Wholesale Gourmet Coffee
Essentially coffee is a commodity which is grown in many countries throughout the world. The reason why this tiny bean is considered to be a commodity is because there are so many coffee lovers all over the world and to them it is worth its weight in gold. Wholesale gourmet coffee acquired from all these different regions have to go through a similar process before it is exported and lands up in your home espresso machine.
Coffee beans are grown throughout the world, with a few major coffee producing countries bearing the bulk of production. Various agricultural factor influence the flavor of the coffee, but the most essential influence over the flavor of any gourmet coffee is the roasting process. Gourmet coffee must be roasted and ground fresh if it is to be at its absolute best.
It is not always possible, nor feasible to roast your own coffee at home, but it is possible to grind it and brew it fresh and this is what keeps the flavor at its best. Specialty shops are available that will roast your coffee fresh for you, if it is under roasted the coffee will be weak, whereas if it is over-roasted, it will taste burnt, so this is best left to the professionals.
While we are speaking about gourmet coffee, one of the most difficult coffee beans to obtain are “Jamaican Blue Mountain”. This is because of its rich taste and perfect aroma, however due to the hurricanes experienced in the Gulf of Mexico; they are the hardest to come by. Jamaican Blue Mountain is revered the world over as among the best tasting coffee, and this product is the definitive gourmet coffee.
Knowing how to choose the gourmet coffee blend which is right for you can prove difficult as there are over 6 000 different types known world-wide. Fortunately these blends are determined by a small amount of cultivars (only 25) so knowing a little about coffee will help you choose the correct coffee blend of pure cultivar, that distinction is up to your tastes.
Arabica coffee beans are responsible for as much as 60% of world-wide gourmet coffee production. But as the Arabica plant is susceptible to pests, disease and frost the beans are expensive. It is able to be roasted and used alone or blended with other coffee and forms a perfect base for blends as it has a delicate flavor which adds body to the blend.
The Robust coffee plant is far more hardy, and therefore the beans are cheaper, accounting for 40% of the worlds coffee production. The flavor varies depending where in the world it is grown and the Robusta beans from Indonesia (Java & Sumatra) produce the most full bodied coffee and are therefore more sought after.