Types of Coffee Beans
- Arabica
- Robusta
Coffee Bean Roasts
Light Roast– Beans from this species are slightly roasted to maintain the original characteristics they carry form the farm. They usually have a more noticeable acidity and tanginess on the taste buds but do not taste sour. This is because they’re lightly cooked.
Medium Roast– Beans from this species are made to retain their individual aromas and flavors and are blended with darker chocolate or rich caramel flavours to balance them out. These are heavier than others, have a smoother taste and do not have so much tanginess.
Dark Roast– Beans in this group have the woodsy, dark, earthy, chocolate spice found naturally in various beans. They have little or no acidity and smell like classic coffee. They’re also heavy on the tongue.
Vienna, French and Italian Roasts– Italian coffee is enjoyed the world over for its rich, bold, and smoky flavours. Coffee beans are typically a Dark roast or Medium to bring out their amazing flavour profiles. Full bodied and intense, often with aromatic notes of Dark Chocolate, Caramel, or Toffee with a rich crema
Specialty coffee– This coffee bean has been reported to have the highest grade, no defects, top-notch flavour and an aroma to die for. Worldwide, it ranks in the top 3% of beans. You’ll want to try this if you want delicious coffee.
TYPES OF ESPRESSO DRINKS
These are the different espressos you can buy in a coffee shop or a restaurant.
Types of Espresso
Espresso- This is made by forcing hot water through very small coffee grounds at pressure bars of 8-10. It has a thick, syrupy consistency and is very concentrated. Usually, a shot of espresso contains an ounce of liquid only.
Doppio- Doppio is Italian for double. Therefore, this is a double shot espresso. It is used more than a single shot espresso for modern espresso drinks.
Lungo– In Italian, lungo means long. Hence, this is a much longer shot of espresso. It is richer in volume and has a dark flavour. However, it’s not as strong as the previous ones.
Ristretto– This means cut in Italian and is the name of the drink because it is made by cutting the shot early. This espresso has more tanginess and acidic taste. It has a nice aroma and is concentrated.
Americano– This is made by adding hot water to an espresso. It’s similar in taste to black coffee because it has a similar concentration.
Long Black– Take espresso and add it to hot water to get this. The espresso comes out tangy, creamy and oily on the water because it doesn’t mix immediately. This makes the first few sips more acidic.
Non-regular Espresso Drinks
Macchiato – This drink is a simple latte with lots of sugar.
Cortado– This is a 4-ounce Spanish drink made by mixing 1/3 espresso and 2/3 steamed milk with microfoam. It’s often not as hot as other espressos. It’s very concentrated and is called a ‘piccolo’ or ‘Gibraltar’
Cappuccino– This is a popular classic. It contains 33% espresso, 33% thick foam and 33% steamed milk. Conventionally, it is about 5-6oz although in recent times, can be a ‘large’. It’s a drink that is well balanced with the espresso flavours being tempered by the sweetness of the milk.
Latte– It’s made by mixing two shots of espresso with many ounces of steamed milk and just a little microfoam. It can vary from 8-20 ounces in size.
Flat white– According to Australians, it’s a little latte of 6oz only. A lot of cafes distinguish it from a latte and cappuccino by adding a shot of ristretto.
Breve– A breve is made by making a drink with an espresso and cream instead of milk.
Espresso Con Panna-This is a delicious espresso double shot with thick whipped cream topping.
Freddo Cappuccino– A popular Greek favorite made by chilling espresso with ice and topping it with cold milk that is shaken till it foams.
TYPES OF BLACK COFFEE DRINKS
Instead of making strong shots using high pressure, black coffee drinks are made using regular black coffee.
Basic Black Coffee
Drip coffee– This is made by pouring hot water into ground coffee. It’s slightly concentrated, not heavy at all and easy on the tongue. It is considered standard coffee.
Pour over– Basically, this is a manual version of drip coffee but better. The ground coffee is kept in a filter and water is poured manually on them in circular motions. The brewed coffee falls into a mug below.
French Press– This is the classic coffee: thick, bold and rich. This one is brewed with a metal filter. This ensures that you do not miss out on the aromatic oils, tiny grounds and unique flavors.
Siphon (Vacuum Pot)– This is rich in aroma, thick and great to observe. A vacuum is created in the siphon brewer to make this coffee variant.
Moka Pot– Popular all around the world, this is made by pouring hot water into ground coffee to create a strong coffee. It’s like espresso but without the same pressure used to produce espresso.
Turkish Coffee– This one originated from Yemen in the 1600’s. It is made by mixing water and fine ground coffee on the stove and leaving it to boil a little before emptying it into a cup. It’s not advised to take the last sip because it usually contains grounds.
GETTING CREATIVE OR CRAZY
Café au lait- Black coffee with steamed milk. This is better than pouring in cold milk.
Cold brew- This is made by adding cold water to grounds and leaving it for more than 12 hours. The flavor is usually different when there is no hot water. It’s very smooth, has little or no acidity, is rich in aroma and not bitter at all. With its strong nature, it can be used to make cold brew cocktails, cold brew soda and other drinks.
Iced Coffee- To get your coffee cold immediately, pour it over ice directly. In this state, you’ll get all the aromas and the tangy taste it comes with.
Irish Coffee- Add Irish whiskey and a little brown sugar into your hot coffee. Use lightly whipped heavy cream as the topping.
Regardless of what drink you opt for, always use freshly roasted, specialty coffee beans. They’ll give you flavourful and aromatic coffee.
All the types of coffee have a foundation and that’s the beans. Shop our range of Coffee Beans from Cafe Rico, Tchibo, Lavazza and Miscela D’oro
