Coffee Types

A great place to learn about types of coffee!

This is a basic breakdown of the four types of coffee roasts:

Light Roast

Basically, the color of cinnamon with intense aromatics, good body, and lively acidity. Other names for this roast are “light city roast” and “cinnamon roast”.

Medium Roast

Simply brown in color with increased body and nutty aromatics. Other names for this roast are commonly “city roast” and “American roast”.

Dark Roast

Obviously are darker than the two previous roasts with mild traces of oil covering the beans. “French roast” and “full city roast” are common names and take on a slightly smoky, more pungent flavor.

Espresso Roast

Very dark and sometimes black in color, espresso beans are fully coated in oil and have a strong flavor. Traditionally named “Italian roast”.

Here are the two main types of decaffeinating processing:

European Process – EP

Coffee beans, when still green in color (before roasting), are submerged in water allowing for the flavor, oils, and caffeine to gradually escape the beans surface. The water and green coffee are separated. The water is treated with a solvent that absorbs the caffeine via heat and evaporation. The flavor and oils that remain are added back to the green coffee beans and then roasted.

Swiss Water Process – SWP

Sometimes described as flavor protection process, coffee is treated similarly as European but without any chemical additives. Rather, the water containing the flavor, oils, and caffeine are passed through a carbon filtration system to remove 99.9% of the caffeine without any chemical use.

Happy drinking!

Storing Coffee

Coffee How To

A great place to learn how to properly store coffee!

Here are a few tips on storing coffee:

Store your coffee in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. This is not necessarily the fridge or freezer. The kitchen counter sometimes is the easiest place, and if storing whole bean, a nice container full of fresh beans is a great decorating piece for any kitchen.

So why not the freezer? Well, the reason here is condensation. When pulling the coffee out of the freezer, the beans are immediately going to start to thaw. Very quickly, condensation will appear on the beans and they will begin to absorb the water, possibly altering the taste.

Of course, if you just find that the freezer is the most convenient place to store your coffee, keep the condensation factor in mind by quickly transporting the beans you are going to use to the grinder or coffee maker right away. Then put the remainder of your coffee back into the freezer quickly to avoid any unwanted condensation.

There are several airtight containers on the market with some complex in their mechanism to ensure air will not affect your coffee. These options are usually, as expected, more expensive. The key to storing coffee is simply to monitor your drinking habits and know how much coffee you go through in a given week. With this information you can properly purchase, grind, and store your coffee to guarantee a fresh taste in each cup of coffee you enjoy.

More tips on choosing a grinder.
And even more tips on why to buy whole bean coffee versus ground coffee.

Here's to fresh coffee!

Beans vs Ground

About Coffee

A great place to learn why to order whole bean coffee!

There is one basic reason as to why you should order whole bean coffee:

Aroma and Flavor!

Whenever you choose to grind your coffee, the flavor and aromas are going to diminish a little bit. In addition, the coffee is more likely to pick up surrounding aromas at that time.

This is why we are seeing a trend in coffee makers with built in grinders. Usually a simple blade grinder installed in the top, but a perfect addition to enhance a fresher taste. The closer time to actual brewing will decrease the chances of altering the natural flavor of the bean.

Even to invest in a simple $10-$15 grinder to keep on the counter is worth it. Even then, only grind the beans you are going to use for brewing that day or at most that week. Especially if you are not a daily coffee drinker, storing whole beans will increase shelf life ten fold. Either way, ground or whole bean, store your coffee in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

Ground coffee has a short shelf life. Once coffee is ground, you can expect a fresh taste for up to nine days. After that, the air and humidity will have their effects on the coffee. Not to mention, surrounding air will be absorbed into ground coffee much more easily altering the taste. If you know you are buying enough for a week supply only, and don’t own a nice grinder, then take advantage of your roasters consistent grind. Otherwise, buy whole bean in larger quantities and use the discount to buy a nice conical grinder. It will be worth every penny.

Whole bean coffee does have a longer shelf life. Whole bean coffees once roasted have approximately 45 days to have that freshly roasted taste. If you store the beans well, you should have no problem getting great tasting coffee from your beans cup after cup. Additionally, if you can get your roaster to package each pound individually, and leave the packages sealed until needed, you can stretch this to almost three months.

Note:The amount (we mentioned individual pounds) should be what you drink in about a week. So if you brew a full 10-cup pot daily, this will be approximately a pound. If you drink 2 pots a day, having your roaster individually seal 2 pounds per package would be fine. Roasters normally can accomodate, 1 pound, 2 pound, and 5 pound packaging.

For more tips on storing coffee.
For more tips on choosing a grinder.

Gardening with Coffee

Coffee How To

A great place to learn about gardening tips?

Get the most from your pound!

You have just enjoyed your favorite cup of coffee and boy was it tasty (because you ordered it fresh from us of course!). Before you think your coffee is done, or the grounds at least, keep reading.

We have read quite a bit on the effects of spent coffee grounds on your gardening soils. It appears by spreading the spent grounds in your garden, compost or household plants, it enriches the soil. The nitrogen within the coffee releases into the soil increasing the overall balance allowing the plants to really thrive. We heard they really like Kona blend…

Here are a few more tips:

Sprinkle the spent coffee grounds around outside plants right before a good rain for a “nitrogen enhancement program”.
Mix it right into soil when repotting plants.
If composting, just throw the filter in too. The filter will break down rapidly and the grounds will enrich the soil.
To repel pests such as ground gnats, add in crushed eggshells to the coffee grounds and create a circle barrier around the base of the plant.
Take a half pound of coffee grounds per 5 gallons of water, sit the bucket outside to reach outside temperature. You now have a perfect liquid fertilizer!

Coffee and your health

Coffee and Health

Coffee nd Your Health

Coffee has long been a key component to many peoples’ morning ever since the the coffee bean was discovered. It has since provided both a natural energy to kick off the day as well as a mental calmness resulting from a daily routine.

So how does one consider carefully any projected health issues due to excessive coffee drinking? We are not doctors, but want to certainly deconstruct the argument as it has been a matter of many discussions within many medical journals for many years. Let’s consider what makes us want coffee and what it is made of.

What you put in it

What you put in your coffee is usually worse for you than what it is in itself. Processed creamers and sugars with artificial flavoring to mask the taste of the coffee is often high in calories and fats. Compromising the calories is often not very tasty and therefore creates a daily routine of starting of the day unhealthy. However, there are now healthier alternatives for those that can’t “take it black”.

Fat free half and halfs are available that do not taste much different that the fat filled version. Land-o-Lakes fat free half and half for instance is still as full bodied as you would expect a half and half to be without compromising on taste. For the sweetener alternatives, Splenda is likely the healthiest option as opposed to the other popular brands you find.

What it is naturally

Coffee beans are grown on small bushes and are therefore subject to how organic the soil and farming is of these crops. Many of the higher end coffees are grown organically and are clearly marked on the packages. Some of the more massed produced and lower end coffees are farmed like other fruits and vegetable using a great number of pesticides. This is still a personal choice though as there has not been any direct research findings that show pesticides have affected coffee drinkers in any way.

From harvest to brewing, some of the same concerns hold true. Coffee has always been a very basic formula, grind your coffee, add water, and brew. The flavor and caffeine are obtained as drips of water drain through grounds of coffee into the pot, but what about before the coffee gets to you?

Especially for decaffeinated coffee, there is another opportunity to have chemicals enter the process. Chemicals are typically used to decaffeinate coffee unless you are purchasing Swiss Water Processed coffee. This among some others use all natural processing using only water to remove the vast majority of caffeine from the beans. So again, if you are concerned with the use of chemicals in what you feed your body and drink decaffeinated coffee, SWP coffee is the way to go.

Why you drink it

Many people drink coffee each morning for the much needed boost to get the day started. Others continue to drink coffee cup after cup throughout the work day. Whether you are just “juicing” for some energy or simply love the taste always consider your health if you believe your intake might be more than your doctor would recommend.

Alternatives to Coffee

This first alternative is simply changing the way your think of your morning cup. If your doctor is recommending a reduction and caffeine and you are a heavy drinker throughout the day, consider creating a blend. A 60/40 split of decaffeinated over caffeinated is a great way to maintain mental routine while lowering your caffeine intake. Simply purchase the same coffee, but a decaf version. You may also touch it up with a nice SWP Mexican bean which has depth in the body of the coffee, but have your flavored coffee caffeinated. It will create a smooth cup with rich body and a touch of flavor.

Also consider replacing a cup of daily coffee with a green tea. The tea often has the same if not more caffeine, but has many more antioxidants and other beneficial attributes.

Everyone is different

Each person metabolizes amounts of caffeine differently so get to know your body rather than advice from a friend’s doctor! Be aware that reducing caffeine too quickly can cause severe headaches so don’t go cold turkey. If you are trying to cut back, cut down a cup a day until you get to your desired amount and then maintain. Also keep in mind to keep well hydrated so replace that normal cup with a glass of water.

If you are trying to replace that morning boost with something a bit healthier and aren’t ready to hop on the treadmill as soon as you wake up, just grab a bowl of cereal within 30 minutes of waking. A glass of water or two before you hit the road and you will be on your way as awake as you need to be. The intake of food first thing gives your body some nutrition to start churning on. Your body will learn quickly this is the new energy source.

For more about the medical side of your health and coffee, read our other article on Coffee and Health.

Here’s to your health and many more years of the fine taste of coffee!

Exotics

Coffee Regions

The best place to learn about regional coffees!

Exotics

Includes Certified Jamaica Blue Mountain and Hawaiian Kona . These coffees are usually very expensive, but if you don’t drink coffee everyday and want a treat when you do, these exotic coffees are fabulous.

100% pure exotic coffees are sometimes marked by 100 in their title. Many retailers sometime offer the less expensive blends and should be clearly titled as Blend. So if you only expect the best, read the packaging carefully.

Hawaiian Kona is the only coffee you will find that is considered a notable North American coffee. Thank goodness for the islands to at least put us on the coffee map!

Consider these resources for coffee from this region:

Hawaiian Kona

Jamaica Blue Mountain

Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Blend

Interesting note about these coffees:

Kona coffee is graded on the bean size, uniformity and quality. The Hawaiian Kona coffee grades are labeled “extra fancy,” “fancy,” “#1” and “prime”. As with all of our coffees, we only offer the very best a coffee producing country or region offers — in the case of Hawaii, the Kona Extra Fancy. We have checked several sites that show Kona Coffee or Kona Style or Kona Blend but that should not be compared to our 100% Extra Fancy.

There has always been concern for the proper labeling of and selling of Kona Coffees, the same that can also be said for the Jamaica Blue Mountain coffees. Recently, the Jamaican Estate Mavis Bank, won a judgment against a Florida roaster who was misleading in their use of the Jamaican Blue Mountain name. You can expect to see more of this in the future as these two elite coffee growing countries look to protect their product and brand.

Enjoy the best!

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