Saturday, September 26, 2009

How to Choose the Best Coffee Bean for Home Brewing

By Arthur Cundy

There is no actual perfect bean because what one person likes, another will hate. Now while there is no perfect label, there are some standards that you should follow in order to find the perfect bean for you. If you keep these things in mind, you are going to find the ideal bean to put into your coffee maker every morning.

Before you do anything, make sure you go out and get a coffee bean grinder. Getting pre-ground coffee is doing nothing more than settling for second best. It doesnt matter how good the coffee is, if you get it in anything other than a whole bean, you are taking away from the true flavor and setting for second best.

You should also be buying the beans in a vacuum sealed bag. If they are not sealed in this manner, the air will continue to break down the bean and over time, its natural flavors will diminish. You should also invest in a foodsaver system so you can reseal the beans after you have opened them up.

For the most part, Arabica coffee beans are the way to go. This is what you will more than likely be drinking at your favorite coffee shop and also at places like Starbucks. If you are drinking coffee at a store that is not known specifically for coffee and often turn your nose up at it, they are probably brewing with Robusta beans.

The reason we suggest that you stay away from the Robusta bean is because it is very bitter tasting. At one time, this was very popular because of the larger amount of caffeine that it holds, but you no longer need to deal with the lack of flavor to get that jolt. There are still some Italian specialty shops that will use this exclusively, but they are few and far between.

Last but not least, if you are able to get your hands on fresh roasted beans, buy them. If you are able to get them right out of the roaster and seal them up, you will be getting a cup of coffee like nothing that you have ever tasted. The bean will lose flavor the longer it is out of the roaster so if you can get it closer to the end of that process, you are getting the best possible flavor available.

As we said, everyone will like a different flavor in their coffee. However, regardless of the flavors you like, all of these standards will come into play to make sure you are getting the best possible bean available for the kind of coffee that you like. Follow these guidelines and your next cup of coffee will probably be your best cup of coffee.

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