Coffee: The Basics
If you are interested in truly diving into coffee, welcome, this is the community for you! We have an active Instagram and Facebook account full of information, deals and beautiful photos of coffee, even some memes that are super fun.
Lets start with the basics. There are 2 types of coffee plants, Arabica and Robusta. There are some major differences between the two. Arabica is known for its smooth taste while Robusta is more bitter, but has more caffeine. Another big difference is price. The Arabica is more of a delicate plant and requires more attention. It also only gives its fruit once a year making it more expensive due to the additional expenses and availability. Robusta will survive longer and give fruit all year long. The notation between the two is usually labeled on the bag, but there is an easy way to tell. If it is more expensive, its likely Arabica, if not, its likely Robusta. Sometimes, coffee companies will blend 80/20 or 60/40. This is done for economic reasons and for higher caffeine with better taste. All of our Texas Parks Outlet Coffees are 100% Arabica.
Next, the roast is the most important detail to check out. This is where the flavor comes in to play and where coffee companies further differentiate themselves. There are 3 levels; Light, Medium and Dark. These are also more detailed and arranged from, Half City, City, Full City, French and Italian, with Italian and French being the darkest. Discovering your roast is a process. Don’t shy away from this process, enjoy it! I highly recommend our Texas Gold as a starting point, You may find that having different roasts in your collection is a good thing as you can let your mood choose on a daily (or hourly) basis.
Making high quality coffee requires high quality water. Choose your water wisely as it WILL impart flavor to your coffee making it unique to your location. Use a mineral or filtered water. Be aware that using straight tap water from the faucet can add some undesirable flavors and inconsistencies to your brew.
The brew…. No matter which brew method you choose you will basically use 1 tablespoon to 8 ounces of water. This is another part of the coffee making experience that will need your experimentation. Water temperature is important to monitor. Its known that water boils at 212F, coffee brewing should shoot for 190-200 known as off the boil. Brew methods with paper filters will remove many of the oils that naturally exist in the brew. Pour overs or drips with paper filters are smoother and crisper tasting. Choosing a French press will allow the oils to remain. This leaves some body to the coffee with a thicker or bolder mouth feel. My favorite brew methods are all under $45 so you don’t need and expensive coffee machine or gadget to make great tasting coffee.
Lets start with the basics. There are 2 types of coffee plants, Arabica and Robusta. There are some major differences between the two. Arabica is known for its smooth taste while Robusta is more bitter, but has more caffeine. Another big difference is price. The Arabica is more of a delicate plant and requires more attention. It also only gives its fruit once a year making it more expensive due to the additional expenses and availability. Robusta will survive longer and give fruit all year long. The notation between the two is usually labeled on the bag, but there is an easy way to tell. If it is more expensive, its likely Arabica, if not, its likely Robusta. Sometimes, coffee companies will blend 80/20 or 60/40. This is done for economic reasons and for higher caffeine with better taste. All of our Texas Parks Outlet Coffees are 100% Arabica.
Next, the roast is the most important detail to check out. This is where the flavor comes in to play and where coffee companies further differentiate themselves. There are 3 levels; Light, Medium and Dark. These are also more detailed and arranged from, Half City, City, Full City, French and Italian, with Italian and French being the darkest. Discovering your roast is a process. Don’t shy away from this process, enjoy it! I highly recommend our Texas Gold as a starting point, You may find that having different roasts in your collection is a good thing as you can let your mood choose on a daily (or hourly) basis.
Making high quality coffee requires high quality water. Choose your water wisely as it WILL impart flavor to your coffee making it unique to your location. Use a mineral or filtered water. Be aware that using straight tap water from the faucet can add some undesirable flavors and inconsistencies to your brew.
The brew…. No matter which brew method you choose you will basically use 1 tablespoon to 8 ounces of water. This is another part of the coffee making experience that will need your experimentation. Water temperature is important to monitor. Its known that water boils at 212F, coffee brewing should shoot for 190-200 known as off the boil. Brew methods with paper filters will remove many of the oils that naturally exist in the brew. Pour overs or drips with paper filters are smoother and crisper tasting. Choosing a French press will allow the oils to remain. This leaves some body to the coffee with a thicker or bolder mouth feel. My favorite brew methods are all under $45 so you don’t need and expensive coffee machine or gadget to make great tasting coffee.
TXPO Nick