How to Buy Coffee

Buying coffee is more difficult that it use to be. With the maturation of the coffee industry in countless countries, the world wide web bringing us more information, and all the new breeds of specialty coffees; buying coffee can be as confusing as purchasing for your first home. It seems that there are as many coffee cultivars as good cheeses or good wines. To help you navigate this bevy of choices, below is a list of things you could consider when buying coffee. Out of the list there is one thing factor that stands supreme: Taste.

Taste 

Taste should always be your first consideration because if you don' t like the taste, chances are you will not drink the coffee. And if you won't drink the coffee, why buy it in the first place? Buy coffee you like to drink and you can never go wrong. Do not rely too much on expert opinion as everyone's taste buds are a bit different and be open minded with new. Try everything.

Aroma 

What does the coffee smell like? Many of the world top chefs say that the smell of the food is almost important as the taste and this thinking should be applied when drinking coffee. With coffee, aroma should come a close second to the taste of coffee. With many coffees, you will have a hard time separating the taste and smell coffee.

Freshness 

Coffee is not like wine. It does not get better with age. The best coffee roasters bid to get the finest and freshest crop. Make sure you do your part and try to buy their freshest offerings. The importance of freshness is even more important if you home roast.

Genus 

What plant type and cultivar is extremely important in selecting coffee. Generally speaking Arabica coffee is superior and that is why some specialty coffees trade at multiples of 25 times commercial coffees.

Roast 

How the bean is roasted affects the flavor. Understanding what type of roast goes best with certain brewing styles, not the just bean cultivar, will help you avoid a bad cup of coffee. For example, any espresso type drink; that is, coffee extracted via high pressure water, has to be from coffee that roasted is a notch above a full/city roast. This type of roast is commonly called an "espresso roast" because it's the minimum roast needed to avoid a bitter taste when extracting coffee under high pressure water.

One tip you should remember is most specialty coffees are roasted as a full/city roast. This roasts brings out the best flavor of the coffee without adding extra flavor notes and highlighting the acidity of the coffee. If you are trying different coffees, make sure you use the same roast to get a truly accurate flavor profile. And if you have control over the roast make sure it's a full/city roast to get a true gauge on the natural flavor.