Many people think about making the best coffee by focusing on the way that it is brewed. It is true that using the best brewing methods will lead to a better cup of coffee (we like the French press ourselves).
But the most important part of your morning cup of coffee is the beans you buy. Fortunately, today we have many online and brick and mortar options to choose from to buy the best coffee beans.
Here are some good tips to ensure you are buying the best coffee beans possible:
- Buy whole beans that are freshly roasted. Any serious coffee guy or gal should know that you have to grind your own beans to get good coffee. You need to be able to control how the coffee is ground, and your coffee will have much more flavor and retention of natural oils than if you buy ground coffee.
- Look for coffee with a roasting date on it. You might have a bit more trouble finding a bag of coffee beans with the roasting date listed, but when you do, you should only buy from that roaster. Most commercial roasters will not put any date on their bags. They usually want to not tell you where the coffee was made and when it was roasted. Remember that most of the coffee taste you love is tied to those coffee oils and they dry up and disappear quickly.
- Pick the right beans. The most common types are Arabica and Robusta. Most people prefer Arabica. Robusta has a bitter and earthy taste and often is used to make instant coffee.
- Watch where the bean comes from. You should find a coffee vendor that uses single source and single estate coffee beans. These are beans that all come from at least an individual region, or even better, an individual coffee bean estate. A single estate coffee bean will have a very specific taste profile. When you see coffee beans that are from a single origin or single estate, you know that all of the beans are of the same quality. Most commercial coffee companies mix up the beans used, and the taste of the coffee is mediocre at best. You can not beat the taste of single estate coffee beans.
- Pick the correct roast. Unless you want to make espresso, you may not want espresso roast. Many coffee lovers prefer a light roast, city roast or Vienna roast. Vienna seems to be the most common, and is what people are usually used to drinking.
By following the above tips, you should have a good idea of what to look for when shopping for the best coffee beans.