When it comes to crafting the perfect cup of coffee, everything comes down to the beans. Whether you’re a coffee connoisseur or a newcomer hoping to elevate your morning brew, understanding your preferences can make all the difference. Learn about the art of selecting your perfect beans and finding the best coffee for you. The Types of Coffee Beans Start your hunt for the best coffee by familiarizing yourself with the different types of coffee beans that you might encounter in your search. The four types of coffee are: Arabica – The most common type of bean, arabica coffee originates from Ethiopia and today is grown in areas high above sea level across the globe. These beans typically have a smooth and light flavor. Robusta – The second most common type of coffee bean, robusta originates from sub-Saharan Africa and is grown in Indonesia and Africa. It typically has a strong and sharp taste with a higher caffeine content. Liberica – A less common bean that only makes up two percent of the world’s coffee, liberica originates from western and central Africa and is grown in the Philippines and Malaysia. It has a distinct smoky and woody flavor. Excelsa – A less common bean that is primarily mixed into blends, excelsa is a liberica variant that’s grown in Southeast Asia. It has light, fruity flavors and a lower caffeine content. Consider Your Brew Method when Choosing Coffee Beans Choosing the best coffee for your home-brewed sips can depend on how you plan to make your cup. There are many ways to brew a cup of coffee, each offering a different tasting experience. Some popular coffee brewing methods are: Pour over – the best way to get the full flavor of coffee, it takes a finer grind and slow drip to express the beans’ profiles and notes, producing a clean and refined cup French press – a quick and efficient method, coarse grounds are fully emerged and filtered out, making a robust and full-bodied cup Espresso – a coffee shop staple, it is extracted through pressure and forced water, making an extra-concentrated and high-caffeine shot Auto drip – the most popular way to make coffee at home, it is a quick drip process that can make large amounts, producing a well-balanced and soothing cup Cold brew – perfect for the summer heat, it involves coarse ground soaking in cold water overnight, making a strong and highly caffeinated brew AeroPress – a unique and versatile invention, it involves the immersion of grounds and plunging of water, making a silky-smooth, concentrated shot that can be diluted with water If you brew with a French press, you should probably be looking for bold and dark coffees, while you can choose light and fruity flavors for a pour-over or auto drip. Ultimately, though, the choice is up to you! Finding the best coffee is all about experimentation and finding your personal preferences. How You Take Your Coffee can Help Determine Which Beans are Best for You The best coffee looks different for everyone. Some may prefer a black, unsweetened brew with no milk, while some love an iced latte with sweetener. Whatever the case, before you hunt for the perfect bean, it is important to think about how you prepare your coffee. Do you want to add milk to your coffee but still want a rich cup? Consider a bold dark roast. Do you want to make cappuccinos with flavor? Consider finding a medium espresso roast with warm, nutty notes. No matter how you prepare your coffee, there are roasts and flavors out there that can perfectly complement your ideal cup. Choose a Caffeine Level Plenty of coffee shops, roasters, and stores sell decaffeinated coffee, perfect for people who may want a late-night cup or don’t drink caffeine. When searching for the best coffee, consider when you will be drinking your coffee beverage and choose a caffeine level from there. Most caffeinated coffee has a similar caffeine level, but how they are brewed yields different results. Robusta tends to be more caffeinated than arabica, but the difference is not incredibly dramatic. Half-caff options featuring (you guessed it) half the caffeine of a classic cup are also available from many roasters. Experiment With Different Roasts One of the most important aspects of coffee terminology to learn is roast levels. While on a sliding scale, the typical roasts are: Light roast – roasted for the least amount of time, light roasts tend to have higher acidity and brighter flavors; they usually have no oil and are lighter in color Medium roast – medium roasts tend to be a warm brown color and have minimal oiliness, usually with a well-rounded and balanced flavor and medium acidity and bitterness Dark roast – roasted for the longest amount of time, dark roasts tend to be oilier and have a darker brown color; they usually have minimal acidity and are more robust, with deeper flavors and profiles Discover Coffee’s Many Tasting Notes Tasting notes are another major component in finding the best coffee. Tasting notes, or flavor notes, are the natural flavor profiles in the bean, not including any added flavor. There are upwards of 800 different flavor profiles, so don’t feel pressured to learn them all! Some key tasting notes that may be easily identifiable in coffee are nutty, chocolate, fruity, caramel, and floral flavors. These can get extremely specific, like hazelnut, grapefruit, or orchid. While it may be difficult to pull out specific flavors, it can be helpful to identify what broad notes you like. Are you interested in a floral and fruity dark roast? Consider trying Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. Think a fruity yet chocolatey light roast sounds nice? Try our Colombian Supremo. An endless number of tasting notes can be applied to a plethora of coffee; it just takes honing your preferences to find the right one! Find Quality Coffee Beans The last step to finding the best coffee is choosing high-quality beans. You want to find suppliers who roast their beans in small batches so that quality and consistency are guaranteed. You may also want to look further into the brand’s information to check if they responsibly source their beans from ethical suppliers and farmers. Choosing the best coffee can be an overwhelming task. However, if you know how to classify your favorite brew styles, tasting notes, types of beans, and more, you can narrow down your search. Don’t be afraid to explore and experiment with different beans to find the best coffee– your perfect cup is out there!
