced using the best coffee beans – Arabica coffee beans to be precise as these are coffee beans of highest quality and grow in countries across the world with dry, hot climates and areas of high altitudes such as Ethiopia, Yemen and Saudi Arabia. There are many more coffee producing counties stretching along the line of the equator between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, 53 in all but the quality of beans does vary greatly.
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Each year there is around 7 million tons of green coffee beans produced across the globe and when you consider that a huge percentage of these coffee cherries picked for gourmet coffee are picked by hand a you can appreciate the task growers face. There is machinery available to carry out this work but it tends to damage the very delicate coffee beans. Consumers paying premium prices deserve a premium product and that is exactly what the producers aim to give them.
Gourmet coffee brings in millions and millions of dollars every year either through consumers purchasing their preferred gourmet coffee to consume in the comfort of their own homes or by those who prefer to visit a coffee shop favoured by them for a daily coffee fix.
The ultimate in enjoyment of gourmet coffee has to be purchasing good quality beans and grinding them as required for the freshest and best mug of coffee you will ever taste! Remember, it is best to freeze whole beans in a sealed container to keep them at their best, only removing enough to keep you in coffee for the day!
The Flavored Coffee Bean
The flavored coffee bean hit an all time high during the 1990’s when the boom in gourmet coffee drinking really took off.
These flavorings are added to the beans by coating them with a flavored compound which supplements and enhances the natural taste of the coffee bean. This practise has been around for hundreds of years in varying forms. It was used primarily to disguise any deterioration in the flavour of the coffee due to oxidation and decaffeination caused by the beans ageing. Today of course it is used merely as an indulgence.
Today in the 21st Century interest in flavored coffee beans and in particular flavored gourmet coffee beans is immense and with the technology available the most exotic and exciting flavours can be produced to keep this multi million
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Different types of coffee bean have different flavor attributes. However for the purpose of producing flavored coffee beans it is most often the Arabica bean which is used because of the fact that they are much lower in acidity and bitterness. Other beans such as the Robusta beans have a much harsher flavor.
The oils used to flavor the coffee beans come from both natural and synthetic sources which are brought together made into compounds by chemists who are expert in concocting flavors. You will find natural oils used from different varieties of nuts, berries and beans such as cocoa and vanilla. Other flavours for example cloves, chicory and cinnamon are also included.
The synthetic flavorings are produced in a lab on a commercial basis and produce flavoring to give a woody, peanutty or earthy type tastes although it doesn’t stop there. Chemists can reproduce virtually any flavor these days but it can take up to 80 different compounds to produce the subtle flavours coffee drinkers demand. After all these flavorings are there to enhance the coffee experience without taking over from the coffees own aromatic, character.
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