When contemplating the most effective coffees in the world, I went to the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) for research. They’re the corporation that sets the product quality standards for specialty coffee, which the general public calls “gourmet” coffee. All specialty coffees use arabica beans. The other group of could be the robusta bean, that is of inferior taste quality to arabica. Within these categories, there are many kinds of bean. Arabica beans are grown at an increased altitude than robusta.
Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world and is graded in an identical manner as wine. This event is named a “cupping” and has some strict standards. Winning a cupping is very prestigious and has a direct impact on the costs a coffee grower will get for his crop.
History of these “cupping” winners indicates that three aspects of the world produce the most winners. Interestingly, these regions have a very similar latitude when looking at the world map. The three regions are Ethiopia, Sumatra and Panama.
Ethiopian/Kenyan Coffee (Africa)
Ethiopian coffee is aromatic, highly flavorful, and also known to be some of the finest coffees in the world. It can also be the origin of all coffee. 1zpresso The Ethiopian folks have a legend that says a goat herder discovered Ethiopian coffee around 850 AD. This legend claims that the goat herder pointed out that his sheep were very excited and nearly dancing after eating red berries from the tree. The legend of the founder goes on to state that the herder sampled the red berries for himself and took a few of the berries home to his wife who insisted he bring them to the monks. The monks supposedly threw the berries in to a fire and noticed the delicious smell that the berries produced. The monks are said to have removed the berries from the fire and boiled the berries in water to create the beverage that people now know as Ethiopian coffee.
Whether this legend does work, or in reality merely a legend is forever a mystery. Regardless, Ethiopian coffee has been useful for religious ceremonies. These ceremonies continue to be held today and if your guest is invited to take part in the ceremony, it is well known to be always a very beautiful experience.
Locally, Ethiopian coffee is served with either sugar, or in certain areas of Ethiopia, salt. Milk or almost any creamer is never found in traditionally brewing. The procedure of making the coffee varies by region. In a few regions it’s dry processed and in certain other regions it’s washed. The Ethiopian coffee found in stores today is dry processed.
The procedure is usually grueling and in conjunction with with importing increases the reason of why Ethiopian coffee may be expensive.
When consumers purchase Ethiopian coffee to be brewed in the home, it’s smart to consider fair trade Ethiopian coffee. Well-known reason to consider fair trade is so your producers of the wonderful product can reap the benefits of their hard work. Ethiopian coffee has a wealthy, bold, and exciting history and a taste that’s been favored by many individuals for a long time.
Sumatran Coffee (Indonesia)
Sumatran coffee comes from the island in Indonesia called Sumatra. The taste of Sumatran coffee is spicy, herbal, and very distinct. It is regarded as being one of the finest coffees in the world and was introduced by the Dutch around 1699 when the Dutch wanted to keep up with the demand of coffee to Europe. The Dutch traders knew the difference between Sumatran coffee beans and other coffee beans by the look, which are irregularly shaped and bright green.
Sumatran coffee is one of the finest coffees in the world and has a low acidity which makes it highly favored among other kinds of coffee. The beans are often grown in full sunlight and with no chemicals. A very popular kind of Sumatran coffee, yet thoroughly disgusting in several peoples opinion, could be the kopi luwak Sumatran coffee. The kopi luwak coffee is coffee beans which were eaten by the little animal called a luwak. After the luwak digests and excretes the coffee beans, local villagers collect the excreted beans and roast them. These excreted and roasted beans are believed to cost about $300 a pound. Obviously, not absolutely all of Sumatran coffee comes from the excrement of the luwak. There are lots of other kinds of Sumatran coffee as well.
All of the Sumatran coffee beans are processed using the wet and dry processing method. This processing method is another reasons why Sumatran coffee is so popular. Most other kinds of coffee beans are processed by using either a damp method or a dry method, rarely both.
When purchasing Sumatran coffee for use in the home, an individual should try to purchase fair trade Sumatran coffee. Fair trade beans can be found at various online retailers and also at gourmet coffee retailers. This insures that the growers benefit from most of the hard work they placed into growing this delicious coffee.
Sumatran coffee has a taste unlike any and once you test it for yourself, you could find that it will begin to replace your overall brand or at the very least be considered a coffee that becomes among your favorites.
Panamanian Coffee (Central America)
Although Panama is the littlest of all coffee producing countries, they grow a lot of the best rated coffees every year. The coffee region surrounds the town of Boquete in the western province of Chiriqui near to the Costa Rican border. Some say Panama has the best micro climate to develop coffee receiving winds from the north and also a light mist and cool breeze. All of the coffee is grown on farms and is named an Estate coffee which signifies the farm it’s from.
The procedure includes hand picking, washing and sun drying. The farms work closely with the indigenous people enhancing the community with social, medical and educational services. Due to this, fair trade is not just a concern. It is a harmonious relationship between farm and worker.
For years, coffee from Panama wasn’t well known amongst the general public but the product quality was apparent to the traders. So much so, that one trader was caught selling the lower cost Panamanian coffee beans as Hawaiian Kona beans, a much well known high end arabica bean.
Currently, Panamanian coffee has come old winning numerous cuppings to the level in 2003 when the competition was changed. Previously, each entry was individual and Panamanian entrants would win around five of ten awards. Now, they’ve groupings and each group can produce around two winners that progress to the next level.
It must be noted that although Panamanian coffee has been established as the most effective in the region, wonderful coffees do come from Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Columbia.
Even though a lot of the world favors the western coffees, a true coffee lover must be adventurous and taste the most effective coffees of the world. Try Ethiopian and Sumatran coffees along with those who have been in close proximity to those regions. You might be surprised at what you have now been missing.
