Thursday, October 28, 2010

The Basics of Making Your Own Homemade Gourmet Coffee

Coffee is enjoyed by people all over the world, whether male or female, whether young or old. Some people prefer instant coffee while others prefer regular coffee. But the best way to go is of course, gourmet coffee. There is a world of difference when it comes to the taste and quality of these three types of coffee.

Gourmet coffee basically follows the same steps when as you would when you make brewed coffee, but why is there a huge difference when it comes to taste? A major contributor to the taste difference is the coffee bean. Arabica coffee is an expensive type of coffee bean that produces a bold coffee flavor. It takes 4 to 5 years for an Arabica coffee to grow and be harvested and this contributes to the high price of this commodity. Another popular gourmet coffee is Robusta. However, in the stricter gourmet sense, Arabica is really the one considered to be gourmet. Robusta takes 2 to 3 years to grow before it becomes available for harvest, and some suppliers combine Robusta with Arabica and pass it on as Arabica. Robusta has a higher caffeine content but this doesn’t mean that is has bolder flavor. When it comes to taste, Arabica is still bolder and full-bodied.

The next step in making gourmet coffee is to grind the coffee beans. Whenever you grind, you should only do so immediately before you brew and grind only the amount that you need. Grinding the beans beforehand and brewing them at a later date will not produce the same gourmet taste. To store the other beans that you will not use, place them in an airtight container and put it in the fridge. This will retain the freshness and the temperature needed to keep the beans fresh as if it has just been handpicked.

You can get gourmet coffee beans from reputable coffee stores such as Starbucks. Gourmet coffee beans are pricey so if you need to buy coffee beans in bulk to give as gifts or party favors such as coffee wedding favors, you can opt for ground coffee or still give coffee beans but in smaller quantities.

You can enjoy gourmet coffee at home by following these simple tips. Gourmet coffees are expensive but if you can make your own perfect cup, you can get to enjoy it at a significantly lower price than at a coffee shop, and more importantly, whenever or as often as you want it.

No comments:

Post a Comment