Great Roasted Coffee Starts With The Beans

A great cup of roasted coffee starts with the beans. Whether you buy coffee beans and ground them yourself or prefer to use ground coffee, the bean makes a big difference in what your coffee is going to taste like.

The most popular type of beans today, according to the Coffee Research Institute, are Arabica coffee beans. They make up 75-80 percent of the world’s production.

Factors that will affect the flavor and quality of the coffee including the growing region, variety of plant, chemistry of the soil and the weather in the region, according to the National Coffee Association of the U.S.A.

Then there is the roasting. Every type of bean will have a different flavor at different roasting temperatures, according to the Coffee Research Institute. This is where the roaster’s skill comes into play:

• A light roast coffee is light brown and this roast is preferred for milder coffee varieties, according to NCA.
• Medium roasts are medium brown and have a stronger flavor, according to NCA.
• Medium to dark roasts have a rich, dark color with some oil on the surface and a slight bittersweet aftertaste.
• Dark roasts
  are shiny black beans with an oily surface and a pronounced bitterness.
  The darker the roast, the less acidity will be found in the beverage,
  according to NCA.