The Different Tastes of Coffee

Coffee can be served with almost an infinite variety of different tastes, and of course these can come from flavors such as spices or by adding cream or frothy milk. But even before these types of different flavorings are added, there are large differences in taste that come from the growing location of the coffee beans, as well as the roasting and grinding procedures.

Coffee is produced mostly in tropical highlands, and 70 inches of rain per year are needed. Ideal conditions would have most of the rain falling while the cherries, in which the coffee beans are actually seeds, are beginning their growth cycle with lesser amounts while the cherries are maturing. Since growing conditions vary so much in the world’s highland tropical areas, the tastes of coffee produced in different areas will vary widely. This occurs despite the fact that there are only two species of coffee plants grown for most of the world’s production. These two species are coffea Arabica and coffea robusta. The former is the most widely used and produces the best coffee. The latter is used for lower quality coffee blends, but it has more caffeine and it is not affected by certain plant diseases that can destroy C. Arabica.

Coffee from Java is quite full-bodied and has an earthy taste. Coffee from Columbia and Brazil, which is the world’s largest producer, are milder and these coffees blend well with other types of beans. Coffee from Costa Rica is quite mild, while coffee from Kenya is very strong.

Besides the location the beans are grown the taste of coffee is made different by the amount of roasting of the beans and how finely or coarsely the beans are ground. Normally roasting is done at about 400 degrees F, and the time used to roast the beans generally varies from 5 minutes for light brown colored beans to fifteen minutes for very dark beans. Most of the production is in light to medium brown colored beans, and these can be blended with many other types of beans. For very strong coffee like espresso, very dark beans are used, and these are finely ground. In addition, the type of appliance used for brewing can also make a difference in taste. Coffee brewed using a French press will taste different from drip made coffee made with a filter, or percolated coffee, which is boiled. Add to this flavorings like vanilla, cinnamon, or allspice, as well as frothy milk or cream, and an endless amount of different coffee tastes can be created.

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