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[T1417]Types Of Coffee Beans

by David H. Urmann, Dav

Coffea or coffee is a large variety of flowering plants with over 90 species. They are shrubs belonging to the Rubiaceae family native to southern Asia and subtropical Africa. The coffee beverage is derived from the seeds of its fruit or coffee cherries. Coffee plant grows to a comparatively large height and is more precisely described as a tree.

The coffee berries, coffee cherries or fruits usually contain two stones or beans. Coffee beans are mostly made up of endosperm that consists of 0.8 to 2.5 per centum of caffeine. Only a small percentage of coffee cherries have a single bean. This bean is called a peaberry.

Coffee beans are not literally beans. The name originates from the Arabic words gahwa and bunn; gahwa means coffee and bunn means berry. They are the seeds of the coffee plant, and almost all coffee traders call these seeds beans.

Coffee develops under the shade in its natural habitat. Coffee plants grown under the shade, do not deplete the soil's resources and lives two times longer than sun grown varieties. The quality of shade grown coffee is said to be higher than sun grown coffee. The cherries produced by the coffee tree under the shade are relatively smaller than those of commercial varieties.

Many believe that this smaller cherry contracts the flavors into the bean itself. Majority of coffee is grown on plantations with full-sun. Some coffee plantations were prepared with the use of deforestation.

The two main variety of coffee being grown today are Robusta and Arabica. Robusta comprises about 20 percent of the world's production. It is a lower grade coffee with higher caffeine content. Robusta trees are normally grown at lower elevations and easier to maintain and cultivate. This type is typically grown to attain a lower priced coffee in the market.

Arabica coffee supplies 75 to 80 percent of the world's coffee trade. It is usually referred as gourmet coffee by most people because of its superior grade, aromatic properties and desirable taste. Arabica species of coffee are grown all over the world but only a few growers passed the Specialty Coffee Association of America's standard.

Other kinds of coffee plant being grown include Coffea benghalensis, Coffea congensis, Coffea excelsa, Coffea bonnieri, Coffea gallienii, Coffea mogeneti, Coffea liberica, and Coffea stenophylla. Each species has different characteristics.

Green beans are essentially coffee beans not roasted yet. Its volatile and non-volatile compounds are said to appeal to insects and distract animals from eating the coffee fruits. These compounds also contribute to the flavor of roasted beans. Nitrogenous compounds jointly with carbohydrates are significant for the full aroma or fragrance of roasted coffee beans. The non-volatile nitrogenous compounds include trigonelline, alkaloids, protein and free amino acids.

Gourmet Coffee Beans have volcanica, costa rice, Jamaica blue mountain, and kona. Volcanica are grown at 3,000 to 7,000 feet on mountain slopes created by volcanoes and nurtured on volcanic soil. The moisture coming from the clouds and the cool climate combined gives the coffee a smooth and robust flavor.

Costa rica is among the world's largest gourmet coffees with clean, light flavor and fantastic aroma. The magnificent growing condition of this tiny Central American nation is due to the fertile volcanic soil and mild climate.

Jamaica blue mountain is considered as the Rolls-Royce of coffee. It is one of the most appreciated gourmet coffees in the world. This coffee has a strong and intense aroma, balanced acidity, and prominent fruit flavors.

Kona coffee has a rich delicious full-bodied flavor grown from the slopes of Mauna Loa Volcano in Hawaii. Plantation needs a sunny weather, rich soil and ample rainfall. This coffee has a luscious, smooth, intense fragrance and nutty flavor that made it very famous throughout the US.

Sharing the Barista's objective of searching the right beans that would produce a great blend are the buying companies and "Cuppers"(tasters by profession or judges of coffee contests). In the end the person who gets a direct feedback by serving the final customers whether all that effort paid off, is the Barista.

What's Barista's take on the beans and its end product? Let's see.

Around 70 countries produce coffee beans presently in areas within 25-degree north and south along the equator, from the Caribbean to South America, Hawaii, from the Middle East to Africa.

Due to the variation in techniques, equipment, altitude, weather condition and other factors at work, the coffee beans grown in different countries produce different flavor. Variations in the brew also arise because of variant plantations.

But basically there are two types of coffee plants - Robusta and Arabica. For the best flavored coffee the Arabica, which has Robusta's caffeine by half but with great aroma and flavor is chiefly used.

Higher altitudes are favorable for growing coffee. That is why preference is given to the "Milds", whose Arabica bean plants grow at an altitude above or at 3000 feet (915m) than there Brazilian counterparts grown at a lower altitude called Brazils.

Next to the above judgment varies based on whether one likes the beans roasted or unroasted, as the latter is soft and green giving off a vegetative smell. This type of odor is normal for the unroasted beans.

The types further broaden for those who like roasted. One is the highly caffeinated and acidic flavored, 'cinnamon' (the spice's color and not the flavor influenced the name) or light.

The slightly darker, 'American' roast or medium though not "up to the mark" amongst the Barista's opinion, is popular since many coffee vendors like Yuban, Folger etc use it in large degree.

Usually used in most cappuccino machines is the 'City' roast or dark type. The acidic taste and amount of caffeine is minimized to form a sweeter and less bitter flavor and can be found in many shop's specialty. On the scale of drinkable is the 'Italian' roast which is the darkest. The pungent aroma with deep brown color is characteristic and can be found in 'special' espresso.

The drinks acidic taste lessens and becomes sweeter if one goes down along the color scale of the beans. The drink mallows down as most of the caffeine gets burned out.

Next time you have trouble deciding on the right beans amongst the large number of choices you find yourself, you can take the advice of the Barista, for the person can provide the best option for your taste.

Article Source : Pg. 14

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Both David H. Urmann & John Bakers are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

David H. Urmann has sinced written about articles on various topics from Promotional Advertising, Cooking Tips and Travel and Leisure. For more information on and. David H. Urmann's top article generates over 301000 views. to your Favourites.

John Bakers has sinced written about articles on various topics from Car Rental, Sell Home and Bathroom Remodeling Ideas. John Bakers routinely pens papers on issues associated to roasting. You can learn about his over. John Bakers's top article generates over 22200 views. to your Favourites.