3 essentials for choosing a good coffee
A simple guide for choosing the best coffee according to its properties
how to shop
Share
Coffee is a part of breakfast in many homes and, in fact, it is one of the most consumed products. After petrol, it is the second most commercialised product in the world. But despite this, we don’t always go for the best quality coffee. Take note of these tips so that your coffee is the envy of your neighbourhood.
What you should keep in mind when choosing a good coffee
Variety
In the supermarket lines we tend to find two varieties of coffee, arabica and robusta. Coffee experts prefer the former because of its hints of aroma and flavour, as well as an exquisite taste with less acidity as opposed to the robusta which has a more acidic and bitter flavour.
Roasting
- Natural: the bean is roasted naturally and without any additives. Arabica beans tend to be used.
- High roast: during roasting, sugar is added and mixed at high temperature creating a caramelised layer. It has a more acidic flavour and the robusta variety tends to be used.
- Mixture: natural coffee is mixed with high roast, in turn mixing the two varieties of Arabica and robusta. The characteristics vary according to the percentage of each variety used.
Bean or ground?
Freshly ground coffee beans have a more intense flavour and aroma, but coffee you can buy ready ground is more practical and often more economical. In any case, it is more a question of taste as opposed to quality.
Coffee tasting: the taste is in the variety
As with everything, theory is one thing and individual taste is another. The best thing to do is to try different varieties and roasts until you find the one that is most to your liking. Below, we outline some tasting characteristics.
- Body: the feeling the coffee has when in contact with the palate; it may be light or more intense and stronger.
- Acidity: the higher the altitude where it was grown the more acidity it will have.
- Fragrance: this is the aroma that reaches our sense of smell. Arabica coffees are softer, while robusta coffees are more bitter and have stronger aromas.
