Coffee beans by weight

Coffee beans

It came to us in the 17th century, straight from the Black Sea. One of its first Polish fans was King John III Sobieski. Since then, bean coffee has been steadily making a dizzying career on the Vistula. Today, in Poland, like mushrooms after the rain, more and more cafes are springing up, outdoing themselves in ever newer ways of grinding and brewing coffee beans. At the same time, good coffee beans have never been more accessible than now. In fact, each of us can play barista at home and try at will more species and varieties of this wonderful black drink.

And there is plenty to try. Coffee plantations exist in a great many countries and are located on as many as four continents: the Americas, Asia and Africa. Each coffee-growing location is characterized by a slightly different climate, type of soil, degree of sunshine and terrain, which has a huge impact on the aroma, taste and effect of the infusion from specific ground beans. So what are the characteristics of the best coffee beans, what should you follow when choosing the right variety for you, and finally - why is coffee bean better than ground or express coffee?

Arabica, meaning there is only one queen

It is understood that there are more than 500 species of coffee plants worldwide. However, most of the beans on sale come from three specific species. The first is Coffea arabica (Arabica), the second is Coffea canephora (Robusta), and the third, the least popular of the three, is Coffea liberica (Liberika). Experts say that the best coffee beans are arabica. It is by far the most noble species, yielding an extremely aromatic and subtly flavored brew, with low acidity and relatively low caffeine content. Arabica owes its name to its place of origin. This is because it was originally grown only in northern Arabia. It has very distinctive beans: oblong, slightly flat, with an s-shaped crack located on one side. Robusta is considered a slightly less noble variety of coffee. Its cultivation is much less demanding than that of arabica. Nevertheless, robusta is still an extremely appreciated coffee bean. Brewed from its ground beans, the brew has a very strong flavor. It is also characterized by a much stronger effect than arabica. It owes this to almost twice the caffeine content. It is interesting to note that espresso made from robusta usually has a thick layer of foam. The third and rarest specimen of the big three is liberca. As the name suggests, this coffee bean is native to Liberia, but is currently grown and produced in Malaysia. The brew made from it has a rather intense, heavy, earthy flavor, which nevertheless appeals to some coffee connoisseurs. It is worth mentioning that in addition to these three most popular types, coffees are most often produced that are blends of different types. The right proportions in such blends often produce coffees with a truly unique flavor and aroma.

Degree of roasting vs. taste and aroma of coffee

Bean coffees are also characterized by varying degrees of roasting. This is one of the main factors determining the color, flavor and aroma of a given coffee. Thus, light roasting produces a coffee with a delicate flavor and very light acidity, medium roasting results in a brew in which acidity and bitterness are felt almost equally, while dark roasting produces a coffee with a very deep flavor and pronounced bitterness. You should be tempted to try freshly roasted coffee. You can buy it locally from special coffee roasters. It is not a cheap pleasure, but definitely worth the price. Freshly roasted and ground coffee gives a brew with a taste that is hard to forget.

Bean coffee - advantages over ground coffee, ways to store it

If you really cherish the moments spent over a cup of wonderful, aromatic coffee, the choice should be obvious to you. Only coffee beans, ground just before brewing, will allow you to enjoy the full flavor of this fantastic dark liquid. Grinded coffee available in stores has the property of weathering and acquiring moisture rather quickly, so it loses its valuable flavor and aroma properties. It's much better to invest in a good quality coffee bean and a handy home grinder and grind yourself successive batches of coffee, preferably just before brewing. Of course, there is also bean coffee for coffee makers available on the market. Most espresso machines have a special built-in grinder that can easily handle even the hardest coffee beans. And once you've invested in a good coffee bean, you should take care of their best storage. For this purpose, it is worth buying special airtight cans, preferably with a double lid, or jars made of dark, sunlight-impermeable glass. Such containers with coffee are good to store in a dry, dark and cool place, then we will be sure that our best coffee beans will retain their unique taste and smell for a long time.