Major Cohen, a certified Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) licensed trainer, recently retired from Starbucks. He is a passionate coffee guy who has a unique knack for making the complex and confusing coffee world easily understood.
Your brewing method is an important part of making a great cup of coffee. Whether you use immersion, a pour-over, or a more exotic approach, you can create a delicious drink.
Immersion methods
With any brewing method, coffee and water come together for a defined period of time, and then they’re separated. What’s left is the liquid you consume and the grounds you dispose of later.
Standing at the counter at your local coffeehouse and deciding what you want can feel overwhelming. Ordering coffee was easier before everybody became a connoisseur. Do you want regular or decaf? Cream, sugar, or black? That was about it.However, the world of espresso beverages introduced an entirely new language to the menu.
According to coffee-loving Italians, you need four key elements for perfect espresso. Here they are:
Macchina: The espresso machine
Macinazione: The proper grinding of the beans—a uniform grind between fine and powdery—that is ideally created moments before brewing the drink
Miscela: The coffee blend and the roast
Mano: The skilled hand of the barista; even with the finest beans and the most advanced equipment, the shot depends on the touch of the barista
If all these elements come together in harmony, the result is an amazingly intense coffee experience, highlighted by a sweetness and richness that can’t be equaled.
The terrain where coffee trees grow is often hilly, remote, and at a high elevation. Let's look at the life cycle and farming of coffee.Coffee production is remarkably consistent from season to season. World coffee production for 2019–2020 was approximately 171 million bags. Bags are the unit of measure the industry uses.
One thing is clear about Central American coffee: The range of coffee flavors from these countries is astonishing, from intense sweetness and bright acidity to juicy fruitiness and chocolatey richness. Here is a closer look at these coffee juggernauts.
Costa Rica
Coffee has been grown in Costa Rica since 1779.
Growing coffee requires Mother Nature’s cooperation. Geography shapes the perceived quality and taste of a given coffee. These conditions have a big impact on any coffee crop:
Temperature
Rainfall
Soil conditions
Sun, shade, and wind
Coffee grown in the Western Hemisphere
In the Americas, coffee has been grown successfully in several countries.
In your quest for a great coffee-drinking experience, you may wonder where to go. Today you can probably find a good, maybe even great, cup of coffee in your local coffeehouse. But what if you want more than just a flavorful beverage? If you’re seeking a great coffee experience in America with historical context or cultural connections, you may have to travel.
Get the skinny on your morning joeDo you swear by your morning jolt of caffeine but are hard-pressed to tell a siphon from a slow dripper? No problem: just order a fresh copy of Coffee For Dummies for a smooth blend of fun facts and practical advice to give an extra shot of flavor to your appreciation of the second-most valuable commodity on planet Earth—and filter out all that excess grind in your knowledge.