Coffees taste is judge by a cupper, a professional taster. All this expertise
is combined to help buyers get the best beans to make the best cup of coffee.
However, the barista is the person you see at your coffeehouses. They note
every comment, good and bad, to judge the failure or success produced by
cappuccino machines and other coffee brewing methods.About 70 countries grow
coffee beans in a band from the Equator to about 25° north or 25° south.
Plantations are found in Africa, the Middle East, South America, the Caribbean
and even Hawaii. It is the barista's job to decide which region supplies the
best beans as influenced by their customers.Due to varied climates, altitudes,
machinery and techniques, each country's beans have different qualities. Each
plantation will also have individual variants of the two main types of beans,
robusta and arabica. Robusta is the bean of choice due to lower caffeine
levels. It is used for the best coffees, supplying better flavour and
aroma.Arabica beans are best grown at above 3000ft. Brazilian arabica beans are
less preferred, being grown at lower levels. Ultimately, the final decision is
down to if you are roasting your own beans or getting pre-roasted beans. Green
beans normally smell like vegetables and are soft. Choose them if you are doing
your own roasting. If you want roasted beans, the varieties are seemingly
endless.Roasted beans come in many flavours. Cinnamon or light beans refer to
the color only. They are very acidic and very high in caffeine. American roast
or medium is fractionally darker and used by Folger and Yuban, but not the best
quality. City roast or dark is a specialty item with less caffeine and the
taste is acidic, but the final cup is not so bitter. It is an average type
espresso. French roast is very dark and oily in appearance, but not burnt.
They give a full-bodied flavour. Italian roast is used for the best espresso
drinks. It is the darkest colour, a strong aroma, the least amount of acid, has
the lowest caffeine and is much sweeter. This sweetness results from the
carmelization of the beans' sugars during roasting. The lower caffeine levels
result from being burned away during roasting. The result is a mellow cup of
coffee.Therefore, when you go coffee bean shopping you can play the amateur
barista. You have the basic knowledge, but without the long line-ups of
customers and a store full of machines.