Gourmet Flavored Coffee From Cafes to Countertops

Coffee has been a flavorful way to experience camaraderie and enjoyment for centuries. From ancient Africa to modern cafés to countertop coffee makers, this rich treat has been an important beverage for many people.

The birth of coffee in Africa and Middle East seems distant but everyone relates to gourmet flavored coffee today. From grabbing a cup on the way to work to savoring a cup with dessert, it is served throughout the day. While drinking java alone is pleasurable, often java is part of socializing. It is served at work, at meetings and at social gatherings. From klatches to specialty bars, sharing a cup is an excuse to gather.

In decades gone by, a great cup of coffee meant going to your local diner or stopping by a friend's house after a fresh pot was percolated on the stove. It accompanied long conversations at the counter with the waitress and other patrons. Women gathered in the afternoons after they did their chores to share freshly perked cup and conversation before the children came home from school.

Over the past three decades, coffee got more sophisticated. As technology evolved, so did its presentation. Posh coffee houses sprouted up across the nation offering gourmet beans and exotic brews. Today many houses are known as coffee bars where patrons sit down to sip and socialize. Often patrons bring home their favorite varieties of gourmet coffee and tea to make at home.

The home java experience has also evolved through the years. Everyone can remember the silver coffee percolator grandma used to make when we were children. Our parents made it in a simple drip maker. Today there are a variety of machines used at home to create irresistible concoctions including espresso and cappuccino. A French press is used to make a full-flavored brew from gourmet coffee beans. Use a single serve maker if you live alone or just want one fresh cup.

Coffee drinking was simple when your only options were cream, milk and sugar. Today there are lots of flavors and types to choose from. Do you want a mocha espresso or hazelnut cappuccino? Would you like yours hot or iced? How about decaf? Much like fine wine, people often choose their brew based on the foods accompanying it.

You can even grab a cup on the go. Instant brew is made in minutes with coffee granules and boiling water. Chilled bottled versions are a refreshing pick-me-up on a warm day. No matter how or where you decide to get it, coffee is always a delicious and energizing treat.

To explore delicious gourmet coffee beans to brew at home make sure to visit Intelligentsia Coffee. Order gourmet coffee and tea online or find a local Intelligentsia coffee bar where you can be served gourmet flavored coffee.

Gourmet Flavored Coffee is Gaining Acceptance

Coffee is much loved by people from all walks of life. Every coffee lover will soon develop an acquired taste for certain coffees. Today, coffee is a well-accepted drink by many because advanced processing techniques allow a reduction of bitterness and brought about an enhancement of taste, aroma, and flavor. While some people perceive gourmet coffee to be coffee of highest quality and should not be flavored, this is a matter of personal preference. In fact, many people equally enjoy a perfectly brewed cup of flavored coffee. It helps to note that there are a myriad of flavors to choose from. Therefore, gourmet flavored coffee is gaining popularity and acceptance, even among coffee connoisseurs today.

The history of flavored coffee was not limited to recent years because Middle Eastern travelers have long introduced flavored coffee through the addition of spices and other enhancers. Today, common flavors used include vanilla and hazelnut. In fact, both types of coffee are loved by consumers worldwide and are often bestselling products in different coffee companies. Besides that, there are other fruit-based flavors to choose from such as banana, blueberry, and raspberry. This goes to show that gourmet coffee is just as well-received as other types of coffee, if not more popular. The drink can also complement a particular desert of food, depending on the type of flavor. The world of coffee has never been so colorful prior to the introduction of flavored versions.

Not only flavorful, such coffees are also highly aromatic. The infusion of smell and taste should be done perfectly so as not to mask the original characteristic of coffee. Since flavors are added, will it contain higher levels of fat or calorie? In fact, most of these coffees are fat-free and calorie-free. However, if this is a concern, you can always check with the company. Gourmet flavored is a good choice for those looking forward to sample the different tastes has to offer.

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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.