These are some of the terms that can confuse people:

Acidity: For the most part is a desirable attribute to coffee. So if you notice that a particular coffee has a noted acidity, don’t be scared off by that. Acidity can be described in terms of bright, clear, dry, and clean. Coffees can taste flat and dull without the proper level of acidity. If you like a nice dry wine, you would like a nice acidity in your coffee.

Aroma: The aroma that a brewed coffee gives off is a great indicator of how your cup of coffee will taste.

Balance: Coffee has a variety of complex aromas, flavors, and specific attributes. As long as one of these doesn’t overpower the other the coffee may be called mellow or balanced.

Body: Body is the weight of a coffee felt on the palate. If a coffee is roasted too lightly or overly dark they have reduced body. Body can be determined by the type of coffee and the brewing method. For example: Press Pot coffee will have some fine particles floating in the cup after pressing, whereas espresso has more of the coffee oils in the cup.

Peaberry Coffee beans occur in about 5% of the coffee. The peaberry is a distinctively round bean, which develops as a single seed in the coffee cherry. It produces a very smooth full-bodied cup of coffee. The coffee cherries that carry the peaberry bean (seed) generally grow on the ends of the coffee bushes.

Varietals: A coffee from a specific country. Not a specific type of coffee.

Robusta: Coffee that is high in caffeine, low quality and mass produced. It is a low grown coffee. Growing altitude ranges: Sea level to 3,000 ft.

Arabica: Arabica plants produce the most flavorful coffees. They grow along the equator at elevations between 3,000 and 6,000 feet.

Washed coffee: The coffee seed is enclosed in an outer parchment layer, it is pulped out of the outermost skin while on the farm. Then the coffee is either fermented and washed, or just washed, and laid out to dry in the sun. Finally, the coffee seed is milled out of the parchment layer. This coffee can be very undesirable.

Dry Processed coffee: This is also known as the natural method, the oldest simplest way to dry coffee. This method does not require a lot of machinery either. Dry-processed coffee is a method where the coffee is laid out to dry with the fruit intact. Once dry, the skin and parchment layer are striped in one step, and hand-sorting begins. Dry processed coffees produce a nice cup of coffee.

Wet Processed: The wet method is more complicated than the dry method and requires the use of special equipment and considerable amounts of water. The picked ripe coffee cherries are placed in a de-pulper to remove the red skin. Next, the de-pulped coffee bean (seed) travel down a succession of water ways that clean and grade them. Finally, they end up in a fermentation tank for 24 to 36 hours to remove the remaining mucilage on the green coffee beans. Once the fermentation process has completed, the coffee is dried on concrete patio’s or mechanical driers.

Grinding

It is very important to have the proper grind for your particular brewing method:

Ideally, it is best to grind your coffee just before brewing it.

There are generally 2 ways to grind your coffee, the whirly blade method or the Burr grinder. The best way to make sure that you have a consistent grind is to purchase a Burr grinder.

1. The whirly blade can build up heat caused by friction from the grounds whipping around in the grind chamber. The heat will degrade the coffee to a certain extent, and you will not have the true cup of coffee the particular varietals may offer. Also, you will not be able to get the proper grind consistently for your particular brewing method.

2. The Burr grinder will always give you a consistent grind. You put your coffee in the hopper and set your grind. The coffee passes through the burrs once and the grounds travels to a holding container.

Each of these types of grinders is sold in stores. I would also like to mention that the grinder you choose should be for grinding your coffee only.

Brewing

There are several brewing methods out there. Each one has a specific grind profile to ensure that you get the most out of your cup of coffee. Coffee stays fresh, believe it or not, in your drip pot for approximately 15 minutes. After that the air and the hot plate have a lot to do with the demise of a wonderful brew. I’m sure you’ve noticed that your first cup is definitely better than that bottom of the pot cup.

The typical brewing rule is 2 level tablespoons per 6 ounces of water. I always tell people make coffee the way you like it. This method is worth trying once, just to see how you like it. I personally like coffee brewed this way.

French Press Pot: This is a very simple method of brewing. The important thing to remember with this method is to use a very course grind. Use 2 TBSP course grounds per 6 oz. of water. First, boil your water, once the water has come to a boil, take it off the heat. Grind your coffee, put the grounds in the pot and pour in the water. Making your coffee this way ensures that your water is the perfect temp. You never want to pour boiling water over the grounds. Give it a stir to settle the grounds. Let it sit for 2 to 4 minutes, gently and slowly push the plunger down. Drink and enjoy.

Espresso: This is an actual brewing method, not the name of a coffee. The coffee grounds are forced under steam pressure which extracts the essence of the coffee bean. Common myth is that espresso is packed with caffeine, when actually a one-ounce espresso has only half the caffeine of an 8 oz. cup of drip coffee. The reason being is that the coffee doesn’t have water continuously dripping over the grounds like in the drip brewing method. Another misconception is that the coffee bean itself has to be charred and black to make good espresso. Not true, a nice French roast makes an excellent cup of espresso. There are various ways to brew espresso: Manual stove top, semi automatic, and fully automatic.

This is the manual method espresso machine. It has a heating chamber, which is the only electric part on this unit. The rest is fully manual. Raise the lever and it allows water under pressure to infuse the coffee in the filter holder. Lower the lever and a piston forces the water through the coffee into the cup.

This is a Semi-Automatic espresso machine. With these machines you have to actually grind and fill the coffee portafilter yourself. You can use ground coffee or pods in these units.

This is a fully automatic espresso machine. This machine does everything for you, from the grinding and tamping, to brewing and disposing of the grounds. They all have built in grinders, and some have programmable features.

This is the stovetop espresso machine. Fill the bottom to the level of the valve or a little over it. Fill the filter basket with coffee. Normally with espresso you need to tamp the grind, but with this method do not tamp it down because when the coffee becomes wet, it expands which is self tamping in itself. Drop the filter basket into the bottom, put the top on, make sure the coffee maker is on a medium heat, that way you won’t darken your coffee pot by using excessive heat. Brewing usually takes around 5 minutes. If it takes longer, you can raise your heat a bit more the next time. The coffee is done when all the water has been percolated into the top of the unit.

Vacuum Brewing: This type of brewing is an infusion method that works with suction from expansion and contraction of gases (gas and water vapor). There are 4 parts to this unit: the bottom where the water initially sits, a top container, where the coffee grounds initially sit, a siphon tube connecting the two containers; and a filter, that allows the liquid to and steam to move upwards, but keeps most of the coffee grounds in the top container. You heat the bottom, which produces steam, the steam in turn forces the water up the siphon tube and incorporates with the grounds. Once the water has been siphoned to the top, you remove the heat source, and the water will drain back to the bottom of the pot from the suction of the cooling vapor in the bottom. It takes about 3 to 6 minutes. You can use stovetop, electric, gas, or tabletop on a portable burner. They also come with a wire diffuser for stovetop electric coils. Most use a re-usable cloth filter.

It is important not to keep coffee in the freezer or the refrigerator; it degrades the integrity of the coffee and coagulates the oils. We recommend buying an amount that you can use within a 2 week period.

Our list does change periodically, so it’s a good idea to check back regularly. Coffee crops do change from season to season, just because one is good this season doesn’t mean it will be superior the next.