Coffee 101 — Coffee 101

Myth: All coffee that’s processed using organic methods will be certified ‘USDA Organic’ and is better quality than non-certified coffee.   Busted: Many coffee farms use naturally ‘organic’ methods to grow coffee and cannot afford the costly and time consuming process of becoming a certified organic farm. USDA certification has nothing to do with the inherent quality of the crop or price paid for the coffee. ‘Is your coffee organic?’ can be an unintentionally loaded question. Maybe we’re hoping that organic coffee means that we aren’t ingesting ‘bad’ chemicals or that the farmers took better care of their land or...

MYTH: You should brew super fresh coffee — immediately after roasting — for it to taste the best.   BUSTED: To get the best expression of the coffee, wait at least a few days after roast date before brewing. While you definitely want some things sizzlin’ hot and fresh out of the oven, brewing super fresh coffee right out of the roaster is, typically, not ideal.* When coffee is roasting, many chemical reactions are happening inside that little green bean. Gasses like carbon dioxide develop and, after roasting, the bean begins to ‘de-gas’ — or release those gasses. When the...

Myth: Espresso beans are different from ‘regular’ coffee beans.   Busted: ‘Espresso’ is a method of brewing coffee, not a type of coffee bean. When you think of espresso beans, perhaps it conjures up an image of dark and oily beans in the hopper of an espresso grinder next to a well-loved espresso machine in a dimly lit Italian cafe patiently awaiting their destiny as a tiny concentrated beverage that you’ll happily pay €1 for and sip alfresco on a cobblestone sidewalk as you gaze out upon the city square… Wow, ok, sorry; got a little carried away with that...

Every bag of our coffee has a section that says “tasting notes” followed by three descriptors, typically a fruit or two and something sugary like toffee or caramel. Though, sometimes, there is a floral note, or an adjective like sparkling. You may think, “Does it really taste like that?” The answer is actually, amazingly, yes. Coffee is full of chemical compounds that result in a world of flavors and aromas that anyone can experience with a little practice and attention. Let’s break it down. P.S. There’s a video version of this post at the bottom if that's more your speed!...