The best coffee for you or how to choose beans

Do you want quality coffee? You want only the choicest

If you've ever had a coffee you didn't like, it could have been an unfortunate choice of beans in addition to poor preparation. When you're looking for a packet of coffee, you have many optionsto choose from . However, not everywhere you buy good quality coffee. So, if you are really looking for quality coffee, you can't turn your attention anywhere else but to the choice coffee.

Selective coffee is treated with much more care than commodity coffee (meaning the usual supermarket coffees). It is grown, harvested and processed by hand by careful farmers. They grow their bred coffee trees with care, in an environmentally friendly way and in a biodiverse way. Then, in the cup, the coffee will enchant you with the subtle aroma of herbs or fruits grown near the coffee farm.

Such coffee has so much to offer and shows its quality in cupping, the evaluation of coffee quality by coffee industry experts. Only the tastiest and best coffee without blemishes will get the necessary points, i.e. a cupping score of over 80 points. And only such a coffee can be called choice coffee. Just like the coffees we roast.

How to decipher the information on the coffee packaging and choose the right one

Choice coffee has nothing to be ashamed of. On the contrary, publishes all the important information. From the roasting date, to the processing method, the specific variety of coffee plant, the expected flavour profile towho grew it. This information is then the key to choosing the right roast for you.

Before I reveal the process of how to choose coffee, I'll mention the volume. That is, the amount of coffee needed. I recommend not to buy coffee to stock up. So that it doesn't age unnecessarily at home and lose quality.

We have bags in the roastery for 150 or 250 grams, half or kilo of coffee. Calculate your consumption for a month and order a similar amount. When it runs out, just order more fresh coffee in a few clicks, which will be delivered in a flash before you finish the last beans.

Coffee roasting date. So you know you're buying fresh coffee

Also, my first step in choosing coffee is to check theroast date . Ha, and here's the first reason to buy coffee from us and not from a "coffee shop". Commodity coffees state a minimum shelf life, but if the coffee was roasted a month or six months ago...you won't know. Even if it was originally made from choice beans, most of the aromas and flavours have disappeared after a long time in the stores.

The best freshness is a minimum of 3 days and a maximum of 3 months after roasting. Depends on roasting style, type of coffee, storage method, etc. In general, considers the best freshness time for coffee to be about 2-3 weeks after roasting. When the post-roasting processes are already established and the coffee has not yet started to age - oxidize.

If you want to prepare coffee immediately, it is best tobuy coffee about a week after roasting. This is because coffee needs to rest after roasting. For filter coffee this is about 4 days, for espresso coffee at least 7 days. However, roasters, baristas and coffee sellers know when coffee is at its best, so you don't have to worry about getting four-month-old coffee at home.

Coffee beans for the coffee machine or the French press?

Buying a selection of coffee from a roastery means you can be sure of quality. However, the style of roasting influences how you work with it at home.

The coffee can be roasted for espresso in an automatic or lever coffee machine, a coffee pot or a Moka pot, known as espresso roasting.

If your home brewing method is filter style coffee, such as drip coffee maker, French Press, Aeropress, Chemex, Hario V60 and other alternative methods, choose filter roasting.

Acidic or low-acid coffee?

Whether your coffee is acidic, sweet or bitter is primarily influenced by the method of preparation. Most often - if the coffee doesn't taste as it should - the incorrect grinding coarseness is to blame.

Grind too fine and it will taste bitter. Choose a coarse grind and the coffee will be sour. Too little coffee and it will taste bland. Just one degree on the grinder and suddenly you have a cup of coffee that tastes just right.

Naturally, coffeecarries its flavours, its unique potential. This means that when brewed correctly, reveals the more acidicflavours of - coffee with acidity. Or, conversely, the notes of without acidity stand out - non-acidic coffee. We list the degree of natural acidity in each of our coffees.

Where was this coffee grown?

Maybe you've heard the phrase: "The best coffee is Ethiopian, I really like that" and you've heard this one: "Would you like a good Brazilian coffee?". Continents, countries, regions, micro-regions, even microlots and nanolots - that is, coffee from only a certain part of the coffee farm.

According to theregions of origin of the coffee, we can assume a certain taste style of coffee. Due to differences in microclimates and unique terroir, for example, Brazilian coffees, usually defined by chocolate-nutty flavours, can have fruity, fresh notes. Typically herbal and citrusy Ethiopian coffees and beans from Africa may surprise with a subtle cocoa aftertaste.

Thespecific regionwill reveal more information . For example,for Harrar - the oldest coffee region in Ethiopia with native wild coffee trees, it is known for coffee with a full-bodied berry flavour. While Limu, another Ethiopian coffee region, stands out for coffee with unique spicy and vinous notes.

Other valuable information is altitude or certain coffee farm and farmer. For example, because the higher the coffee grew, the slower it ripened and thus had more time to develop rich flavors and a fuller sweetness.

Bourbon, Mundo Novo and other coffee varieties. What do they tell you about the taste of coffee?

Each variety determines the characteristics of the coffee, which can be likened to a vine or any other fruit. The variety determines the shape of the beans, the content and notes of the flavours, etc. In the case of a choice coffee, these are thevarieties of the Arabica coffee plant.

Bourbonis a very common variety, which can be found in yellow (Yellow Bourbon) or red (Red Bourbon). This variety is sweet, often with a caramel taste. With SL28 from Kenya we can look forward to distinct citrus notes, with Maracaturra you get really big beans in the package in addition to a clearly recognizable sweet taste.

What the coffee processing says

Three basic coffee processing methods:

Dry or also natural
Washed.
Honey - found in various forms such as black, red, yellow and white

Other methods you may come across include anaerobic, carbonic maceration processing or other forms of fermentation.

Washed coffees are typically smooth, with a clean fruity flavour. They are high quality with bright notes.

Natural coffees tend to be a little bolder, and not to everyone's taste, being juicier and with a distinctive body. Often coffees from Ethiopia are processed this way, mainly because of the local water shortage.

The Honey method speaks for itself. Coffees that have been processed using this method are sweet with a hint of caramel. Honey processing combines dry and washed methods.

How I roasted the coffee or flavour profile

The flavour profile is the result of how and where the coffee tree is grown, the variety of coffee, how it is processed and, finally, how it is roasted. Our roaster Zdeněk creates original roasting curves for each coffee, i.e. the roasting method. Because each coffee is unique and needs its own unique roasting profile. This is the only way to turn a green bean into a roasted bean, to awaken the best flavours - the potential of coffee.

As a result, the roaster presents his work to you with a clear description, flavour profile. This is the best way to judge whether this particular cup of coffee is roasted to suit you. Or whether you reach for another coffee with a palette of flavours that you like even better.