Beans Of Choice — How To Select The Best Coffee For You
Coffee beans come in a huge variety beyond what’s available at your local grocery store. Not only is there a vast variety of bean choices, but also a wide range of preparation methods, and every choice that goes into the preparation of your beans will have a noticeable effect on the flavor outcome.
The Bean Belt
While coffee is a beverage of choice around the world, the beans only grow in a narrow band around the planet. This band stretches between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn or 23.5 degrees north and south of the equator.
The belt passes through about 70 countries, but only about 45 of them have the essential elements for growing coffee beans. Only certain areas with high altitudes, fertile soil, and the perfect temperature variations are truly suited for growing coffee beans.
Not All Beans Are Created Equal
Even the smallest changes in temperature, humidity, altitude, or soil can lead to large differences in the eventual flavor of your coffee. The ideal soil for coffee beans is volcanic red earth or deep sandy loam.
Beans grown in the shade will take longer to ripen, which allows their natural sugars more time to develop, and results in a more complex flavor. Changes in altitude can affect the acidity of the coffee, which can be a desirable or undesirable trait, depending on the consumer.
Flavor Country
Since there’s so much potential variation in the beans that eventually make it to your cup, there’s the possibility for endless different flavors. Many countries are known for specific flavor profiles caused by their geography and climate.
Asia is known for its sweet, heavy-bodied, earthy flavor, while Africa produces more acidic, fruity, medium-bodied coffee. North and South America tend to grow mild and balanced coffee, with mild acidity and a nutty, spicy flavor.
Making The Choice
This is where advice tends to fail because every person is looking for something different in their perfect cup of coffee. The best idea is usually to experiment, keep trying different beans and methods until you hone in on the flavor that most tickles your taste buds.
Some people find the experimentation to be more exciting than finding the perfect flavor and aim to constantly be trying different beans, rather than searching for the perfect cup.
Since you can’t find the variety, or the quality, of beans required for this journey at your grocery store, most people turn to subscription bean services. You can have a huge variety of coffee types mailed directly to your door, from pretty much anywhere in the world.
This type of variety and choice simply isn’t available any other way. If you do find the perfect flavor for you, you can have it endlessly delivered so you can enjoy the most fantastic cup of coffee ever to cross your lips, every single day.
If you’re more of the adventurous type, you can have a variety of beans delivered on a regular basis, so you’ll always have something new to try.
Wherever you want your coffee adventure to lead, a service like Bean Curious can help to take you there.
