When the topic is the best coffees in the world, I went to the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) for research. They are the firm that sets the quality standards for specialty coffee, which the public calls "gourmet" coffee. All specialty coffees employ arabica beans. The other category of is the robusta bean, which is of inferior taste quality to arabica. Within these kind of categories, there are several varieties of bean. Arabica beans are grown at a higher altitude than robusta.
Coffee is the minute most traded commodity in the world and is graded in a similar manner as wine. This event is called a "cupping" and has a few strict standards. Winning a cupping is very prestigious and has a direct effect on the prices a coffee grower can get with regard to his crop.
History of these "cupping" winners has shown that three areas of the world produce the most winners. Interestingly, those regions have a very similar latitude when looking at the world map. The three regions are Ethiopia, Sumatra and Compact country of panama.
Ethiopian/Kenyan Coffee (Africa)
Ethiopian coffee is aromatic, highly flavorful, and also known to be some of the best coffees in the world. It is also the foundation of all coffee. The Ethiopian people have a legend that says that a goat herder discovered Ethiopian coffee available 850 AD. This legend claims that the goat herder noticed that his sheep were very excited and virtually dancing after eating red berries from a tree. The legend of the founder goes on to say that the herder experienced the red berries for himself and took some of the berries home to his wife who insisted that they take them to the monks. The monks supposedly threw the berries into a fire and noticed the flavorful smell that the berries produced. The monks are said to have removed the berries from the fire and boiled the berries in water to create the beverage that we now know as Ethiopian coffee.
Whether this icon is true, or in fact just a legend is forever a mystery. Regardless, Ethiopian coffee has been used for religious events. These ceremonies are still held today and if a guest is invited to participate in the ceremony, it is well-known to be a very beautiful experience.
Locally, Ethiopian coffee is served with either sugar, or in some parts of Ethiopia, salt. Milk or any type of creamer is never used in traditionally brewing. The process of making the coffee varies just by region. In some regions it is dry processed and in some other regions it is washed. The Ethiopian coffee obtained in stores today is dry processed.
The process is often grueling and coupled with with importing adds to the reason of how come Ethiopian coffee can be expensive.
When consumers purchase best ground coffee to be brewed at home, it is wise to consider truthful trade Ethiopian coffee. The obvious reason to consider fair trade is so that the producers of this wonderful product can enjoy the benefits of their hard work. Ethiopian coffee has a rich, bold, and exciting history and a taste that has been favored by a lot of people for a long time.
Sumatran Coffee (Indonesia)
Sumatran coffee comes from the island in Indonesia called Sumatra. The taste involving Sumatran coffee is spicy, herbal, and very distinct. It is considered to be one of the best coffees in the world and was first introduced by way of the Dutch around 1699 when the Dutch wanted to keep up with the demand of coffee to Europe. The Dutch people knew the difference between Sumatran coffee beans and other coffee beans by the appearance, which are irregularly shaped and bright natural.
Sumatran coffee is one of the best coffees in the world and has a low acidity which makes it highly favored among other types of flavored coffee. The beans are usually grown in full sunlight and with no chemicals. A highly popular type of Sumatran coffee, yet totally disgusting in many peoples opinion, is the kopi luwak Sumatran coffee. The kopi luwak coffee is coffee beans which were eaten by the small animal known as a luwak. After the luwak digests and excretes the coffee beans, local villagers collect the excreted beans and roast them. These excreted and roasted beans are said to cost approximately $300 a pound. Of course, not all of Sumatran coffee comes from the excrement of the luwak. There are many other models of Sumatran coffee as well.
Most of the Sumatran coffee beans are processed using the wet and dry processing method. This digesting method is another reason why Sumatran coffee is so popular. Most other types of coffee beans are processed by using either a drenched method or a dry method, hardly ever both.
When purchasing Sumatran coffee for use at home, a person should make an attempt to purchase fair trade Sumatran coffee. Fair trade beans can be found at various online retailers and also at gourmet caffeine retailers. This insures that the growers benefit from all of the hard work that they put into growing this delicious coffee.
Sumatran a cup of coffee has a taste unlike any other and once you try it for yourself, you may find that it will quickly replace your current brand or at the least be a coffee that becomes one of your favorites.
Panamanian Coffee (Central America)
Although Panama is the smallest off coffee producing countries, they grow most of the best rated coffees every year. The coffee region surrounds the town associated with Boquete in the western province of Chiriqui close to the Costa Rican border. Some say Panama has the ideal very fine climate to grow coffee receiving winds from the north along with a light mist and cool breeze. Most of the coffee is usually grown on farms and is called an Estate coffee which signifies the farm it is from.
The process comes with hand picking, washing and sun drying. The farms work closely with the indigenous people enhancing the community using social, medical and educational services. Because of this, fair trade is not a concern. It is a harmonious relationship between farm together with worker.
For years, coffee from Panama was not well known amongst the public but the quality was apparent to the traders. A great deal so , that one trader was caught selling the lower cost Panamanian coffee beans as Hawaiian Kona beans, a considerably well known high end arabica bean.
Currently, Panamanian coffee has come of age winning numerous cuppings to the point in 2003 when the competition was changed. Previously, each entry was individual and Panamanian entrants would win up to a few of ten awards. Now, they have groupings and each group can produce up to two winners that progress to the next level.
It should be noted that although Panamanian coffee has been established as the best in the region, wonderful coffees complete come from Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Columbia.
Even though most of the world favors the western coffees, a true coffee sweetheart should be adventurous and taste the best coffees of the world. Try Ethiopian and Sumatran coffees along with those that will be in close proximity to those regions. You may be surprised at what you have been missing.