Excellent Coffee

People all over the world rely upon the delicious taste of Java to start their day, which is commonly called coffee. Coffee has become a significant beverage over the centuries, often used for social gatherings, meetings, or a relaxing way to start your day. A truly exceptional cup of coffee can make a dramatic difference in your day, and it is also the preferred beverage for coffee breaks at the office or lunchtime. Today, there are a number of choices available to you in the way that you can drink your coffee, including the French Press, vacuum brewer, percolator, espresso machine, or even stovetop espresso maker.

Coffee cultures vary all over the world, and in the United States, coffee is served with a medium strength in commercial coffee houses. If you travel to Italy or France, the coffee servings are much smaller, but they have a stronger taste and consistency.

What many people do not know is that similar to wine, coffee flavors develop more fully when they are aged. This process began in Europe, where coffee was exported from what is now known as Yemen. When the beans were imported to Europe, they were left on boats for a long period of time. This exposure to the outside sea air dramatically changed the flavors of the coffee, beginning the process of aging. Once the Suez Canal was developed, it minimized travel time to Europe, so the flavor profiles developed in the coffee beans were not as deep or full.

Interestingly enough, this fresher coffee that was not aged was rejected by Europe because they had developed a taste for the fuller and more complex coffee flavors brought on by the aging process. To cater to this demand, coffee exporters began aging coffee in warehouses for up to six months at a time to mimic the flavors that were developed within the long voyage at sea throughout the shipping process.

This is a hotly debated topic, but it seems that many varieties of green coffee beans improve their flavors when they age, especially beans that have a low acidity. The beans that benefit the most from this aging process come from India and Indonesia. In fact, some coffee beans are available for purchase that have been aged for anywhere from 3 to 8 years. Still, many experts in coffee believe that green and unroasted coffee beans can provide valuable flavors within only one year after harvest, and if they are aged too much, they will lose the essential oils that provide the delicious flavors to the coffee itself.

When it comes to coffee, there are two varieties available: regular and decaffeinated. For many people who are sensitive to caffeine, decaffeinated coffee is a must. Coffee is decaffeinated through a process of removing the caffeine from the green coffee beans before they are roasted.

The most popular process used for decaffeination in the United States involves carbon dioxide extraction. This process happens when wet green coffee beans come into contact with large amounts of carbon dioxide at high temperatures of up to 200°F. This chemical process will remove almost 97% of the caffeine from the coffee beans.

One other method that is used is through a solvent process, which uses an oil or ethyl acetate to remove the caffeine from the beans. This solvent will again be added to wet green coffee beans before they are roasted to remove the caffeine. After that, the beans will be steamed to remove any of the chemical solvent to make them safe for consumption.

The most preferable method by far is the Swiss Water Method because it is gentle and does not use any chemicals to remove the caffeine. This is a water process that involves soaking the beans to remove the caffeine, leaving the coffee beans with 1% caffeine when they are dried.

It is important to keep in mind that decaffeinated coffee is not 100% caffeine free, so for anyone who is sensitive to caffeine completely, it still may not be a viable option. However, decaffeinated coffee has come a long way, and many flavorful and delicious gourmet roasts can be naturally decaffeinated while still preserving the flavor profile of the coffee beans.