Coffee Companies Located Across the U.S.

Equator Coffee
http://www.equatorcoffees.com/

Novo Coffee
http://www.novocoffee.com/_catalog_112842/South_America

Weaver's Coffee
http://www.weaverscoffee.com/ 

Sweet Marias
http://www.sweetmarias.com/prod.roasted.php 
This company encourages roasting your own beans and primarily sells them raw, but they do offer two pounds of small batch roasted coffees to compare side by side. To really rev up your coffee knowledge you can subscribe bi-weekly.

Blue Bottle Coffee
http://store.bluebottlecoffee.net/StoreFront.bok

To Support Local Coffee Companies

Lamill Coffee - Silverlake
 http://www.lamillcoffee.com/shop/coffee.html

Intelligentsia Coffee - Los Angeles Area
http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/store/overview/Coffee

Groundworks Coffee - Los Angeles Area
http://www.lacoffee.com/shop.html

Kean Coffee - Costa Mesa
http://www.keancoffee.com/FreshRoastedBeans.aspx

I do not encourage flavored coffee, which is why I didn't include any companies that sell it, and if you do drink flavored coffee please don't tell me about it.

Any online coffee bean sources you'd like to add? Love to hear suggestions. Please comment below.

There are myriad ways to brew a fresh cup of coffee. It's really rather amazing how many options there are - now that I'm thinking about it. This posting explores the best brewing method for tasting coffee and some of the alternative total immersion brewing methods that successfully emulate the process.


The essentials for brewing a cup of coffee you can truly discern:

• The ability to stir the grinds. This allows the coffee to release gases and for the flavors to "bloom."
  
• Filtered water - crappy water can alter the taste of the coffee.
• No filter or a filter that doesn't compromise the oils and flavor of the coffee - No Paper!
  
• Freshly ground coffee. If you even remotely value the flavor of coffee, invest in a coffee grinder.
  
• Hot water just off the boil - wait about 30 seconds after water has boiled.
• The correct grind - depends on the brewing method, but it will usually be a coarser grind.
• The right timing - will depend on the brewing method.

Cupping Method
This is the method professionals use. It is ideal because the brewing process is completely controlled and the coffee is completely uncompromised. I found a great step by step guide and included it below. So get some note books, about a 1/4 pound each of three or more coffees and have your friends over for a tasting party!

Cupping Tools
Note: A measuring scoop can be used if you don't want to buy a scale.

Step by Step Guide to Cupping

Eva Solo Cafe Solo
This device provides a very similar brewing process to the cupping method. It's full immersion brewing and you can control every step. The Eva Solo Cafe Solo also has it's own stylish jacket made out of neoprene - it's what divers wear - so your coffee stays pipping hot.

• Preheat the heat resistant glass carafe with hot water.
• Grind 6.5 to 8.5 tablespoons of coffee to a medium grind. You want it to be just coarse enough so it doesn't turn into mud.
  
• Pour just boiled water (about 200 F) over the grinds in a circular motion and fill to about three inches below the top.
• Keep stirring as you pour the water. When finished pouring, stir 10 to 20 seconds.
• Put the filter funnel in and the lid on and then let sit for 4 minutes.
• You're ready for some caffeinated greatness!

The only set back to the Eva Solo Cafe Solo is that because the grinds and the coffee aren't separated after brewing, you either need to plan to consume the coffee within 10 minutes (my husband and I pull this off just fine) or you can pour the coffee into a preheated thermal carafe. You can also just brew a smaller batch in it.

French Press - The french press also allows the coffee to be stirred, allowing the gases to "bloom," and the brewing process is controlled. The oils and sediment are uncompromised.

• Preheat the carafe first with hot water.
• Grind the coffee to a medium grind.
• Pour water just off the boil (about 200 F) over the grinds in a circular motion and fill a couple inches below the top.
• Push the plunger half way down - this will stir the coffee while it's sitting  
  
• Time it for 3 minutes.
• Push the plunger all the way down.
• Pour the coffee through a strainer into a mug and savor the flavor!

If you must have an instant coffee maker, look for one that uses a gold filter and allows you to stir the grinds while the coffee is brewing. The galvanized metal of the gold filter will not taint or compromise any of the flavor.

Happy Slurping!


The Art of Tasting Coffee 1 - Like A Fine Wine

The Art of Tasting Coffee 2 - It Doesn't All Have to Taste Like Mud

The Art of Tasting Coffee 3 - Accomplishing Coffee Connoisseurship Part 1

Once you have a good understanding of the flavor profiles characteristic of the three major coffee growing regions, and practice comparative tastings regularly, you can get crazy and do impressive things like tasting blind. You can be like Frasier and Niles in a wine tasting - spouting off erudite terms like "round and unassuming." Although, coffee connoisseurs do tend to lack pretension and probably wouldn't be caught dead making such sissy statements. But nonetheless, with a little practice you can impress others with your new-found coffee knowledge.

Three Major Growing Regions
 
Latin America - Latin American coffees tend to have a bright, clean acidity with an inherent sweetness. Also typical of these coffees, are hints of spice. I'm not a big Latin American coffee fan because of the liveliness, but everyone's palate is different. Although, I do enjoy Guatemalan coffee with its tasty hints of chocolate.

Africa and Arabia - Coffees from Africa and Arabia are floral, fruity and sweet. They can have flavors reminiscent of wine, which is often referred to as "winy." These coffees can also be quite mellow. There tends to be citrus notes, and the acidity can sometimes be pungent.

Pacific - I'm partial to coffees from the Pacific due to their inherent smoothness and earthy and nutty flavors. I also love the richness and full-body characteristic of Pacific coffees.

The last posting in the coffee tasting series will be all about the best vehicles for tasting. Stay tuned.

The Art of Tasting Coffee - Part 1: Like a Fine Wine

The Art of Tasting Coffee - Part 2: It Doesn't All Have to Taste Like Mud

To coffee neophytes coffee tends to all taste the same. I tried to be sensitive to this when I was a coffee trainer. "I realize it probably all tastes like mud to you and that's OK," I would assure my coffee trainees during a tasting. The palette has to be developed to be capable of distinguishing a flavor profile. This means lots of tasting, and more specifically - a lot of comparative tasting. Coffee must be continually assessed and experienced to be well understood.

The more the aromas are let in, the more the coffee is allowed to spend time in the mouth, the more coffees are tasted side by side, the more things like smoothness, liveliness, floral aromas, hints of chocolate, etc. will be realized. And when that moment finally comes where you realize that the coffee you are tasting is different from the one you tasted before it's very exciting! This is particularly so when you identify that the coffee has a very full body, is smooth and has earthy flavors with hints of spice and cocoa. That's when you're a goner.

To get started on the voyage to coffee enlightenment, I recommend tasting a coffee from each major region side by side: Latin America, Africa and Arabia and Pacific. Remember to smell the beans, the grinds and the coffee first. Then start tasting for the following:

Acidity
Acidity is gauged by a sharp bite on the back of the tongue. Without acidity coffee would be flat. Low acidity is referred to as smooth and high acidity is referred to as lively, clean, bright or sparkling.

Body
Body is gauged by the impression of a coffee’s weight when rested on the tounge. It can range from low to very full.

As we learned in part one of this coffee tasting series, it is possible for a coffee to taste like a wet beaver. However, "wet beaver" is not a coffee tasting term. Besides references to acidity and body, the following are terms typically employed by coffee professionals:

Nutty
Earthy
Buttery
Herbal
Fruity
Spicy
Sweet
Caramelly
Complex
Chocolatey
Floral
Roasty
Pungent
Smoky
Berry
Citrus
Tangy
Syrupy
Mild
Tart
Soft
Musty
Dry

Some unpleasant flavors: carbony, scorched, bitter

Next we will discuss the typical flavor profiles for the three major growing regions and some of the best methods for tasting coffee. There will also be a flavor profile challenge coming up. Stay tuned!

Tasting coffee is similar to tasting a fine wine in that it is a libation to be reveled in. To truly understand the nuances of your coffee, it is essential to properly employ the senses, particularly the nose. Our sense of smell has substantial bearing on what we taste. Sniffing something can evoke strong emotions and memories. When the nose is clogged due to allergies or a cold, food can seem rather boring. This is why the olfactory receptors are utilized throughout both the wine and coffee tasting process.

Smelling the beans, grinds and the freshly brewed coffee prior to tasting will give enormous insight into the complexities of the coffee. The second step is to slurp. Yes, slurp. It is perfectly acceptable to slurp your coffee when tasting. Slurping allows for the coffee to spray your tongue evenly, and it draws the aromas up through the nasal passage. Another way to engage the palette is to tap into the imagination. Although there are standard terms used in tasting coffee, there is no right or wrong answer. It is a subjective experience.

If one feels that the coffee tastes like a wet beaver that is OK, just as long as an explanation is provided. Is it because of the fresh smells of wet earth that are likely to permeate from a beaver’s tail? Or is it because of a memory in which there was a close encounter with a wet beaver?  The nutty flavors of a coffee may remind one of the peanut butter clusters their grandma used to make them as a child. Or the prominent chocolate and berry flavors and the rich, earthy aromas may evoke a memory of the excellent Cabernet Sauvignon that was enjoyed just the other evening.

Baristas on Display at Intelligentsia in Los Angeles
Locally Roasted Organic Coffee at Groundwork Coffee Company in Los Angeles