COFFEE 101As a coffee shop owner in Costa Rica, I often receive questions regarding how "strong" of our different brews of coffee are. Being that we always have two brews of coffee going this is a fair questions to ask before buying a cup (or a bag). And as for my answer...... it really depends on what they mean when they say "strong", so I usually answer their question with a question back at them...
"Do you want a coffee with a strong flavor....
or a coffee that has a kick of caffeine to wake you up?"
or a coffee that has a kick of caffeine to wake you up?"
Then I go into a spiel about roasting.... and herein lies your lesson for today. The 2 golden rules to remember with coffee are:
1. The darker the roast, the stronger the flavor.
2. The lighter the roast, the stronger the caffeine.
And here is what you will find in general on the spectrum of coffee roasts from lighter to darker.
Light Roast to Dark Roast
High Caffeine/Light Flavor >>>>>>>>Low Caffeine/Strong Flavor
Breakfast Blend>House Blend>French Roast>Espresso Roast
As you can see now, a Breakfast Blend will wake you up but will have weaker flaver, and a French Roast will give you bold flavor, but won't give you as much of boost in the afternoon. And Espresso.... probably not as caffeine rich as most people think.
Our specialty coffee served at Cafe Cafe is called "Peaberry". About 5% of a bean harvest will turn out to be peaberry. Don't be mistaken... peaberry is not a flavoring to the coffee
(ie. raspberry flavored coffee). A peaberry is a a single-grained coffee. Usually, a coffee "cherry" has two grains in is, but about 5% of the harvest comes out with only one. These peaberry beans are then separated from the rest of the harvest and roasted separately producing it's very own rich flavor. This flavor comes not only from the bean, but also roasts more evenly because of its smaller size and its roundness, both aspects contributing to more surface area as the beans roll in the roaster.We hope this artical leaves you all the wiser in the world of coffee.
Happy Brewing,
Lyle Watson
Owner and Manager
Cafe Cafe Coffeehouse
Tamarindo, Costa Rica
