Buying Coffee Beans Direct Equals Freshness and Flavor

Coffee drinkers know that coffee beans direct from the roaster are incredibly rich with flavor. The best part of starting a new day is that first cup of fresh coffee. The aroma alone is enough to open your eyes and make the waking up process much easier. But, there is nothing like taking that first sip of hot, fresh, flavorful coffee direct from the roasters.

In the world of coffee, there are some things that should not be sacrificed in delivering the product to the consumer. Those are freshness and flavor. Buying your coffee beans direct from the roaster provides both of those.

Coffee beans reach their peak in flavor right after the roasting process. This means that, if you want to experience the flavor and freshness of real good coffee, then buying them direct from the roaster is the way to do that. Buying coffee is much like buying a new car, fine wine, or even classic art. There is something special about real good coffee that creates almost an emotional experience. New cars have that great new car smell, great wine is about color, richness, and aroma. Even great, classic art is bought on the basis of the painter's name and use of colors to create vivid, rich optical and emotional experiences. Buying coffee beans direct, without a wholesaler in the middle, should is the same kind of experience.

Coffee is a sensory circus that involves sight, taste, and smell. The aroma creates apprehension, the rich, dark color delivers a boldness that builds upon the aroma. All to be culminated in the taste of a fresh, robust, flavorful first sip.

In most cases, people don't know what truly great coffee tastes like. We run to our supermarkets when the already ground coffee is running out only to pick up the cheapest can. We often receive coffee that, while ground fresh, is anything but. Once the can is open, and the seal is broken, the quality goes down from there. Coffee beans direct from the roaster is the way to better tasting coffee.

However, there is a timer involved. Once coffee is roasted, the clock start ticking and the flavor starts to dwindle. The key to buying direct from a roaster is to buy smaller quantities of coffee beans. A great rule to follow is to buy a week's worth of coffee at a time. This way the beans aren't sitting in a jar losing their freshness and you are assured of a great cup of coffee every time. Even when grinding beans, only grind as much as you need for that pot, or cup.

June 07 2009 | coffee | No Comments »

Organic Coffee Beans – Is There Really a Difference?

Should you buy organic coffee beans? Well, there are many reasons for buying organic products and coffee is no exception. Organic growers are the future of agriculture in my opinion. Sustainable farming methods without the use of harmful pesticides, chemical fertilizers and other potentially carcinogenic materials should be supported whenever possible.

Coffee grown organically for sale in the USA must undergo a rigorous certification by an agency accredited by the US Department of Agriculture. Some of the requirements of organic coffee growing include a minimum 3 year growing without synthetic pesticides and other prohibited chemicals as well as a crop rotation plan that is sustainable and prevents soil depletion and erosion and controls pests.

As anyone will tell you, organic products can be found more and more on your supermarket shelves, and in other places. Organic milk products, organic meats and eggs, etc. should all be a part of your diet. Anything you can do to lower your intake of chemicals and pesticides should be considered. Organic coffee beans should also play a part in your organic lifestyle.

If you think that going organic will be expensive, guess what, you would be wrong. There are many places online that sell organic coffee for about the same price as coffee grown with pesticides and other chemicals.

Some growers go the extra mile and their coffees are grown under rainforest-preserving shade trees and are hosts to diverse bird life.

Even if you don't care about rainforests, endangered birds, fragile ecosystems, etc., you should still consider buying organic coffee beans because they are good for you and taste great. After all, most companies don't charge a premium and the coffee is not overly expensive anyway.

There are plenty of exotic coffees which are much more expensive. Contamination of the planet and destruction of our fragile ecosystems is something that we should discourage. The fact that it won't cost us an arm and a leg is only one more reason to do so. Make sure that the company you get the coffee from is certified organic by a third party certification company.

June 03 2009 | coffee | No Comments »