Quest for Coffee (1) | Beans
You sit uneasily. You trip over words when speaking.
You hit your toe against the table. (That’s a sobering sensation of pain unlike any) Why? Well…you haven’t had that cup of morning Joe.
That coffee is crucial. From bean to ground, that coffee plays a vital role in deciding the fate of your morning. Yet, do you understand what you’re drinking?
Fret not, Quest for Coffee is a series presented by Quirkbag Collections. I describe in simple terms and personal experience what I feel makes coffee the national drink of numerous countries.
Background (Before Getting to the Coffee Ground)
Recently, I became interested in Joe – brewing coffee from beans at home. I used to think coffee was just this dark fragrant liquid from a brown bean. There were buzzwords like ‘medium roast’ and ‘tannins’ that sounded like baloney to me. As my curiosity would have it, I dug a little deeper into coffee. Fortunately, I am not a cat so I live to tell my tales.
Origin of the Beans
Right. Beans come from many countries, most commonly Colombia, Italy, France and Kenya. According to one of James Hoffman’s YouTube videos – I most certainly would recommend checking out this tutorial series – the best places to grow coffee beans are regions with high altitudes.
There is a whole classification of the beans based on the altitude at which they grew.
High altitudes give a magical mix of intense heat from the sun during the day and the icy breeze at night. The beans are given the greatest chance to develop to their fullest potential.
If you are a complete beginner to coffee like me, I recommend this coffee guide that summarises how coffee is made, from the plant to the drink. It certainly helped my understanding of the basics.
From Arabica, the most popular type of coffee bean in the world (at 60% of the world’s volume), to Liberica, its more caffeinated and less famous cousin, the guide above can broaden your knowledge of the basics in several minutes.
However, do the types really taste different? Kind of.
Depending on the climate in which beans are grown, and of course the chemical composition of the bean, they take on various flavour profiles.
Click on the buttons at the bottom of each box to explore more.
KENYA
Acidic, Floral, Fruity
- Usually has distinct blackcurrant notes
- E-grade beans are the largest class of beans, among which Kenya AA beans are the biggest
COLOMBIA
Light, Smooth, Refined
- Usually said to be more expensive and of higher quality
- The harmonious mix of soil, altitude and climate births a unique origin of beans
JAMAICA
Luxurious, Unique, Famous
- Home of the Blue Mountain Coffee Beans
- Known to be the home of the pinnacle of coffee luxury lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
Because of favourable altitudes, the beans are grown slowly and matured with more nutrients, giving them Strictly High Grown (SHG)/Strictly Hard Bean (SHB) status.
Additionally, despite the beans’ natural flavour differing ever so slightly, the final flavour in the drink can be impacted greatly by heat. That brings us to roast. There are 3 main types.
To learn more about roasts, check out next week’s chapter of Quest for Coffee. Feel free to have a coffee while waiting.
If you are curious about that delicious fragrant dark liquid, join me for the next step in Quest for Coffee.
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Quest for Coffee (1) | Beans
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