looking for, read on- this guide will help you to understand the differences
between the basic types of coffee, and bust the coffee jargon, so you can decide
which variety is right for you.The two main varieties of coffee plant are
arabica and robusta. Arabica originated from Ethiopia, whilst robusta came from
Uganda. Both are now grown in several other regions throughout the world, and
most coffee is labelled clearly to show which country and region it was grown
in. Generally speaking, arabica is superior to robusta, with a much stronger and
more distinct flavour- robusta can be bitter and weak-tasting- however the taste
also varies depending on which region the coffee comes from, and the processes
it is subjected to during growing, shipping, storing and brewing.You will often
find that coffee is described in terms similar to those you might find in wine
tasting: the main three categories used are flavour (such as ‘sweet' or
‘spicy'), aroma (such as ‘flowery' or ‘chocolaty'), body (such as ‘medium-bodied'
or ‘full-bodied') and acidity (which refers to how ‘sharp' or ‘clean' the coffee
tastes, NOT to its pH).When you buy coffee beans, you will probably buy them
already roasted, however you can ‘home-roast' them if you choose. Roasting
unlocks the flavour from the bean, and the extent to which beans are roasted
varies- for example, you can buy ‘medium roast' beans, ‘Italian roast' beans
(‘Italian' refers to the roast- it does not indicate that the beans came from
Italy), and so on.It is worth trying out different types of coffee, using the
above points as a guide. You will be amazed at the range of flavours out there,
and the more effort you make to try the different flavours, the more of an
expert you will become.