Arabica or Robusta coffee beans ?
Arabica is generally considered to produce more subtle coffees and is preferred for this reason. An Arabica & Robusta blend in a minority percentage can however be interesting in espresso blends or to obtain a strong coffee… One piece of advice: taste and make up your own mind!
Roasting: roasted coffee beans or industrial coffee?
Did you know ? Green coffee consists of about 250 flavour molecules, roasted coffee has over 800! Roasting is therefore the most important step in developing the coffee’s aromas. Green coffee is roasted for a certain period of time and at a certain temperature depending on the type of roast :
- Artisanal roasting is carried out at around 230°C for 12 to 20 minutes, depending on the desired degree of roast. It allows the aromas to be respected and developed to the full.
- Industrial roasting takes about 5 minutes at 300-700°C: the high temperature “burns” the coffee. Yield before quality…
The colour of the roast indicates its degree: a light roast means a rather subtle coffee with acidic notes, a dark roast a fairly full-bodied coffee.
We advise you to opt for an artisanally roasted coffee by buying it from a roaster or online on a specialised website (like ours!). As for the degree of roast, it is up to your taste buds to decide what they prefer after tasting!
To enjoy coffee like a pro,read our article “How to do a coffee tasting”.
Origins and local coffees
A single-origin coffee bean, in other words a coffee that comes from a single terroir, whose flavour depends on the micro-climate in which it is grown (altitude, sunshine, humidity level, soil composition, etc.), with guaranteed traceability, will be called a “terroir coffee” or “speciality coffee”. The concept of traceability refers not only to the origin of the coffee, but also extends to the entire supply chain, from cultivation to roasting to picking and processing.
Coffee is grown around the equator, between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. Currently South America is the main exporter, followed by Africa, producing mainly Robusta but also renowned Arabica, and Indonesia. Each of its continents produces pure origin coffees sought after for their incomparable aromas, some of which are very rare.
Here too we can only advise you to play the game of tasting to discover the origins and associated aromatic notes that you prefer!
If you want to discover two rare coffees with typical and very different aromas, we recommend you try Haile, our smooth and flowery Sidamo mocha coffee from Ethiopia, and Ayu, our full-bodied and aromatic Sumatran coffee bean.
Coffee blends
Blend coffees are blends of coffees from different origins.
The coffee beans are blended after roasting. The purpose of an assembly can be various:
- Gustatory: obtaining a new palette of tastes
- Balance: a blend of coffees is used to harmonise the aromas to obtain a balanced coffee
- Consistency of flavour: a blend of coffees will have less variation in its overall flavour properties than a pure origin coffee whose flavour may vary according to the harvest
- Economic: incorporating lower quality grain to lower the overall cost. If the origins are not clearly specified, this also avoids being subject to variations in price and regularity of supply.
As you will have noticed, the result of a coffee blend can be positive or negative! Tip: When buying a blended coffee bean, always choose a coffee that has been roasted by hand and that has been made with quality in mind. Industrial coffee bean blends are likely to have been developed with a predominantly economic focus. It is also preferable to use blends where the different origins used are specified.
Would you like to discover THE coffee in our range that everyone loves? Try Gabriel, our coffee bean blend from Brazil, Colombia and Mexico: aromatic notes of dried fruits and nuts that will delight your taste buds!
And why not create your own mix? Combine our different origins to create new flavours!
Organic coffee beans
Buying certified organic coffee can mean a significant additional cost for you. However, the benefits of this certification are numerous:
- The organic coffee beans will have been produced in a way that respects nature: fewer chemicals are released into the soil and greater respect is shown for the fauna and flora associated with the coffee trees.
- No use of synthetic chemicals: these substances will not end up in your cup every morning.
- In addition to your health, the health of coffee workers, who are the first to be exposed to toxic substances during spraying, is also protected.
- You increase your chances of getting quality coffee: organic coffee plants are more robust to resist the attacks of pests and fungi without “help”, and the harvest is done manually which allows a better selection.
For all these reasons, we at Origeens have chosen to offer you a range of 100% organic coffee beans.
Please read our dedicated article “Why drink organic coffee beans“to find out more.
Do you know which countries are the most committed to growing organic coffee and are the leading exporters of organic coffee beans? Peru, Mexico and Colombia: origins honoured with our organic coffee beans Susana, Frida and Fernando!