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Gourmet
Coffee - Variety and Choice
by: Chris
Brown
The words “Gourmet Coffee”
are coming up in conversation more often these days. Is there any
substance to it or is it just a term some elite coffee snobs have
come up? What makes a coffee "gourmet" and who decides
this? This article attempts to sift through the hype and give some
straight facts.
As an adjective, gourmet is defined as: Referring to fine food.
So, gourmet coffee is fine coffee, that doesn’t help narrow it
down much more. It may be stating the obvious, but what makes a
coffee fine is its taste. There are five primary taste sensations;
salty, sour, sweet, bitter and umami (savory). Understanding how
these sensations apply to coffee is not important to the majority
of us. What’s important is our preference; what tastes good, bad
and to what degree. People have huge variations in preference. A
coffee you may love, I might hate. C'est la vie!
This variation in preference is where gourmet coffee fills a need.
Gourmet coffee offers choice and variety. These choices come in
countless combinations of international coffee beans, varying
degrees of roasting, flavoring and preparation.
International Coffee Beans
International coffee is probably the biggest factor in gourmet
coffee; it's the starting point for variety and choice. From a
purest point of view the bean's original flavor should play a
bigger role than artificially flavored coffees or specialty coffee
drinks.
Coffee is international by nature, even though all the world's
coffee beans are grown within 1000 miles of the equator - from the
Tropic of Cancer in the north to the Tropic of Capricorn in the
south. Two varieties make up nearly all of the beans; Arabica and
Robusta. Arabica contains less caffeine, it is the most popular
and it grows between 1,500 and 6,000 feet above sea level. Robusta
contains the most caffeine and grows at lower elevations.
South American, Central American and Caribbean coffee beans for
the most part are lighter in body than other regions, a bit
sweeter and slightly more acidic. These beans are often described
as smooth and nutty. Central American varieties are not usually as
sharp as the South American. African and Middle Eastern coffees
often have a more medium body and what can be described as a wild
and syrupy feel. African beans are strong, sharp and assertive.
The majority of the world's Robustas are grown along the African
coast. Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean and Indonesian coffees are
almost completely Arabicas. Characteristics include spicy, heavy
body and low acidity.
Flavored Coffee
Flavored coffees become popular in the 1990s but can be traced
back centuries ago to the Turks, who used a unique method of
preparing coffee that is still popular in the area today. Spices
like clove, cinnamon, anise, and cardamom were added to flavor the
coffee. People typically have strong feelings towards flavored
coffee; they love it or prefer to let the natural flavor of the
bean to prevail.
Coffee is typically flavored by adding flavor oils to the beans
after roasting and prior to grinding. Flavoring oils are
combinations of natural and synthetic flavor chemicals which are
created by flavor chemists. There are also liquid flavors which
are added to coffee during preparation much like adding cream or
sugar. Flavored coffees are generally classified into four
categories:
- Spice based flavors - like cinnamon.
- Fruit based flavors - like coconut or raspberry.
- Chocolate based flavors - like chocolate mint.
- Nut based flavors - like vanilla, hazelnut or macadamia nut.
- Cremes - like Irish Creme or French Vanilla.
Specialty Drinks and Preparation
There seems to be a million ways to prepare coffee these days;
Dark roast, light roast, espresso (and all its derivatives),
regular coffee, with cream and sugar or simply black. Coffee
preparation is a topic that's been the subject of many other
articles. However, like all facets of gourmet coffee the theme of
choice and variety applies.
Most of the fancy coffee drinks start with espresso, which is just
coffee that is brewed a particular way. The beans are finely
ground to an almost powder consistency then very hot water is
forced through the grinds at high pressure. Some examples of
Espresso based coffee drinks are Espresso Macchiato, Espresso Con
Panna, Caffé Americano, Cappuccino, Caffé Latté and Caffé
Mocha. Specialty coffee drinks are becoming very popular but most
people still drink regular coffee optionally adding different
amounts of cream or sugar.
Summary
The bottom line is Gourmet Coffee offers today's selective coffee
drinker choice. These choices come in the form of beans farmed
around the world, flavored coffees and vast array of specialty
drinks and preparation techniques. Some people drink coffee only
as a means to an end, to wake up! More and more people are
starting to take notice of the flavor. People's taste evolve, many
people start out drinking coffee with lots of cream and sugar and
overtime take less or even drink it black. With all the choices
available, why not try something new for your next coffee.
About The Author
Chris Brown is a regular contributor to the http://The-Best-Coffee-Maker.com
and his favorite coffee is an Italian dark roast from a quaint
local cafe that roasts its own beans. For information and
resources about coffee makers and gourmet coffee visit http://The-Best-Coffee-Maker.com.
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