Coffee is everywhere: on restaurant menus, on the kitchen shelf of almost every home, in the hands of passersby and PlayAmo players. It has become an integral part of everyday life, but often even those who cannot imagine their morning without the characteristic aroma and taste of coffee know too little about their favorite drink. The world of coffee – multifaceted and complex, and sometimes even the basics of coffee science can surprise. We have collected 5 simple facts that will help you better understand what kind of drink has taken such an important place in our lives.
Coffee Is a Berry
Let’s start with the basics: where does coffee come from? We’re so used to it that we often don’t even think about its origins. Of course, first of all, coffee is a drink. It is made from roasted, ground beans, but how is it made? The beans actually develop inside the coffee berries that grow on coffee trees. Two beans are formed inside a single berry, but there are exceptions – whole, “twin” peaberry beans. Peaberry fruits are considered rare and usually account for no more than 5% of the entire crop.
Arabica and Robusta Are Types, Not Varieties
What does the label “100% Arabica” on the package mean? Often lovers of the drink think that arabica is a variety, although we are talking about a type of coffee. There are many species of the coffee tree, but only a few are cultivated to produce beans, mostly Arabica and Robusta. Arabica, also known as “Arabian coffee,” is considered the most common and popular variety. There are many more varieties, however, among the most famous are Brazil’s Yellow Bourbon, Ethiopia’s Irgacheffe, and Jamaica’s Blue Mountain. Sometimes to get new facets of taste and aroma, roasters mix different varieties of Arabica and Robusta and get coffee blends. In the Specialty Coffee category, these blends are called blends or blends.
Water Quality Affects the Taste of Coffee
Many factors influence the taste and aroma of coffee: brewing temperature and time, the quality and variety of beans, degree of roasting, and even water quality. The same coffee can unfold differently depending on how it is brewed. Coffee gourmets often experiment and brew their favorite coffee with cold and hot water, with mineral water and even with melted water – the taste changes amazingly.
Those who want to learn how to feel the different notes in coffee and catch even the slightest differences, you should start with a simple comparison of varieties from different countries. Each of them has its own characteristics and unique coffee notes. The Nespresso MasterOrigin collection allows you to evaluate the tastes of the far corners of the world. It includes rare coffees from Ethiopia, Nicaragua, Colombia, Indonesia, and India.
In these countries, farmers use unique ways of gathering and processing beans to get the flawless taste and unique flavor typical of their country. For example, in Nicaragua they use the “black honey” method, which involves leaving as much of the coffee berry pulp on the beans as possible for 30 days under the sun, allowing them to absorb the natural sugar. And in Colombia, farmers use the late-harvest method, which is difficult and risky, but which allows the berries to fully ripen and the beans to fully develop their properties.
Lighter Roasted Coffee Has More Caffeine Than Darker Roasted Coffee
This fact may seem counterintuitive if you are unaware of how the roasting process works. The light roasting process evaporates less water and goes through a lower temperature, so the caffeine stays in the beans. The rich flavor and bitterness of dark roasted coffee give the misleading impression that it has more of an “invigorating” substance, but in reality, it is the opposite: if you are afraid of staying awake because of caffeine, dark roasting is a better choice.
The Most Popular Coffee in FinlandFor Coffee Lovers: Five Things About Coffee You Might Not Have Known
Surprisingly many people, the world leader in coffee consumption is not Italy or Brazil, which are traditionally associated with this drink, but Finland. It is followed by Norway and Iceland. Apparently, in cold countries, people try to warm up with coffee or escape bad weather in cozy coffee shops. But perhaps their leadership is in jeopardy, because interest in coffee continues to grow around the world, and a huge “club” of coffee lovers is replenished daily.
