What Are The Differences Between Whole Coffee Beans?

Getting into the whole craze about coffee? Here is all that you need to know about whole coffee beans and more.

To start off with, coffee beans are known as seeds coming from what is termed as "coffee cherry". In one cherry, two seeds usually sprout from it. These cherries grow from a tree and are covered by a layer called the silverskin. There are other layers comprising the coffee cherry namely: parchment skin or the endocarp, parenchyma and pulp layer or also known as the mesocarp. Prior to the roasting process, it is mandatory that all these layers be removed but in some cases, a portion of the silverskin may be left attached.

In commercialized whole coffee beans there are two significant types. Although there are several species of coffee plants that vary on so many different aspects, these two are the ones that have the most relevance in terms of commercial operations in the global market. These two types are:

1. Arabica (Coffea arabica)
Arabica coffee beans differ distinctly depending on the region where in the coffee was grown. Even if the coffee is of the same particular variety, when grown in different parts of the globe, it would produce different flavours. Some of the flavours known to the Arabica coffee are berries, earthy, citrus and chocolate.

2. Robusta (Coffea canephora)
As for Robusta coffee, these are termed to be harsher in essence. These coffee beans are usually employed when brewing espressos and other strong flavoured coffee. This is the particular bean that you want to use when you want a "kick" in your coffee. The problem with robusta is that you need to find a decent grow for the bean. Since there is a limited use to the bean when compared to Arabica, most coffee growers are reluctant to give as much time and patience in growing this bean in comparison to the Arabica.

In terms of the caffeine content, the Robusta coffee beans definitely contain higher amounts of caffeine when compared to the Arabica and many of us requre this to get going in the morning.

Quality
The quality of the coffee bean usually cannot be determined just by its type alone. There is a lot of poor quality coffee that is being sold worldwide. In order to find yourself a good quality brand of coffee, you need to be sure of its origin, the management procedures and the retailer since all of these things play an important role in the flavours of your coffee. You also need to check the quality by sampling the batch which is known as "cupped".

Origin
Knowing the origin of your coffee is essential in determining the taste. As what was mentioned earlier, as in the case of Arabica coffee, taste would be determined by the region. In order to pick out a particular "style" or flavour, you can try sampling a variety of blends coming from different locations. Sampling coffee from different regions in the same country can even produce varying results so make sure to check every available option when looking for the right whole coffee beans.

About the Author

Drinking a cup of java from whole coffee beans will add quality taste to your cup of coffee. Buy whole coffee beans for the best cup of morning brew.

Author (chiro28). Submitted on Fri, 11 Nov 2011 Time: 4:48 PM

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