Brewing coffee at home can provide the most relaxing, decadent moments for lovers of coffee, but it can be difficult to know where to start when there are so many options can't it? Here are 5 points that can assist in choosing the perfect roasted coffee for you.
- Find a local coffee roaster
Coffee is a natural product and just like fruit and vegetables, it has a reasonably short shelf life. Buying locally will put you in direct touch with the roastery and offer you the most delicious, fresh coffee without losing time in transit. You’ll also be supporting a local business and that’s always a good thing!
- Have a think about your tastes
Coffee Roasters will use words such a ‘full-bodied’, ‘well-rounded’, ‘mouth feel’, and ‘body’ amongst others in order to describe their coffee. These terms can be very confusing for the beginner! Start by talking to the coffee roaster or one of their baristas, if you can, and describe how you like your coffee to taste and how you are intending to brew it. This is the best and most direct way to find what you need and to be pointed in the right direction. Please contact us at Black Velvet or visit our stores if you need any assistance.
- Do you need a blend or a single origin coffee?
You’ll need to make a decision on whether to purchase a blend or single origin.
Most coffee blends are created to be versatile in how they are to be served. They combine coffee from a number of origins to add balance and create flavours. This can result in a coffee that is delicious served black and also creates a lovely, well rounded coffee when paired with milk. This is the case with all of our coffee blends, the most popular being Voodoo Child.
You’ll find Single Origin beans on many coffee roasters’ websites and in cafes. These beans are from one country of origin. Every country has its own distinct coffee bean due to a number of factors including altitude, the soil, climate etc Therefore, you can have a lot of fun tasting the various nuances of each origin, particularly if you are drinking these as a black coffee (milk will change the flavour). We suggest using the Trinity One for a delicious brew using Single origin beans.
- Look at the roast date
Never buy coffee that doesn’t display its roast date! Also don’t be duped by coffee that has a ‘use by’ date instead. You want to know exactly when it was roasted to ensure it is fresh and worth your investment. Freshly roasted coffee is fantastic to use for approximately 4 weeks (sometimes longer) and best to use after 1 week. This is a rough guide however, and the best determination is made by your taste buds.
- Experiment and have fun!
Remember that most of all, coffee provides a time in your day when you can relax, drink in the moment, share your day with friends, pause for reflection or simply enjoy a great kick start to your day. Try various options and ways of brewing to ensure your coffee moments are some of the most wonderful, indulgent occasions.
Happy caffeinating!
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