Introduction of coffee beans

Introduction to coffee beans [introduction] [coffee producing areas] [types of coffee beans] [how to select coffee beans]

Brief introduction of coffee beans

The origin of this plant can be traced back to millions of years ago, and the time when coffee was really discovered can no longer be tested. It is only said that coffee was a shepherd named Kaldi in the Ethiopian Highlands. When he discovered that his sheep had inadvertently eaten the fruit of a plant, he became very lively and energetic, and then he discovered coffee. All historians seem to agree that the birthplace of coffee is the Kaffa region of Ethiopia. But the earliest people who planned to grow and eat coffee were Arabs, and the name coffee is thought to come from the Arabic "Qahwah", which means plant drink.

Coffee producing area

Coffee production zones (commonly known as coffee belts) range from 25 degrees north latitude to 30 degrees south latitude, covering many countries in Central and West Africa, the Middle East, India, South Asia, the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean. The reason why coffee cultivation is concentrated in this area is mainly due to the limitation of temperature. Because coffee trees are vulnerable to frost, neither the north nor the south latitude is suitable. Tropical areas are suitable, where heat and humidity are the most suitable for coffee cultivation.

At present, the important coffee beans in the world mainly come from Coffee Arabica and Coffee Robusta. Generally speaking, Arabica coffee is of better quality and more expensive.

Main producing areas of coffee beans:

1. Central America & the Caribbean:

Coffee occupies a very important economic position in countries such as Mexico, Panama and the Caribbean coast, and usually the coffee beans they produce (washed Arabica-Washed Arabica) are of high quality.

2. South America: Brazil, the largest country in South America, is known as the world's largest coffee producer with an average annual export volume of 20 to 30 million bags of coffee beans, accounting for almost 1/3 of the world's output, and the main variety is natural Arabica-Natural Arabica). This was followed by Colombia, Venezuela, Peru and Ecuador (washed Arabica coffee beans-Washed Arabica).

3. Africa: it is the hottest center in the tropics, and most African countries produce Robusta coffee beans. Arabica coffee beans (Washed Arabica) also grow particularly well in the high mountains of Kenya, Tanzania and Cameroon.

4. Asia: due to advanced and excellent technology, there is a significant increase in the production of 'washed Arabica coffee beans-Washed Arabica', 'washed Robusta coffee beans-Washed Robusta' and 'natural Robusta coffee beans-Natural Robusta' in India and Indonesia. In the world coffee market, Arabica coffee accounts for about 75%, 80% of the coffee and 20% of the Robusta coffee.

Coffee production throughout the year is about 91 million bags, each bag 60 kilograms. Coffee production in Central and South America accounts for about 70 per cent of the world's production, 20 per cent in Asia and 10 per cent in Africa.

Types of coffee beans

1. Blue Mountain:

Is the treasure of coffee, its taste is sweet and smooth, not bitter but slightly sour, generally a single variety to drink, is the best variety of coffee. It is produced in the high mountains of Jamaica in the West Indies. Because the output is very small and the price is expensive, most people seldom drink the real Blue Mountain, and most of them are made by coffee with a very similar taste. Nevertheless, the price is still higher than that of ordinary coffee.

2. Mocha:

(Ethiopia) has a special flavor, its unique sweet, sour, bitter taste is extremely elegant, for the general senior people like the excellent variety, ordinary single variety to drink, drink the lubrication of delicious, mellow taste for a long time, if the blending of comprehensive coffee, is an ideal variety.

3. Santos, Brazil

Is a neutral bean, its flavor is known as the strong coffee, the single taste is also good when drinking, the blending of other coffee has a unique flavor. The beans must be roasted just right in order to taste the slightly sour, slightly sweet, slightly bitter and faint flavor.

4. Colombia:

It is a kind of soft coffee, which has the characteristics of sweet in acid and flat in bitterness, especially exotic fragrance, excellent flavor and peculiar flavor of melon peel.

5. Manning:

Strong variety, with strong aroma, bitter taste, but strong mellow, generally for coffee lovers, all like to drink a single product. When blending mixed coffee, it is an indispensable variety.

6. Guatemala:

One of the more sour varieties, its taste is mellow and slightly wild, and its sweet taste is very similar to Colombian coffee. Can be used as a single variety for drinking and blending to produce neutral beans for Central America.

7. Romsda, Java

As the most ideal bean for the preparation of comprehensive coffee, it has very little acidity, strong bitterness and few pure drinks. It is the representative variety of Nanyang coffee. If the comprehensive coffee is mixed with Romsda coffee, the concentration and sweetness of the coffee can be increased.

8. Comprehensive coffee:

Generally, more than three kinds of coffee beans are blended into another kind of coffee with unique style. All kinds of coffee with moderate sour, sweet, bitter and fragrant ​​ taste can be selected according to individual taste. If you can match it with fragrance, sweetness and slippery taste, and the coffee color is golden, it can be said to be top grade.

How to choose coffee beans

No matter what kind of coffee beans, freshness is an important factor affecting the quality. When shopping, grab one or two coffee beans in your mouth and chew them with a crisp sound (indicating that the coffee is not damp) and the fragrance of the teeth and cheeks is the top grade, but it is best to squeeze it with your hands to feel whether it is solid, rather than buying crispy coffee. If the coffee bean has lost its fragrance or smells stale, it means that the coffee bean is no longer fresh and is not suitable for purchase. Freshly fried coffee beans are not suitable for immediate consumption and should be stored for a week to completely release the gas from the beans. Generally speaking, the best drinking period for coffee is a week after stir-frying, when the coffee beans are the freshest and the Aroma taste is the best. In addition, the purity of coffee beans is also another consideration. The expert candidate for coffee is not necessarily to look at the size of the particles, but to grab a handful of individual coffee beans (Regional Coffee), about dozens of portions, to see whether the color of each single bean is the same, and whether the grain size and shape are similar to ​​, so as to avoid buying shoddy products disguised as mixed beans. But if it is a synthetic bean (Blended Coffee), it is a normal phenomenon that the size and color are different. In addition, heavy heat and medium-deep stir-frying will cause coffee beans to produce oil, but if the beans are lightly fried, they have gone bad, not only reducing aroma, but also astringent and sour taste. In short, when buying coffee, we should pay attention to its freshness, aroma and whether it is stale or not, and the ideal purchase quantity is to be able to drink it in a month.