top of page

Learn

What is Coffee?

Coffee Overview

Though the exact story on how coffee was discovered and came to be the drink that we know today is a little foggy, there are many fun and interesting stories to look into. Though widely believed to have started in the region of or surrounding Ethiopia is the main consensus among historians, it is now grown in many other areas including South America, Central America, Africa, Indonesia and Asia.

​

The coffee plant grows at higher altitudes where there is still an abundance of water and prior to harvesting, resembles a small red cherry with 2 of what we refer to as the coffee bean inside. There are several different ways of preparing the bean for roasting which can all affect taste in different way including natural, washed, and honey processed.

Robusto vs Arabica

You may have heard or seen the word Arabica thrown around (especially in a very well known coffee shop at every street corner). Arabica is one of the 2 most widely known and used varieties of the coffee plant and is known for it's more depth and complex flavors. This is due to time it takes the plant to grow, creating a more dense bean. Robusto is another variety of the coffee plant which was bred especially to grow faster and to be more resistant to pests. Though this is not an inferior bean, the faster growing time gives the bean less time to develop flavors and the density needed to roast slower. Often times this results in a more muted but consistent flavor in the beans.

Brewing Methods

Drip

Drip Coffee is the most widely known and used brewing method of coffee. This is essentially a coffee pot. Some sort of automatic system where water is boiled and dripped over a basket of grounds. This is also the most convenient way of brewing large amounts of coffee at a time and, though it is still a good way of brewing your morning coffee, compared to other methods, the brew usually comes out tasting a little more watered down.

Pour Over

The pour over method is very similar to the drip method with a few differences. This usually consists of a special device called a V60 and requires more knowledge and patience on the operator's part. This is because to get the best cup out of it, grounds and amount of water can be carefully measured and the water heated to a specific range of temperatures. Additionally it requires the operator to manually pour heated water over the grounds periodically.

French Press

The French Press Brewing Method might be slightly more familiar to some who have began to get into more specialty coffee. This method involves a french press and grounds are tossed into the press, heated water poured over, and after a few minutes, the press with very large metal mesh pushes the grounds to the bottom before the liquid is then poured directly into the cup.

Cold Brew

A brew method that uses cold water to extract coffee flavor from the grounds (consistency of Kosher salt). Lukewarm water is a less effective solvent than hot, so the grounds have to sit for between twelve and twenty-four hours. Cold-brewed coffee is less acidic than regular and is less intense, too. It's a good way to brew coffee that's a little over the hill.

Espresso

Using a very fine grind and a lot of heat and pressure, espresso's give a very dark and strong "shot" of coffee. This is usually done by an espresso machine and can be drank as is or with milk, sugar, flavorings and more to create many of those classic espresso drinks such as lattes, macchiatos, flat whites, and more.

The Grind


Grinding coffee fresh is probably the single most important improvement you can make to your home coffee. A burr grinder will grind much more evenly and accurately than a blade grinder. Always make sure to match the grind with the brew method. The longer the coffee is in contact with water, the coarser the grind should be.

  • For French press, cold brew, and Chemex, grind coarse, like Kosher salt

  • For drip coffee and pourovers like Kalita Wave, grind like table salt

  • For espresso or Aeropress, grind fine—just a little coarser than flour

coffee.png
Our Guide to Roast Level
roast+level+pictorial.jpg
bottom of page