Author: Alena Dorozhkina , unique tea and coffee specialist,
professional tea-tester
The coffee world is as rich and diverse as the tea world. Coffee & ndash; it is such a separate planet that can be studied for years.
Drinks made from identical-looking grains from different countries are surprising in their individual characteristics.
It is difficult to find even two identical ones. The more you immerse yourself in this world, the more interesting the process of learning different species and varieties.
Explore the story
The coffee drink is a grain of the genus Coffea Linney, which has approximately 5,000 plant types. There are a huge number of them: there are evergreen, deciduous, and tall strong trees, and shrubs. But they have one common important feature & ndash; presence of caffeine.
Coffee tree & ndash; pronounced mountain plant.
On average, plantations are between 600 and 1200 m.
For good development, it is important that the temperature is in the range of 17-20 & deg; C (does not fall below 10 & deg; C), moisture loss of 1500-2000 mm is required, the soil must be loose, deep and rich in humus.
Under these conditions, the coffee tree feels good and produces a high yield.
At high altitudes, coffee ripens slowly, but the quality of the grain improves greatly when ripe. The natural size of the tree ranges from 3-15 m. For ease of collection, new plantations are cut off.
The leaves are evergreen, short-stemmed, glossy above, matte juicy green below.
The homeland is Ethiopia and the Somali peninsula, where it still grows as a wild plant. Soon it moved from this African country to the Arabian Peninsula, and for a very long time Yemen was considered the world market leader.
It was there that & laquo; domestication & raquo; coffee tree. To preserve the monopoly, the Arabs very strictly ensured that not a single living grain was exported. They specially cleaned the outer shell from the grains so that they lost germination.
The first to officially receive permission to export seedlings were the Dutch. They began to grow coffee in the greenhouse.
Cultivation continued in Malabar, in India, and in 1699 on the island of Java and Sumatra (now Indonesia).
For several years, the Dutch colonies became the main suppliers of grains to Europe. Small coffee houses began to open there, which gradually grew into meeting places for aristocrats and businessmen. Over a cup of drink, business issues of cooperation between different companies were often resolved.
Ripened coffee fruit & ndash; it is a red berry resembling a cherry, and under the juicy, sweet pulp are two beans, the color of which can be from yellowish gray to blue-green.
Interesting way to consume a drink.
Initially, the population of Arab countries ate the red shell of grains. They pressed it, then mixed it with milk and fat.
From the resulting mass, they rolled balls and took them with them on the road as a strengthening agent.
It wasn't until the 12th century that coffee beans began to produce a drink.
Several centuries later, they began to dry in the sun, fry, grind, and pour the resulting aromatic powder with hot water.
Arabs added cinnamon, ginger and other spices to the drink, and to give the taste sophistication, they consumed it with milk.
Natural coffee began to play such an important role that it began to be mentioned even in contracts for marriage & ndash; it was a rite where the spouse allowed his wife to drink as much as she wished.
Violation of this clause was a serious reason for divorce.
Coffee beans grow in many countries and continents.
Depending on the growing area, they can be divided into groups:
- South America.
- Central and North.
- Africa.
- Asia.
- Oceania.
Grain types
Coffee belongs to the genus "Coffea" of the family Rubiaceae. There are dozens of types of this plant, but only two are commercially important: Arabica (coffea Arabica) and Robusta (coffea Canephora).
2 more varieties are known: Liberica (C. Liberica) and Excelsia (C. excelsia), but they are less common on the world market.
Nowadays, Arabica is the leader among all species. 90% of all coffee plantations are on it.
There are types of wood: abyssinica, bourbon, typica and maragojip. Last & ndash; Maragojip & ndash; is the best known.
This is a species in which the grains are 2-3 times larger than normal, and it has a porous surface. It is considered a "mutant," which was first discovered in Brazil in 1876 near the city of Maragojip in the eastern Brazilian state of Bahia, and quickly spread throughout the world.
However, yields are low, so they have little global presence.
Only the largest suppliers have the opportunity to offer this grade & ndash; for example, the assortment of the Russian Tea Company includes several types from different countries: Maragodzhip Mexico and Nicaragua .
Robusta (or Congolese) grows in equatorial forests and savannas and has two varieties: the Canephora tree form, which differs in the height of coffee trees and in need of pruning, and the Nganda bush.
Now, if we talk about what such coffee is, we can say that it is & ndash; a very important crop that is widely used in varietal mixtures.
Robusta differs from Arabica in that it has a finer, more rounded grain and is yellowish green. Fried are less uniform in color roasting, but do not have a characteristic groove (compared to Arabica), the aroma is weaker and the taste of the drink is strong, with a bitterness, and the sourness is practically not felt.
The Robusta tree is more weatherproof and yields more.
It is not for nothing that this name means & laquo; strong & raquo;, & laquo; steady & raquo;.
There is a hybrid of Arabica and Robusta called Katimore.
This species is more weatherproof, but its taste does not have bright, distinctive and attractive notes.
Katimore is among the most popular varieties in Indonesia and Vietnam. It can also be found in Mexico and Peru.
Several thousand varieties of unmixed coffee are currently entering the global market. It is also called varietal. The name is usually given by country of origin, sometimes adding a specific area, state and province to it.
You can also find a name for the mountains (for example, Tanzanian Kilimanjaro). Drinks are often named after the city or port from which they are exported (for example, Brazil Santos).
Our company offers both varietal plantation species (Honduras, Kenya, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ethiopia), which have their own special, different taste characteristics, and mixtures, which we, with special attention and taking into account all the characteristics of raw materials, selected based on the individual tastes of monocorts.
To get a high-quality tasty drink, grain needs to go through several stages of production after its collection. It is important how it was treated (cleaning from the fruit shell) & ndash; dry or wet (wet), then what degree of roasting was chosen by the manufacturer, and at the end & ndash; which brewing method the customer preferred. All this affects whether our customers will like the drink, whether it will taste good, and how long it will delight. Coffee & ndash; it's a flavor product. You need to strive for versatility so that everyone likes it.
Types of roasting
To obtain a quality and tasty drink from coffee beans (monosort), the degree of frying of the grain is very important.
There are 3 types:
- Poor roasting;
- medium;
- strong.
The former is rarely used for sale. It reveals all taste defects. This is more frying to determine the quality of the grain in production, and not for the consumer. Such a drink has a pronounced soft earthy taste, and at the same time a pronounced sour taste is pronounced.
For buyers, most often used & laquo; Vienna & raquo; roasting (medium degree), which is suitable for most country coffees (from different countries). It is most popular because it reveals the taste of the grain as fully as possible. The drink is very flavoursome and its perfectly balanced flavours highlight strengths. You can drink it anytime.
But there are varieties that are better disclosed under & laquo; Italian & raquo; frying (strong).
In such species, the acidity characteristic of Arabica disappears.
The taste becomes more & laquo; full-bodied & raquo;, with a soft bitterness, sometimes smoky, cigar aromas appear & ndash; thick, slightly heavy, but giving their own personality.
It is most commonly used for Arabica (Cuba, Colombia) or blends.
It is usually drunk after lunch or at noon with cream. Often Italian roasting is used for blends of grains from several countries to bring to the fore the unique taste embedded in the grain & ndash; for example, Arabica from Colombia and Brazil, when fried hard, gives chocolate tones and shades of spices.
Learn more about how we make coffee in our & nbsp; video .
Dessert coffee: what is it
Recently, we have come across this name quite often. This is the name of the flavored drink. Its range is huge and depends on the taste of the consumer. Species are very diverse: from walnut & laquo; Forest opex & raquo; and & laquo; coffee & raquo; names & laquo; Mocha & raquo;, & laquo; Cappuccino & raquo;, before fantasy & laquo; French vanilla & raquo; or & laquo; Bavarian chocolate & raquo;.
It is usually made from a mixture of monosortals, but there are exceptions when Arabica is taken, while it must have a fairly neutral, classic, calm taste.
This dessert drink is most often flavored with oils, and it acquires its own special aroma, which makes it possible to taste high-quality and tasty coffee.
Our company has developed an individual recipe that nicely combines the velvet, noble, soft and rich taste of several varieties of Arabic.
At the same time, the mixture acquires a unique, balanced and characteristic taste.
During deep aromatization, the coffee base does not lose its taste, but rather is complemented by individual aromas.
You can choose & laquo; vanilla & raquo; softness, enjoy berry-chocolate notes in & laquo; Cherry in chocolate & raquo; , drink winter warming & laquo; Cognac truffle & raquo; or & laquo; Cinnamon coffee & raquo; . In our range you will find citrus flavours & laquo; Sicily sun & raquo; and honey flavours in & laquo; Turkish honey & raquo; .
How to brew
In our variety of assortments, you can choose a drink that is suitable for different brewing methods. For everyone, you will find your own, which will best reveal the taste. One of the secrets of & ndash; grind grains immediately before brewing, then essential oils and freshness of aroma are preserved in it.
The most popular way & ndash; it's cooking in a Turk. It is considered classic, & laquo; oriental & raquo;. It is based on slow boiling, while the taste becomes very delicate and completely reveals all the inner taste richness.
This is a simple and ancient brewing method: 7.5 g per 150 ml of water, or 15g-300 ml. Coffee is poured with cold liquid and brought to a boil over low heat. It is important to catch the moment so that the foam that forms on the surface does not run away. Wait for it to rise in the jezwa and pour a fragrant drink over the cups.
For brewing in Turk, a medium and strong degree of roasting is suitable, while the taste will be different. By the way, in the modern world it is not only familiar copper jezwe, but also steel and even ceramic .
One popular type of homeware in recent decades has been Geyser coffee makers .
The variety of colors and ease of use made it popular.
In the upper flask you need to pour water, and in the lower & ndash; pour coffee powder.
When heated under pressure, the liquid passes through it, creating a bright saturated drink. Medium roasting is ideal for cooking in a geyser.
Recent Trend & ndash; vending machines. In such a preparation of the beverage, the degree of roasting of the grains is of primary importance.
For coffee machines, medium or strong roasting is best. This will give you a fragrant, tasty and unforgettable drink.
Conclusion
How refreshing it is to feel the invigorating coffee aroma in the morning!
Choose your coffee in the ocean of varieties and mixtures of the assortment & laquo; Russian Tea Company & raquo; & ndash; it is a drink that will be enjoyed at any time of the day.