Know Your Coffee

Coffee comes from a bean grown on a bush, almost always in a mountainous geographic region.  There are two major types of coffee beans: Robusta and Arabica. 

Robusta beans are grown at lower elevations, flatter terrain, making them easier to pick.  They often have twice as much caffeine.  Robusta tends to be the chosen bean for commercial coffee uses, including the food service industry.  Arabica beans are grown at higher elevations, have a smoother, richer flavor and usually cost more.

Roasting the beans is a major factor in the resulting taste.   Light roasts such as New England yield a mild flavor.  Medium roasts, like Viennese, produce a richer flavor.  Dark Roasts, such as French, can be quite robust.

Most specialty coffee is Arabica and is categorized three ways: by country of origin – Guatemala, Costa Rica; by blend – Mocha Java; by roast type – French Roast.

These days there are eco-symbols to look for as well.  Fair Trade means the beans were purchases directly from farms and that fair prices were paid for the beans.  Organic means that, at least, 95% of the beans must have been grown without using synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers.  Rainforest Alliance refers to a group of growers following strict standards for soil, water and fair labor practices.

Coffee, like wine, has different sensory components to evaluate:  acidity, aroma, body.  Acidity refers to the feeling of dryness at the back and around the edge of the tongue.  It’s a pleasantly bitter sensation.  This is not sourness.  Aroma is the smell and like wine there are common descriptors: nutty, fruity, earthy, caramel, buttery.  Body relates to how ‘heavy’ the brew feels in your mouth.  Think of a cabernet sauvignon wine vs a pinot noir.  Think of whole milk vs water.

Brewing method also affects coffee.  The usual method of making coffee in a restaurant is the automatic drip.  This method is used for making a whole pot.  The taste often deteriorated over time as the pot sat on the warmer to keep it hot.  The Double Eagle uses thermos pots hold hold coffee, sealing the coffee in, keeping it hot and preventing evaporation which would concentrate the bitter aspect into an unpleasant flavor.

Cones are used to make one or two cups of coffee at one time and so are not favored in restaurants.  A plastic or metal mesh cone shape is place over a mug or pitcher, a paper filter is added, then the ground beans, then hot water is poured over the grounds.  The method is used for immediate consumption.

The French Press is popular for home brewing and has made it’s way into some high end restaurants and coffee houses.  A tall glass coffee pot with a plunger/filter apparatus attached to a lid is used.  Coffee grounds are added to the pot, hot water poured over the grounds, swirling the grounds throughout the liquid allowing the coffee flavor to infuse into the hot water.  When ready, the plunger/filter is pressed through the liquid, straining out the grounds, pushing the grounds to the bottom of the pot, leaving the coffee above the compressed grounds.  This method is considered elegant and upscale.

Double Eagle/Peppers Café serves Seattle’s Best Coffee, a whole owned subsidiary of Starbucks.  Jerry chose Level Three Decaf.   Medium acidity, crisp with hints of nutty-ness, clean finish.  Best with butter-rich, higher fat foods.  Perfect with desserts.  Excellent for an afternoon coffee break.   Blends well with liqueurs.  This Decaf is processed using sparkling water instead of chemicals to remove the caffeine.

Jerry chose Level Four for regular coffee drinkers.  Darker, richer, elegant, even complex flavor profile. Nuttier, fuller bodied than the Decaf.  Definite after taste.  Lingers on the tongue cleansing the palate of other flavors, elbowing them aside to be King of the hill.  Almost like chocolate lingers and slowly dissipates, so too does this blend.