Have Fun With Gourmet Coffee Beans!

Being a total gourmet coffee addict, I truly can not think of a better Christmas gift than gourmet coffee beans! OK, well maybe a gourmet coffee basket, but of course the beans would be the star. Choosing to give gourmet coffee as holiday gifts is a great idea for any coffee-loving friend, relative or even boss! I know my boss loved the coffee I gave her on Boss's Day, and I scored big points that day!

Another great thing about giving this gift is the number of choices you have at your fingertips. If you go to your local mom and pop coffee shop, Starbucks, Java Dave's, Whole Foods or Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf you are sure to find a plethora of delicious blends and beans right at your fingertips. Even at the local grocery store I am able to choose from over 50 different kinds and varieties of coffees! Everything from a robust, dark coffee bean to a light flavored blend is simply an aisle away.

The last few times I have been invited to a friend's house for a dinner party or get together, I have stopped by the local mom & pop coffee shop and picked up a bag of delicious beans. It is always a great hostess gift! Even if the host or hostess does not drink coffee themselves it makes a great gift for when guests come over. It is also a great idea to get some decaf gourmet beans as some people cannot handle the caffeine of a normal cup of Joe.

This year, as Christmas is right around the corner, I'm making small gourmet coffee gift baskets for my friends and some close co-workers. I went to the dollar store and found some great wicker baskets. I fill the baskets with a pound of coffee, some sweet treats such as biscotti or caramel candles, and include a $5 gift card to a local coffee shop. It makes a great gift wrapped up with pretty paper and a bow on top! It also looks like a I spent a lot of money and time to make these, and that makes me feel good.

In the world of coffee, you truly cannot go wrong going with a gift of gourmet coffee beans! I'm hoping that I get lucky this year and will be on the receiving end of one of those gifts. Oh well, if not, I can always make my own!

Christine Rankin is a professional writer who provides information on gourmet coffee beans for Gourmet Coffee Guide - your premiere online resource for fine coffee!

The Art of Roasting Gourmet Coffee Beans

The coffee roaster performs the most critical step in creating gourmet coffee. A master roaster is a skilled craftsperson with the experience to bring out the best qualities of the coffee beans during the roasting process.

The roasting process is extremely important to coffee.

The word gourmet applies to a food or drink judged to be excellent. Usually this is based on experts' professional knowledge, expertise in trade practices, understanding of product preparation and opinion.

The term gourmet coffee applies to select specialty coffee beans that are roasted to perfection.
A master roaster knows from experience acquired over the years how to roast to the correct degree in order to bring out the beans' characteristics. The result is a taste that is unique and extremely enjoyable.
Gourmet coffee is always prepared with select specialty coffee beans roasted fresh when ordered. It is ground to the correct fineness or coarseness for the brewing method used.
These freshly roasted coffee beans are immediately packed (unless they are ordered flavored) and shipped to the customer to brew and enjoy. Brewing should start with fresh cold water heated to the correct temperature.
It is true that coffee beans can be purchased by the pound in person, by mail, by phone, from a catalog or online.
However, coffee bought from stores, grocery store whole bean hoppers or even popular shops with prepackaged brands on the shelf ready for sale does not compare to coffee freshly ground from a roaster.
Gourmet coffee is more expensive than the standard supermarket or other readily available brands, but there is simply no comparison in the quality and taste of the coffee.
The old adage "you get what you pay for" is very true. Spending the extra money is well worth the lasting gratification from taste and aroma.
To make your own gourmet coffee at home, always start with the beans. Buy from a source that will roast and ship fresh coffee on demand. Your palate will become sensitized to excellence in flavor in a similar way as wine connoisseurs are to great grapes.
There are always many coffee varieties from which to choose depending on Geographical Indications that identify the source and serve as pseudo-trademarks. For example, some of the most admired bean varieties include Kona, Jamaican Blue Mountain, and Sumatra types.

When you purchase coffee ask about the recommended methods for grinding, brewing and storing your coffee so you have the best gourmet coffee experience with each sip. In the end, gourmet coffee is defined by the quality of the specialty coffee beans, whether green bean, roasted bean or prepared beverage.

Coffee adds to the quality of life of those who are involved in its cultivation, harvesting and marketing. For the consumers who drink it, gourmet coffee delivers lasting satisfaction and enjoyment.

In today's fast paced life, sipping a cup of gourmet coffee and listening to a favorite musical melody can be the highlight of the day!

Are you now ready to enjoy freshly roasted coffee?

Timothy ("Tim") S. Collins, the author, is called by those who know him "Gourmet Coffee Guy." He is an expert in article writing who has done extensive research online and offline in his area of expertise, coffee marketing, as well as in other areas of personal and professional interest.

Come visit the author's website: http://www.ourgourmetcoffee.com

© Copyright - Timothy S. Collins. All Rights Reserved Worldwide

Gourmet Flavored Coffee and Premium Coffee Beans

Gourmet flavored coffee - that alone conjures up images of piping hot mugs of freshly brewed coffee being served after dinner at an elite restaurant as you enjoy your crepe suzette. Is it an advertising gimmick to get you to spend more on certain coffees or is there truly a difference. The fact is, gourmet flavored coffees are real and they aren't for the elite alone. In fact, you can probably find a gourmet flavored coffee in a lot of homes and offices.

The popularity of gourmet flavored coffee has soared. For years the only gourmet flavored coffees were the instant coffees available in your local grocery. Although they are quite flavorful, they aren't nearly as tasty as a pot of freshly ground gourmet flavored coffee can be.

Coffee roasters realized that people like variety and of course they took notice of those instant flavored coffees and coffee drinks and began working on making the coffee bean flavored. Other coffee roasters didn't go for exotic flavored coffees; instead they focused on the growing and roasting of the bean itself to make a gourmet flavor.

Beans that are grown in certain regions are considered more desirable than those in other regions. Think back to those Juan Valdez commercials. They were marketing the Columbian bean as being a more flavorful and sought after bean. The Jamaican Blue Forest Bean is one of the most sought after gourmet beans due to its rich taste and enchanting aroma. This bean is proof that gourmet flavor can come from the bean itself, not necessarily as an addition during roasting.

The Bean and the Flavor

Gourmet flavors can be added during the roasting process to enhance or totally alter the flavor of the coffee. There is one central premise that gourmet coffee roasters all follow in order for their coffee to be considered truly gourmet and that is the bean they start with. No matter what additions or flavors they add during roasting, starting off with an inferior bean will create an inferior coffee.

Although there are more than 25 major types of coffee beans in the world, there are two beans that are considered the major players in gourmet flavored coffees, the Arabica bean and the Robusta bean.

The Arabica bean is used in more than 60% of all gourmet coffee production around the world. This bean is very delicate and prone to disease, pest and ailments from the weather. These reasons alone make it a more costly bean. The Arabica bean is used both as a gourmet coffee on its own and as a base for gourmet flavored coffees. The taste of the Arabica bean depends on where it is grown.

The Robusta bean accounts for about 40% of coffee production in the world. Robusta beans are easier to grow which makes them less expensive. This does not mean that they are any less flavorful than Arabica beans. Robusta, as the name implies, have a stronger, darker flavor than Arabica beans and can be used to give the gourmet flavored coffee a little more punch.

Oftentimes gourmet roasters will use a blend of Arabica and Robusta coffee beans as the base to their gourmet flavored coffee. Then, during the roasting process they will add enhancements such as chocolate syrups or caramel to flavor the coffee. Flavoring oils can also be used to flavor the coffee as well as chemical compounds that are created to mimic flavors.

Gourmet flavored coffee that presents itself as naturally flavored should have the most robust coffee base as well as a subtle flavoring. Flavored coffees that have been flavored using a chemical process lose some of their natural coffee characteristics during the flavoring process.

Gourmet flavored coffees have come a long way in recent years. From deep, robust coffee that has been dark roasted to those wonderful vanilla bean gourmet flavored coffees, coffee lover's palettes can be tantalized with a variety of coffee flavors. No longer set aside for the elite, gourmet coffees can be bought at the local grocer or coffee shop by most anyone.

Sharon V Chapman writes on the joys of coffee and provides information on gourmet flavored coffee and gourmet coffee in general.

Finding the Finest Gourmet Coffee Beans

Gourmet coffee beans are almost exclusively high-quality mild varieties of the bean Arabica. Arabica coffees are known for their full body flavors and low acidity. However, the term "gourmet coffee" has also come to embrace coffees that are enhanced with flavorings during the roasting process.

Where you get your gourmet coffee beans depends a lot on what you are considering gourmet. Are you looking for gourmet flavored beans or gourmet beans that are grown in a specific region such as the Kona beans of Hawaii?

You can purchase gourmet coffee beans at your local grocery retailer. However, you cannot be assured of their freshness or their authenticity. Any company can label a product as gourmet and you might not know the difference until you have already spent your money on an inferior product. Additionally, they most likely will not carry the higher end gourmet beans.

Local coffee shops are more likely to carry authentic gourmet beans that are fresh. They are staking their business' reputation on any product they carry and sell. This alone is reason enough to trust their product. In addition, they are usually able to procure a larger variety of gourmet coffees than a typical retailer. They most likely will take special orders as well.

Picking a Gourmet Coffee Bean

If you are going to buy a gourmet coffee bean, you should know ahead of time what kind of bean you want to buy. To help you make your decision, based on the beans growing location and expected flavors, you can choose from among these gourmet coffee beans:

Brazilian coffee beans: Typically these coffee beans are consistent but unremarkable in their characteristic. These coffee beans make a wonderful base for coffee blends.

Colombia: Everyone has heard the commercials with Juan Valdez and his Columbian coffee; however, what they do not tell you is the best Colombia coffee is the Supremo and the Excelso. Colombia also has a Colombian Medellin that is very rich with a fully body and slight acidity. Aged Vintage Colombian coffees are very sweet, thick and rich with a little bit of acidity.

If you like full bodied coffees with that are strong and sharply acidic then you should try gourmet coffee beans from Costa Rica. Another area that has a full bodied coffee that is rich in flavor has a wonderful aroma and a slightly acidic taste is Mexico.

Panama beans are noted for being full-bodied with a mild flavor and a sharp acidity.

Two of the most excellent coffee beans are from Hawaii's Kona area and Jamaica's Blue Mountain area coffee growers. The Kona beans have a hint of spice and sweetness with a full body a rich flavor. The Blue Mountain gourmet beans are considered top of the line coffee beans with their full body, slight acidity and smooth mellow flavor.

Gourmet coffee from the Dominican Republic is rich with a moderate acidity. You should look for coffee beans specifically from Santo Domingo or Barahona.

In Guatemala and El Salvador you should look for beans grown in the mountains or high areas. These tend to have the best body and a mild flavor. Those from El Salvador tend to have a medium level of acidity while those from Guatemala have a higher acidity level with a spicy, smoky characteristic.

Java Island, whose name is synonymous with coffee, offers gourmet Arabica beans that are spicy with a heavy body and mild acidity.

The best quality Arabica beans in the Asia/Indonesia area are from Sumatra. Sumatra coffees are wonderfully full-bodied, rich with a mellow taste that is low in acid.

Gourmet coffees can come from around the world or from your local coffee shop. Gourmet coffee can be grown in specific locations that lend to its taste, such as the Kona coffee beans, or it can be made into a gourmet coffee through the addition of flavorings during the roasting process. Either way, coffee enthusiasts know when they are being served a gourmet coffee; it's all in the taste.

Sharon V Chapman writes on the joys of coffee and provides consumer information on gourmet coffee beans for Gourmet Coffee Guide - your online guide to fine coffee.

Gourmet Coffee Beans - The Best Beans Worldwide

If you ever wondered where those great-tasting gourmet coffees derive their rich flavor, you might want to take a look at the gourmet beans, the source of delightful coffee the world has come to love. It is not derived from one particular variety, but rather from the very best coffee beans from around the world.

To take your appreciation of gourmet coffee beans to the next level, it might help if you better understand the process that leads us from the freshly picked coffee cherry to the final product, the green beans, ready to be shipped to coffee roasters for roasting. Roasting and grinding of freshly picked green coffee beans are the two very crucial steps in enhancing the rich coffee flavors that's so very typical of gourmet java.

Natural drying via the sun can produce some truly exquisite gourmet coffee beans, with unique flavors that are rarely experienced in the west. You can select from a wide variety of coffee blends that are made from the choicest beans.

Making a gourmet cup of coffee at home is pleasing and easy to do. All you will need are whole coffee beans, (grinding the beans just before brewing insures the freshest coffee) fresh spring water, light cream and sugar.

Finer grinds are preferred by those who like espresso but true lovers of gourmet coffee will almost invariably go with the coarse ground coffee powder as boiled water takes its own sweet time to pull out the flavor completely, especially in drip type filters.

Where can you purchase bags of gourmet coffee? In addition to coffee shops, which offer already brewed gourmet coffee and bags of gourmet coffee to bring home, more and more grocery stores and supermarkets are carrying it as well. You can find it online, as well.

Avoid buying the ground variety in grocery stores and supermarkets. Always get the whole bean coffee and grind what you need just before brewing.

Various coffee making companies, gourmet coffee shops and boutiques offer gourmet flavored coffee in a variety of flavors. Many coffee-making companies offer gourmet style drinks, including: Gevalia, Green Mountain, San Giorgio, San Francisco Bay, Kona and Javalution.

If you know someone who loves coffee, especially gourmet, a coffee gift basket is the perfect gift any time of the year. Choosing a gourmet coffee gift basket does not need to be hard on your part; there are many manufacturers and distributors of such gift items.

There you have it. Gourmet coffee beans do not just happen; they are grown from the best areas in the world and carefully nurtured to produce the very best beans. The best part is, gourmet coffee is available to anyone today, whether purchased at the corner market or online from a top-rated coffee bean supplier.

Carol Stack has written numerous articles and reviews about coffee and related items. She lives with her husband, three children, and various dogs and cats in the United States. Carol and her sister Barbara are constantly adding to their website dedicated to the enjoyment of coffee. Visit it at: http://www.coffeeloversportal.com