Coffee, Coffee, Coffee!

I love everything about coffee, well almost everything. I love the aroma! Just opening a fresh bag of whole coffee beans sets me in the right mood. And when you start brewing; pure heaven! I've not been a coffee drinker that long, just since college. I can't tell you how long ago that was now, not straight off the top of my head, that is.

i dedicate this hub page to Coffee, to all that it is and will be. Stay tuned for continued updates :)

Coffee Beans are mainly typed as either Arabica or Robusta (also known as Canephora). Most beans today are Arabica.

Robusta Coffee is lower typed. Easier grown and maintained. Plantation yield is higher. This type is highly caffeinated.

Arabica Coffee is quality bean, often classified as gourmet. Caffeine content is half but flavor and scent are much more pleasant. Every region yields its own particular variety of Arabica Coffee. That sets you on a continued adventure right away. Try it all!

The Roasting Process is responsible for that aroma and taste we all love about coffee. it is the unlocking process; as beans are subjected to high temperatures, everything stored comes out. Excellent roasting procedures will not cause quality nor taste to degrade. Timing is important, beans should never be over roasted.

Light Roast

Light Roast Coffee Beans possess the highest caffeine content of all roast types. They will be light brown in appearance and the taste will noticeably be lighter. There is no oil since the temperature subjected onto the beans is not long enough to cause oil to break out.

Medium Roast

Medium Roast Coffee Beans are medium brown in color with no bitter aftertaste. It is also oil free.

Medium-Dark Roast

Colors take on a rich dark color when medium-dark roasted. There is slightly an aftertaste that is quite bitter yet sweet. Oil has broken through the surface.

Dark Roast

Shiny, oily, charred black; that's what you see on dark roasted coffee beans. Bitterness is pronounced. This type of coffee is least acidic of all roast types. 'Vienesse', 'Espresso', 'Italian', and 'French' are popular variants.

First off, know that whole bean coffee will store for longer periods than ground coffee.

Six months storage is a reasonable time window for those who are serious about quality taste. Whole Beans must be properly contained, away from direct sunlight, heat, or air exposure. Use airtight storage for excellent keep. Freezing beans in airtight containers adds over a year of shelf life. Store in small portions for easy thawing. For ground coffee, expect time windows to be lessened by half.

Beans that smell differently have definitely turned bad.

Beans that have lost that original aroma have definitely turned bad.

Beans that have lightened in hue have most probably turned bad.

NEVER allow beans to come in contact with other strong scented items. Beans absorb whatever is around them so practice good storage habits.

NEVER place beside detergents and scented soaps.

NEVER store together with unsealed leftover food.

French press

Also called, coffee plunger, coffee press, and cafetiere. You use coarsely ground coffee beans to prevent granules from passing through the press filter. This is a simple brewing method. You scoop in coffee beans at the bottom, then proceed to pour the required amount of water boiled at the right temperature. Brewing time is generally falls between 4 to 4.5 minutes. Press plunger down after required time elapses. This ensures filtered coffee. Pour. Basic ratio is 1 tbs. of ground coffee beans to 220 ml. of water. Weaken or strengthen to taste.

Moka Pot

A stove-top brewer, the equipment holds water at the bottom part and the coffee granules at the middle part. The top part is where your finished brew goes up to. As water boils, pressurized steam goes upwards through the coffee beans, towards the topmost section.

Chemex

Also called: Pour over, Filtered, and Drip. Water is boiled then passed slowly over and through the ground coffee beans placed in a filter. The filter is either contained in a small steel or glass container/brewer.

Espresso

Espresso has the thickest consistency among other types of brew. Only a small amount of heated and pressurized water is made to pass through packed and ground coffee beans. A pressurized brew yields 'crema', a distinct feature where creamy foam forms on top.

To clarify, caffeine content in Espresso is not the highest of all brew. Total caffeine content is less, since Espresso comes in shots and volume is small. Caffeine/unit is high though.

Cold Brew

Also called toddy coffee or cold press. This type of brew is cold water based, and done for an extend period of time.Ground coffee is soaked in room temperature/cold water for at least half a day. After which, fine coffee filter is used to eliminate residue granules. The resulting brew is smooth, taste is sweeter, and the coffee is low acid.

Espresso can be single, dopio, or triple. Each shot has about 100mg of caffeine. It's sole black coffee preparation using an Espresso machine.

Cappuccino is Espresso prepared and topped with full or skimmed milk (steamed). Single shots has about 80mg of caffeine. Cappuccino is 1 part coffee and 1 part steamed milk and 1 part milk foam.

Latte is 1 part coffee and 2 parts milk, topped with a layer of foam. Caffeine content may be as much as a Cappuccino or lesser..

Mocha is Espresso added with steamed milk, plus chocolate syrup and whipped cream. It is high in fat and packs a lot more calories than other types of coffee preparation. Caffeine content is about the same as usual - 80mg.

Check how many calories in different types of coffee drinks

Of course, what coffee write-up would not be complete without mentioning some of the must-haves?! If you love coffee, real coffee, not just the instant powders or 3-in1 packs you make and drink instantly, then try these some time...

The civet is a mammal species of its own. It's not a cat, it's not a mongoose, it's not anything else, except a civet. Nature has gifted coffee lovers with this short of miraculous kind of coffee bean. The one that comes from a civet. Civet coffee is not coffee poop, because we think that it's poop coffee. It's not a poop. The diet of a civet is mostly, exclusively, just coffee cherries. These coffee cherries come out of a civet unprocessed, undigested, in tact among the feces.Civet coffee is expensive and the National Geographic covers the sad fate of civets in the world today. So, if you're thinking of trying out a cup, do so from a reputable cafe that cares for the environment and that practice ethical standards in the harvesting of civet coffee beans. Price ranges according to quality and make. In the US, you can get it for as high as $80. You can also get it in Indonesian and Vietnamese cafes for cheap prices. Kopi Luwak is the local term. Be careful though, a lot of cafes in Indonesia and Vietnam sell low-grade civet coffee.

The Philippines is where you can get high-quality civet coffee for a decent price of $6. Mind you, that is already pricey coffee in the Philippines. So, don't doubt it's high-grade quality. If you're in town, try the Frazzled Cook at Tomas Morato. They serve it there. If you want to arrange a purchase online, check out BoteCentral's Facebook or Website page. Bote Central practices Fair Trade. Do support them. Also, inquire about special permits you may need to bring a can of Civet Coffee Bean in your country. We tried to get it into Australia once and it was held up at the airport. It had to unfortunately be sent back to the Philippines.