Monday, December 21, 2009

Traditional Sumatran Coffee - Simply Irresistible

Normally grown inland from the southern coast, the Sumatran Coffee production actually began in the 18th century and majority of it is labeled Mandheling or Lintong which basically means the place where it was initially planted and grown. They are different from coffees of Java as they are planted and grown by small landholders or coffee farmers who may only have a few trees on their property and they are normally dry-processed with just semi-washed. The ripe coffee cherries are crushed by hand and spread in the sun to dry for an extended period of time rather than being rinsed in water during the night after they have been harvested. To date, coffees of Sumatra are grown at different places in Sumatra as well other than just Mandheling and Lintong districts.

These coffees have low and subtle acidity due to how they are processed. Their bodies are full and buttery, with sweet and pungent almost syrupy and somewhat earthy taste that just lingers on one’s tongue. These intensely aromatic and typically smooth-bodied coffees of Sumatra are characterized by their steady flavor and full, sweet-scented aroma. The flavor is normally very concentrated, and each distinctive blend is roasted to perfection to add richness to every cup of one’s Sumatran Coffee.

A lot of researches have been done to understand how they are planted and grown, how they are harvested and processed in order to make better conclusion on the coffee’s unique characteristics that actually made it possible to be one of the oldest coffee beans in the world. They have always been highly prized not only because of their unique characteristics, but also of their distinct appearances. One of the finest coffees with its own class, coffees of Sumatra is perfect for dessert which goes well with any other desserts like cheesecakes or even quiches. Definitely a must-have!

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Mexican Coffee – An Absolute Treat

Coffee was primarily planted in Mexico in the 18th century from Jamaica. The Mexican Coffees are typically simple and are most often than not used as a base for blending. Originated from central to southern regions of the country, the most famous coffee market names consist of Coatepec, Oaxaca Pluma, Chiapas, Veracruz and Tapachula. Their coffee differs due to the vastness of the coffee plantations in Mexico. In addition, some of the best coffees of Mexican products are produced in small-scaled Mexican organic coffee farms. Being one of the largest producers of certified organic coffees in the gourmet coffee market, they make certain that their coffees are definitely worth exploring based on the inimitable characteristics they represent and their competitive price.

The coffee beans are characteristically light-bodied, mild but with delicate flavors and nutty. Nonetheless, their bodies can be heavier. With brighter acidity, the beans offer a range of chocolate overtones. There are several well-liked coffee varietals, known as Arabica varietals and they are Bourbon, Mundo Novo, Caturra and Maragogype. Additionally, these coffee beans are being sold at a moderate market price. Altura or in other words, high-grown coffee, is their finest grade coffee. Rumour has it that where coffee is concerned, the higher it is grown the better. Their high-grown coffees are perceived as to have the top quality any coffees can possess and among the highest coffees that get exported to the United States of America.

Mexican coffee lovers have an exclusive way of brewing their coffees as many of them prefer to add a small amount of cinnamon to the ground coffee before brewing. Sometimes, chocolate and vanilla are also being used to enhance a distinct flavor which can be drawn from the coffee and also help to reduce its acidity. Today, this special habit of adding cinnamon, chocolate or even vanilla to the coffee has been widely accepted and adopted willingly.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Jamaican Coffee

Coffees come in various characteristics and flavors. While the origin characteristics influence the look, taste and smell of the coffee, the roast degree also influences the end product. In this case, Jamaican Coffee is no different.

A coffee’s flavor category is determined based on the combination of its origin and roast degree. Coffees of Jamaica are the light and subtle coffees. Established in 1885, they are also known as the Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee. They are named so because the coffees are grown in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. These mountains rise from 3000 feet to 7500 feet and the climate of the region is just sufficiently cooling and misty with high rainfall. Furthermore, the soil is equipped with excellent drainage system. With these two factors combined, the coffees can be ideally grown to their perfection.

They are one of the few coffees that are wet-processed. On average, there are washed and then dried, cured, rated and then sorted after they have been reaped from the coffee farms. Then, they are ‘put-to-sleep’ for a minimum of six weeks as to ensure their consistencies. Being one of the few countries worldwide that does this, Jamaica also makes sure that their well renowned coffee undergoes quality control measures which include appearance check and cup testing. These methods are used to ensure the quality of the beans produced.

Presently, coffees of Jamaica are able to sustain their place amongst the highest graded and consumed gourmet coffees in the world. In Jamaica, season after season, a lot of people in the second highest commodity of the world today, particularly coffee farmers, always ensure that their coffees are well grown, harvested, processed and graded in order to meet a challenging demand of the current coffee market worldwide. Billions of people throughout numerous countries are just blessed with this one-of-its-kind coffee.

Friday, December 18, 2009

About coffee beans

Coffee was originally planted under shades of other large trees. The process of shade planting is still popular in many regions of the world. In this traditional method, the coffee berries used to ripen slowly and take its natural form before they can be plucked from the tree. But with the increase in demands for coffee supplies across the world, a faster method of yielding coffee beans became popular with the farmers. Now the coffee plants are not grown under shade but under direct sunlight. The sunlight causes the coffee beans to ripe faster. However this process of growing coffee under the sunlight requires some extra care of the plants. It needs to be sprayed with pesticides often.

The coffee berries are picked up from the coffee plant by hand and taken to the processing plant. The seeds are segregated according to their ripeness, fermented, processed and finally dried on drying tables. The final step is roasting of these green coffee beans. The roasting process is very important as it actually decides the taste of the coffee.

After roasting, the coffee beans are required to be stored in an airtight container to preserve the fresh taste. Environmental factors like air, light and heat deteriorate the flavour of the coffee beans. However with life becoming faster the demands to coffee bags and coffee pods have caught up with the younger generation. Modelled after tea bags, they provide the convenience of instant coffee. In case, you are interested in knowing more about coffee and the various aspects of the drink then you can visit .

Friday, December 11, 2009

How to Making Coffee and Espresso


How to buy the roasted coffee?
After harvest the beans of coffee. The next step is roasting the beans with high

temperature about 220-260 Celsius. Grind them to small molecules. The taste and

smelling of the roasted beans may be different in each time, up to many factors

such as the size of coffee after grind, roasting time or coffee sources.

These are the tips for select the best roasted beans:
1. Buying amount of coffee as you need for only one week.
2. The smelling of the roasted beans should be nice and no smelling of

contaminate objects inside.
3. Do not buy roasted beans from the store or supermarket that estate near by the

strong smelling food shops. The roasted bean will absorb the scent of each food.
4. Remember the flavor and characteristic of each type of coffee.
5. Kept the roasted beans in vacuum or air tight for stable quality of coffee.
6. Mill the roasted beans for single used only.

Making coffee with coffee machines.
Whenever you drink a cup of coffee, you have to realize about the flavor and

quality of each cup not only the volume of water in a cup.
Making a delicious cup of coffee is not easy. You have to learn and practice for

a long time. Now a day, technology of coffee making machines such as Moka

Express, Espresso pot and French Press make everything easier.

These are important points for making coffee with coffee machines:
1. Clean the coffee machine before and after usage.
2. The water for making a cup of coffee should be clean and without chlorine.
3. Use fresh milled roasted bean for every cup.
4. The amount of coffee should be follow to the each formulation.
5. Do not use boiling water for making coffee.
6. Coffee maker should know the ratio of ingredients and know how to convert the

unit.

The coffee cups
The coffee cups are the important part of making coffee that you should be not

remiss. Coffee makers have to know which cup for each type coffee.

Espresso: The Basic Information
Normally, Espresso is a cup of coffee that has golden milk foam bubbles on the

top of the cup. The art of making Espresso such as milk foam bubbles, wipe cream

adding, or liqueur adding makes the Espresso named in many reputes.

Espresso and Black coffee
Many coffee drinkers have miss understanding about Espresso and Black coffee.

Truly, Espresso is not similar to short black coffee.

The different of Espresso and Black coffee:
1. Coffee cup; A cup of Espresso is not more than 2 ounce but a cup of black

coffee is 4 to 6 ounce.
2. A cup of black coffee always serve with cream or sugar but Espresso serve

without cream and sugar.
3. Espresso has golden milk foam bubbles on the top of the cup but the black

coffee has nothing on the top of the cup.
4. The flavor of Espresso will stay on the tongue about 15-30 min. but no flavor

stay on the tongue after drinking black coffee.
5. The way to drink black coffee is sip slowly until finish but the right way to

drink Espresso is drink all in one time.

How to drink Espresso
Normally, Espresso always drink during day or dinner and the right step for

drinking Espresso is necessary to approach the truly flavor of Espresso. If you

are interesting, try to practice follow the steps and you will get the miracle

taste of Espresso.
1. Before drinking, you have to smell the cup of Espresso.
2. Sip a little bit of Espresso with loud voice and keep in your mouth a moment.
3. Drink the rest all in one time and stay moment in the mouth.
4. Try to remember the taste of Espresso and compare with the next cup.