Do you know your coffee? Have your friends dubbed you the "coffee snob" or connoisseur? Well, a coffee connoisseur is a job, and it takes time and a strong brewed love of coffee to become one.
What Is a Coffee Connoisseur Exactly?
A coffee connoisseur is trained and highly skilled at everything that coffee is. From the different types and places, coffee beans are grown. Including the different styles, they are roasted. Plus, knowing how each bean is flavored. They are familiar with all the ways to brew coffee and create all those coffee drink styles. You might think you're a coffee connoisseur at knowing what you like, but a true coffee connoisseur knows it all, having tasted and tested it all, plus knowing what they want. Ready to beef up your coffee knowledge and become a coffee connoisseur? Here is what you need to know.
Know Your Coffee Beans
If you don't understand your coffee beans, you won't produce great coffee or pretend to grasp everything there is to know about it. Coffee beans come in four varieties, and if you want to be an expert on the subject, you'll need to know what they taste like and where they come from. There are four main types:
Excelsa
The Excelsa beans are primarily grown in Southeast Asia and have a somewhat sour yet fruity flavor. They are often a rare commodity.
Arabica
The most well-known coffee bean, the Arabica, has a soft, sweet flavor. It grows at high elevations with a lot of rain, such as Brazil, and is the least acidic of all the beans.
Liberica
Liberica beans are rare and hard to get a hold of. They are known for their bitter and woodsy flavor. Liberica is not that well known in the United States or Europe. They grow widely in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
Robusta
Robusta beans are solid and robust, as their name suggests. They have a reputation for tasting burnt at times, and they're frequently combined with Arabica beans. The majority of Robusta beans are grown in Africa and Indonesia.
Know Your Roasts
You know your beans now; you need to know your types of roasts. There are four primary types, each with its own unique personal color/ appearance, flavor, and caffeine content. Starting from dark to light, we have:
Dark Roast: Dark brown hue with an oily sheen, a bitter and smoky flavor, and relatively little caffeine.
Medium-Dark Roast: A medium brown in color, hefty and full of spicy flavor, and caffeine-free.
Medium Roast: A medium brown hue with a balance of aroma, acidity, and flavor; moderate caffeine levels.
Light Roast: A light brown color is given, with a strong acidic flavor and high caffeine content.
Know Your Coffee Drinks
A coffee connoisseur knows all the coffee drinking styles, from espresso to lattes and all in between. Such as;
Americano
Macchiato
Cappuccino
Mocha
Ristretto
Red Eye
Cortado
Flat White
Doppio
This is just to name a few!
Know All the Ways to Brew
There are various ways to make coffee, each bringing out certain unique flavors of coffee beans. No connoisseur is complete without knowing how to brew coffee in all its forms. As you can see, the coffee world is vast and a bit complex. Expand your horizons beyond your favorite cup and become a coffee connoisseur.