Cafe Jose Coffee : Gourmet Coffee from Costa Rica https://cafejosecoffee.com/ Rediscover Gourmet at Cafe Jose Mon, 10 May 2021 17:46:18 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3 https://i0.wp.com/cafejosecoffee.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/cropped-cafe_jose_logo-150x1501-1.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Cafe Jose Coffee : Gourmet Coffee from Costa Rica https://cafejosecoffee.com/ 32 32 173450156 Why Water Quality Determines Good Coffee https://cafejosecoffee.com/why-water-quality-determines-good-coffee/ https://cafejosecoffee.com/why-water-quality-determines-good-coffee/#respond Wed, 07 Apr 2021 21:30:12 +0000 https://cafejosecoffee.com/?p=1729 Good Quality Coffee Beans, Good Quality Equipment, What About the Water? You’ve invested in a state of the art coffee...

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Good Quality Coffee Beans, Good Quality Equipment, What About the Water?

You’ve invested in a state of the art coffee or espresso machine.  You’ve acquired high quality coffee beans from your favorite coffee growing region (perhaps the Tarrazu region of Costa Rica!) you know, the particular variety with that rich body and flawless finish that you experienced at a local coffee shop or craft roaster.

Cupping fine single origin coffee from Tarrazu Costa Rica
Cupping fine single origin coffee from Tarrazu Costa Rica

You have a burr grinder that creates those ideally shaped, spherical grounds that allow for the most efficient extraction yielding consistent flavor.  You eschew sugar, creamers or any other additives that distort the bean’s authenticity.  Excited, you gather your equipment, know how and beans; you begin to prepare your coffee, grinding and adding the beans, pouring in the water, adjusting your settings in anticipation of a prefect brew.  Your machinery hisses and vibrates, building the anticipation.  You gather your fresh brew in an espresso cup or mug, enjoy the aroma, and finally – the first taste. Voila, what a disappointment!

How is it possible that Your coffee tastes nothing like the heavenly brew you sampled?  If this has ever happened to you, don’t return your machine or your beans.  The two most common reasons are:

  1. Your coffee equipment (note, this include your grinder) needs to be cleaned and descaled
  2. You are using poor quality water – either from a tap, or another source – that is either too hard or too soft

We’ll cover #1 in a subsequent blog post.  #2 is the key ingredient of great coffee that most people give little thought to.  After all, H2O is H2O, right?  In fact, not all water is equal.  It comprises anywhere from 90% to 98% of the coffee that you enjoy, so it is a dominant ingredient whose contents impacts flavor in subtle yet meaningful ways.  Water quality determines good coffee!

Spring water yields the best tasting coffee
Spring water yields the best tasting coffee

Water quality is a perennial bugbear for great tea and coffee.  Hard water such as that with heavy mineral, dissolved organic solids or chlorine – does not allow for full extraction and yields coffees with weak bodies and off flavors.  On the other hand, waters without any mineral content such as heavily filtered or distilled waters can have the opposite effect, with some tasting notes dialed up while others are muted.  Municipal tap water is hit or miss in this regard.  Although some cities do supply very high quality water, most city and town water sources will at minimum feature substantial amounts of chlorine and other byproducts of its interaction with organic substances that create off flavors or dampen the complex notes of a quality coffee.  Then there is also the question of the interaction between water and deposits in your home piping or neighborhood, which will not appear on official water quality tests.

For this reason, we always recommend brewing coffee with spring water or some other non-chlorinated water source with balanced pH and mineral content.  Unfortunately, filtering tap water is not enough.  While it reduces most organic materials, bacteria and heavy metals, filtering will not remove all chlorine or resolve very hard water.  Additionally, some tap waters may be too soft and will not allow your coffee to extract as well.  We recommend purchasing bottled spring water (obviously not effervescent).

If you have a well or access to one, that may also do the trick, but keep in mind that some well water can have impurities leaching from the ground.  Your best bet is to test brew coffee with your well water alongside bottled spring water, cup and compare the results.  Deeper wells are likely to yield purer water with less mineral content.  Our personal favorite is artesian well water.

Artesian Well Water

Incidentally, if you are local to Cafe Jose or generally live in north-eastern Massachusetts or southern New Hampshires, we highly recommend our favorite local source: “Deep Rock Water,” an artesian well drilled dozens of feet below the surface to clean, non-chlorinated water with balanced pH and mineral content.  These types of artesian wells offer delicious, clean water for everyday drinking that is perfect for coffee, too.  They are becoming more and more common across the United States so we recommend a quick Internet search to see if any are in your area.

A Technical Approach to Water and Coffee

Finally, if you are a barista, coffee shop owner or other coffee professional, consider purchasing the book “Water for Coffee.”  The book’s findings are discussed in the helpful article, “A Practical Water Guide for Coffee Professionals (Part I),” at Daily Coffee News, by Chris Kornman.  The key takeaway is to seek out or produce water that is as close to neutral (pH 7) as possible: “Keeping the water at a relatively neutral pH — some people tend to prefer slightly alkaline — and a balanced hardness will help to preserve boilers, espresso machines and other equipment. A little bit of bicarbonate alkalinity can act as a buffer against swings in pH, which is good since water can be corrosive without bicarbonate.”

 

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Coffee Brewing Tips https://cafejosecoffee.com/coffee-brewing-tips/ Wed, 09 Dec 2020 18:52:49 +0000 http://www.cafejosecoffee.com/?p=133 Coffee Brewing Basics The precisely perfect grinding and brewing process really does depend on your particular taste – do you...

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Coffee Brewing Basics

The precisely perfect grinding and brewing process really does depend on your particular taste – do you enjoy the deeper flavor characteristics of a dark roast, or the mind expanding fruity and floral notes of light roasted Tarrazu coffees?  How much do you need to balance convenience with creating a special experience?  We dive into the different brewing methods and how to apply this in particular to high elevation coffee beans like our Tarrazu coffee (which are harder than other beans).  However, there are some coffee brewing tips that you should follow regardless of the process and equipment you choose. 

1. The most important consideration apart from your choice of coffee beans is water quality.  Use filtered, purified or spring water (but not distilled or mineral water).  Tap water typically contains chlorine and other impurities, which will negatively affect the taste of your coffee.   Any degree of hardness in the water also slows or restricts the extraction process by limiting the bonding action of water with coffee.

2. We recommend grinding your coffee fresh, when possible, right before you’re going to brew your coffee for optimum freshness.  You can also grind for a few days in advance and keep in an airight container.  Pre-ground coffee can still yield a good cup if it has been packaged recently.  Our pre-ground coffee is considered a medium ground.

3. Make sure the grind size is right for your method of brewing.  See the directions for your particular coffee maker. 

4. Use a brewing process that is best suited for the beans and roast profile you prefer. 

5. Use the right amount of coffee based on the flavor profile of the coffee and the roast.  With Cafe Jose coffees, we encourage using at least two to three teaspoons per imperial cup of water keeping in mind that most people consume 1.5 – 2 imperial cups in a typical coffee mug.  Don’t be afraid to tinker with the ratios. 

Grinding

Grinding coffee fresh is preferable to purchasing pre-ground coffee or grinding in advance and storing.  Ground coffee exposes more of the coffee bean to oxygen, which reacts with the bean by aging it.  If you can afford to, invest in a burr grinder.  Smaller grinders with bladed propellers are inexpensive, but chop beans into uneven sizes that can cause poor flavor extraction (over emphasis of compounds that yield bitterness and other off flaovrs).  Burr grinders which uses gears to crush coffee beans instead of chopping them.  This creates even, spherical grinds that yield an even, consistent flavor no matter the brewing machine or process.

 

Burr grinder coffee grinder
Burr grinder

This process, oxidation, is slowed if your coffee is in a sealed container.  There are a number of sealed containers that rely on twisting or latchesSealed containers   Keep your beans sealed as well 

Generally speaking, with Cafe Jose Coffee, you can go a little bit finer, which will give you better flavor extraction.  With other coffees, this can lead to more bitterness, but this is not a concern with Tarrazu single origin beans.

Our recommendations follow:

Drip Coffee Makers – Medium to Medium Fine Grind
Coffee machines that gradually drip water onto grinds contained in a filter or steel mesh basket.
Example: Moka Master, Cuisinart, Mr. Coffee 

Full immersion – Coarse Grind
Where water complete covers the grinds for a period of time.
Examples: French Press, Aeropress, Cold Brew.

Moka Pot (Greca) – Fine
A small metal pot with a receptacle for water and a separate receptacle for coffee.  The pot is heated on a stove top,  causing the water to percolate up and into the grinds. 

Pour Over – Medium Fine to Fine
Small pots with reusable filters or receptacles for paper filters to hold coffee grounds.  Hot water is slowly but surely dripped into the grinds, create a coffee “flower” (or bloom) that maximizes flavor extraction.
Examples: Clever Coffee Dripper,  Chemex, Bodum

Refillable Keurig Cups – Medium FineChem
K-cups with a snap on top and steel mesh that are reusable.  You fill the reusable cup with coffee grinds for each brew.

Espresso Machines – Very Fine
We recommend a fine grind for espresso machines (some grinders will have an espresso setting) and an ultra-fine grind for Turkish style coffee brewing.

Brewing

It is important to understand how the brewing process works so you can adjust it to achieve the best taste and experience. 

Virtually all coffee is made from beans that have been roasted.  Coffee beans are pale green in color with a rubbery texture before roasting.  After, they range from tan to dark grown or brownish black based on the length of the roast.

The roasting of coffee beans produces Carbon Dioxide (C02), much of which is retained within the bean.  To get the best extraction from your coffee, you want to de-gas or “bloom” so that the coffee can efficiently extract C02 and with it maximize flavor extraction as well.

More extraction is not necessarily better.  Over brewing extracts more  of the compounds in coffee that produce a bitter taste – chlorogenic acid lactones and phenylindanes.  This is partly why brewing methods like percolators and moka pots yield “stronger” tasting coffee – because grinds are immersed longer and with hotter water than other methods.  This is why its better to use coarser grounds with percolators and moka pots.  

With a typical drip coffee machine this is achieved by the pulsating of the water as it first hits the coffee grinds and is an automatic process.  Some of the more expensive machines allow you to experiment with water flow and temperature to achieve optimal results.  Cafe Jose’s Tarrazu beans – whether pre-ground in our packaging or fresh ground by you – are a perfect fit for auto drip and auto pour over machines.  The harder beans and lower presence of acids that produce bitter flavors means that you can err on the side of using a more generous number of scoops per cup.  Our pre-ground coffee is a medium-fine which makes it perfect for drip machines, but also workable with pour-over methods as well as even many presses.

Automatic Pour Over Drip Coffee Maker
Automatic Pour Over Drip Coffee Maker

Manual brewing devices like pour overs and presses require you to do this manually.  You’ll want to start by heating water to a temperature that is no more than 190 degrees Fahrenheit (88 degrees Celsuis).  A quick and dirty way to get the right temperature is to take your water off the boil and wait for one minute.  Once the water cools a bit, slowly and gently slash large drop of water evenly across the top of the ground coffee.  Do not do this so quickly that you end up immersing the coffee, but not so slowly that the initial drops of water are absorbed.  Maintain a decent pace so that the extraction occuring around each drop of water builds by combining with other drops nearby.  It will take several tries to perfect this, but eventually you should be able to create what looks like a foamy flower with coffee grinds layered throughout gradually expand and then contract – also referred to as a “bloom”.  

 

Coffee Bloom
Coffee Bloom

Espresso machines achieve this through brute force – by subjecting the grinds to pressurized water, extraction is accelerated.  Most Espresso machines perform this action without human intervention, but many higher end machines allow you to adjust the temperature, pressure and timing.  This is helpful to achieve perfect extraction because beans from different regions have varying levels of hardness, and of course the roast level will affect the moisture in the bean, all of which are factors in flavor extraction.  Cafe Jose coffee is a “strict hard bean,” which is harder than most other coffee beans because it grows at high elevation, so pressure and timing can be adjusted up to maximize extraction.

Specific instructions for an idea preparation for each type of machine follows.

Directions by Brewing Machine or Process

Pour Over (Filter Cones)

Authentic Tarrazu coffee can be enjoyed the most with a ceramic, glass or plastic cone that can accommodate a paper filter and generate a single serving of coffee.  This method is truly professional and provides the best brew.

1. Use ground Cafe Jose coffee or grind your whole beans at medium to medium-coarse.

2. Prepare approximately 2 to 3 ounces (56 – 84 grams or 1 to 1.5 tablespoons) of coffee per 1 cup (340 g) of water; vary according to desired taste and strength.

3. Boil approximately 2 to 3 ounces (56 – 84 grams or 1 to 1.5 tablespoons) of coffee per 1 cup (340 g) of water; vary according to desired taste and strength.  Let the water come off the boil and stand for a couple minutes.  If you have a thermometer, measure and keep the water until it reaches 190 degrees Fahrenheit (88 degrees Celsius).

4. Pour a little bit of the water – a couple tablespoons (40 grams) roughly into the press or the cone and watch it bloom

5. After 30 – 45 seconds, pour the rest of the water slowly allowing for it to mix evenly with the grinds

6. Wait for the coffee to drain thoroughly into the cup

7. Enjoy!

French Press

The next best method of brewing coffee involves a French Press.

1. Use ground Cafe Jose coffee or grind your whole beans at medium coarse to coarse.

2. Prepare approximately 2 to 3 ounces (56 – 84 grams or 1 to 1.5 tablespoons) of coffee per 1 cup (340 g) of water; vary according to desired taste and strength.

3. Boil approximately 2 to 3 ounces (56 – 84 grams or 1 to 1.5 tablespoons) of coffee per 1 cup (340 g) of water; vary according to desired taste and strength.  Let the water come off the boil and stand for a couple minutes.  If you have a thermometer, measure and keep the water until it reaches 190 degrees Fahrenheit (88 degrees Celsius).

4. While the water boils, rinse your French press with hot water; press the plunger up and down a few times, then pull it up, remove the lid and pour out the water.

5. Pour the ground coffee into the French press; shake it until the grounds are spread evenly along the bottom.

6. Pour about half of the hot water evenly over the grounds and wait about 30 seconds.  You should see the coffee rise slightly was the water seeps into it (also known as the “bloom”).  The timing of this step is essential to properly liberate all of the aromas and flavors in your coffee.

7. After about 30 seconds or when the bloom stops expanding, stir the coffee gently.

8. Pour the remaining water into the French press, pull the plunger up and close the lid.  Allow the coffee to steep for up to an additional 3.25 to 3.5 minutes (4 minutes total from the initial pour).

9. After the 4 minutes has elapsed, slowly push the plunger all the way down to filter the coffee from the grounds.  Serve the coffee immediately thereafter.  Do not leave the coffee in the French press as it will become bitter.

Drip Coffee Machines

Drip coffee machines have advanced considerably since their invention in the 1950s – many feature water action that simulates a pour over and will therefore produce a bloom for you.  The biggest issue with drip machines that most people are aware of is that they accumulate mineral sediments over time, which reduces the extraction and yields coffee that has less body, tastes week or seems to have odd flavors emphasized no matter the quality of the bean.  Be sure to clean your drip machine periodically (every 3 – 6 months) with anti-scaling tablets. 

1. Use ground Cafe Jose coffee or grind your whole beans at medium to medium-fine.

2. Prepare approximately 2 to 3 ounces (56 – 84 grams) of coffee per 1 cup (340 g) of water; vary according to desired taste and strength.

3. Place the ground coffee into the filter.

4. Pour as much water as corresponds with the quantity of coffee you’ve placed in the filter e.g. 4 cups for 8 – 12 oz. of ground coffee.

5. If your drip coffee maker has any other settings, refer to your manual.

6. Wait for the coffee to fully brew and drain into the carafe (although tempting when in a hurry, a cup poured in the middle of the brew will be stronger and lack a balanced flavor).

Keurig and other Single Serve Machines

Although Cafe Jose does not currently sell its coffee in K-Cups or other single serve containers, you can enjoy our coffee in a Keurig machine!  Both the original and V2 Keurig support refillable K-Cups.  Using our pre-ground bagged coffee or grinding our whole beans yourself, you can enjoy fresh coffee in single serve portions and without the added expense or environmental impact of using disposable plastic K-cups.

 

 

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Honey Process Coffee https://cafejosecoffee.com/honey-process-coffee/ https://cafejosecoffee.com/honey-process-coffee/#respond Wed, 09 Dec 2020 17:28:32 +0000 https://cafejosecoffee.com/?p=241 Honey Process Coffee compared to Wet Process Deeper tasting notes, a more complex body and lower acidity are characteristics of...

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Honey Process Coffee compared to Wet Process

Deeper tasting notes, a more complex body and lower acidity are characteristics of Honey Process coffee. In contrast to the wet process where the coffee berry is washed off of the bean, the honey process involves removing the coffee berry from the bean through grinding off the berry skin and pulp, also referred to as mechanical demucilage.  This process leaves some pulp on the bean.

Coffee beans grow inside fruits that ripen to red bulbs at harvest time. The fruit itself has been removed prior to drying since ancient times. Modern washed coffee, also known as the “wet process,” involves removing pulp from coffee beans with large quantities of water before the drying process begins. This process is the least labor intensive, which explains why wet processed coffee is also less expensive. Of course, its also less sustainable given how much water is required.

Honey process uses a variety of techniques or machinery to basically grind the pulp off the bean. The removal process however is not as thorough as washing beans, so a small amount of the pulp remains on the bean, where it congeals as it dries, turning into “mucilage”. Mucilage developed into a honey colored gelatinous substance as it dries, hence the use of the term honey in honey process coffee.

Honey Process Coffee
Honey Processed Coffee Close Up

What does Honey Processed Coffee Taste Like?

The mucilage imbues the coffee bean with a wider range of tasting notes – typically fruity or floral hints – as well as a deeper, muskier and more satisfying texture. If you enjoy light roast coffees you already know these notes, but you also know that the complexity of tisane notes comes with higher acidity. In a honey coffee, fruity and floral notes are present even at a medium roast because of the strength of the mucilage, and the entire process tamps down acidity. The richness and complexity of honey process coffee does not also necessarily involve additional sourness, making for new dimensions of flavor alongside classic coffee flavors that we all know.

There are also benefits to Honey Process in addition to the coffee drinking experience. By cutting down on the tremendous amount of water needed in the wet process, the Honey Process is more sustainable. In drier regions, the wet process can tax local streams or water tables, but the Honey Process involves much less water and is thus environmentally preferable.  

Cafe Jose imports very high quality honey processed, single origin coffee beans from the Tarrazu region of Costa Rica, which are additionally strict hard (SHB) beans.  A specialty coffee term, strict hard beans are usually grown at high altitudes with cool climates and more drainage, resulting in a 

 

Honey Process Tarrazu Medium Roast, Whole Bean – 2 lb bags

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Honestly, Single-Origin Coffee https://cafejosecoffee.com/single-origin-coffee/ https://cafejosecoffee.com/single-origin-coffee/#respond Wed, 09 Dec 2020 17:27:59 +0000 https://cafejosecoffee.com/?p=239 Whether you’re new to specialty coffee or consider yourself a connoisseur, you are likely to hear the term “single origin”...

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Whether you’re new to specialty coffee or consider yourself a connoisseur, you are likely to hear the term “single origin” quite a bit. Why does a coffee’s origin matter?

Single-origin for most is another marketing attributes that people take to be interchangeable with “higher quality” or “specialty” coffee. Most single origin coffees are higher quality, but not for the reasons one might expect.

Commercial coffees blends beans from different growers, regions, altitudes and soil conditions for economic and historical reasons.

Centuries ago, coffee was grown primarily in north-east Africa, where the coffee plant arose natively, as well as the south-eastern top of the Arabian peninsula. While locals enjoyed coffee only from their “origin,” inventing ways to prepare and enjoy the dark elixir based on the unique characteristics of their beans, consumers in other regions such as Europe or South Asia, where coffee did not grow naturally, had a very different experience owing to generally slow pace of trade which meant that coffee beans ended up aging quite a bit before arriving in certain ports. Supply was not consistent either, with the quality varying considerably from year to year. Early roasters learned to blend different grades of coffee in order to achieve a balance of flavor and limit waste of low quality beans. Darker roasting masks defects and impurities since coffee beans’ flavor taste more and more the same as the roast becomes longer and darker.

The Coffee Bearer by John Frederick Lewis (1857). (Ottoman quarters in Cairo, Egypt)

In Europe, coffee beans and the coffee beverage appeared toward the end of the 17th century. The introduction was made primarily by interactions with the Ottoman empire which ruled over Yemen and its famous coffee regions. The Turks preferred heavily roasted coffees and used the immersion method, leaving the grinds in the cup (hence the name, “Turkish Coffee.”). This contrasted with coffee preparation in Ethiopia or Kenya, at the time, which enjoyed lighter roasts or even entirely unroasted green beans. Some speculate that this difference is related to coffee’s connection in the muslim world with mysticism and Sufism, both of which relied on the stimulating effects of caffeine to proffer greater focus and alertness. However, the reality is that the darker the roast, the lower the caffeine content (despite the “stronger” flavor).

More likely, the reasons that Europeans and by guilt of association, Americans have come to prefer darker roasts are twofold. First, there is the manner of preparation that Europeans became acquainted with when they first learned about coffee from Ottomans at the siege of Malta in the mid 17th century. Second, the previous point – the longer duration that coffee traveled in that time period on trade routes, whether packed on camels or into ships, as well as the likely longer times it was stored, meant that coffee entering European ports would be older, duskier or “rustier” in color, and sour tasting if not roasted darkly. Roasting dark is an elegant solution that Europeans turned to partly as a result of tradition, partly as a matter of personal preference, and partly to cover the unpleasantness of poor quality coffee.

Bitter and sour coffees are still a problem today, but for different reasons. In the modern world, coffee beans are shipped from point A to point B in less than two months. However, the explosion of consumer demand has at times led to unstable supply when demand has outstripped supply. Growers responded through the 20th century by mass producing coffee in locations where it may not be as suited; as well, by introducing mass production techniques such as growing in lowland areas with considerable fertilizer, or the wet process of depulping coffee. Needless to say, this yields lower quality coffee beans referred to variously as “commercial grade” or even “filler” beans. Roasters resort to these beans from different regions so as not to rely too much on any one source (e.g. because of the impact of fluctuating weather). This is true even of some coffees that purport to be single origin (e.g., coffees labeled “Central American Blend”, as well as many coffees from Brazil, Columbia and other regions)

By themselves, these beans do not yield a good tasting cup of coffee, but if they are roasted very darkly enough and blended with better coffees, the imperfections disappear. Indeed, a skilled roaster is an alchemist – transforming the sourness and weird notes in lower quality beans to something more palatable; enhancing the flavor by blending in small proportions of higher quality beans. The resulting concoction is a cup of coffee that is deceptively acceptable and costs much less than a pure, unblended single origin coffee. Longer, darker roasting and blending works hand in hand with blending of different types of coffee to essentially fool coffee drinker’s palates.

This is why single origin coffees break the modern paradigm of blending and heavy roasting. Single origin beans that are not blended yield a coffee true to its unique regional flavors; the beans’ characteristic aroma and flavor are quite distinct. The authenticity of these coffees – both good and bad – shine through. Single origin coffees will typically present a less muddled flavor profile than a blended coffee which combines beans and by extension flavors typical in those regions. In essence, single original coffee must be good in quality because where quality is concerned, there is quite simply nowhere to hide. This is partly why single origin coffees tend to be more expensive as well.

None of this means that any one single origin coffee will be the best coffee that you try. You may find that you prefer the flavor of particular single origins for their special characteristics – the brightness of Ethiopian and Kenya, the smooth, nutty and fruity Latin American coffee (like our Tarrazu coffee), the deep syrupy Sumatrans. Regardless, you will at least know what you are drinking, how it was grown, and the history behind the bean. The story of coffee, after all, is a large part of wny it captivates us to this day.

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High vs Low Altitude Coffee : Why it Matters https://cafejosecoffee.com/high-altitude-coffee-vs-low-elevation/ https://cafejosecoffee.com/high-altitude-coffee-vs-low-elevation/#respond Wed, 09 Dec 2020 17:26:31 +0000 https://cafejosecoffee.com/?p=236 High altitude coffee cultivation is more amenable to the growing higher quality Arabic beans Coffee beans grow mainly on two...

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High altitude coffee cultivation is more amenable to the growing higher quality Arabic beans

Coffee beans grow mainly on two species of coffee plant – Arabica and the Robusta. The preferred coffee bean in the world comes from the Arabica coffee variety, which is a delicate and choosy vine. It grows best at elevations over 3,500 ft (1,200 m), where it is more comfortable in cooler temperatures. Unlike the Robusta variety which resists fungi, pests and is generally a hardier plant, Arabic coffee plants are highly susceptible to fungi and diseases, as well as the greater number of pests prevalent at lower elevations in the tropics. This is the primary reason that high altitude coffee plantations are more conducive to growing higher quality coffee – because they provide a climate and ecology that is more conducive to the Arabica variety!

Arabica coffee plants flowering with
the mountains surrounding the Tarrazu valley in the background.

Coffee that grows at higher elevation grows differently than lowland varieties. The cool air and limited water supply causes the coffee fruit to grow smaller. The coffee berry also matures slower because the colder climate, lower oxygen and increased drainage on mountainsides limits growth of the coffee berries. All of this results in a berry that is also smaller, harder and with different flavor characteristics than lowland beans. Beans grown at altitude that develop this way are granted a designation “HB” for hard bean or “SHB” for strict hard bean, which is the designation that Cafe Jose’s Tarrazu coffee has. The influence of higher elevations on coffee is comparable to the way that hillsides in wine regions cause the grapes to grow smaller, with less juice but more concentrated flavors. Something about the hardship imposed by high elevations yields a better tasting bean!

Higher elevation coffee yields superior flavor

Harvesting coffee berries at a Tarrazu plantation

So what is the difference in flavor between a lowland grown bean and one that develops at high altitude? The answer depends on many other factors such as the distance from the equator, local climate and soil conditions, but generally speaking higher elevation coffees will have less intensity and bitterness. Instead, their flavor profile is broader and more complex. The higher elevation one grows beans, the more exquisite and pleasant the flavor. Cafe Jose’s beans are sourced from plantations located between 4,000 and 5,000 feet above sea level – well above the minimum for good results growing Arabica coffee and at a high elevation even by Costa Rican standards.

Are you interested in trying coffee beans from a high elevation, but not sure how to find some? This is a legitimate problem since most coffees are blends of high and low elevation which roasters do guarantee supply and reduce costs. The first step is to identify coffee growing regions that are located above 3,900 feet (1,200 m) such as Blue Mountain, Kona or Tarrazu. Then, look for single origin coffees that are grown exclusively in those regions. Look for “single origin” as a label.

High elevation coffee beans vary in hardness and texture

Even that may not be a guarantee since many larger regions host farms at different elevations. So be sure to also research the source of the exact origin of the beans by visiting the roaster’s website or contacting them directly to ask if they know the exact origin (they may not if the work through a broker), or if the beans have an “HB” or “SHB” designation.

When you try a single origin, mountain grown coffee remember to adjust your grinder and brew settings (or your assumptions if you do manual pour overs). Enjoy your trip to the mountains – your taste buds will definitely thank you!


Cafe Jose’s High Altitude Coffee from Tarrazu, Costa Rica

Tarrazu Reserve Medium Roast Ground

Tarrazu Dark Roast Whole Bean

Honey Process Tarrazu Medium Roast, Whole Bean – 2 lb bags

 

 

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