The great thing about coffee is that there are so many different ways to enjoy it. There are many different types of coffee and many different specialized coffee drinks.
Where should you start if you want a delicious cultural education and discover new things one by one? We’ll guide you through the coffee options so you can know exactly what you’re getting when you order coffee or buy a bag of beans.
Black Coffee
Even though plain black coffee might seem simple, it’s actually not. To learn about the factors that affect a cup of black coffee, it is a great idea to start by looking at the coffee plant itself.
Coffee Beans
There are four main types of coffee bean grown around the world. These are Robusta, Arabica, Liberica and Excelsa.
More than half of all coffee in the world is made from Arabica beans. Most of the world’s coffee production is robusta beans, with the much less common varieties Liberica and Excelsa making up a very small percentage.
The Arabica bean is characterized by its bright taste, balanced acidity, and its complex layering of aromas. Some popular Arabica coffee varieties include Bourbon, Typica, Catuai, and Blue Mountain. Arabica is best enjoyed hot and without milk.
Robusta coffee gets its name from the term robust, meaning strong or durable. This coffee is known for being one of the strongest and most durable coffees out there. The Robusta coffee plant is in fact very resilient and can resist disease. This coffee is resistant to brewing because of the high caffeine content.
Robusta coffee beans contain a high level of caffeine, which gives the coffee a bitter, strong taste. You’re not likely to find this type of coffee in a high-quality bag.
The location where a coffee is grown can have a big impact on its flavor. There are over 50 countries in the world that produce coffee. Each country has unique characteristics that make its coffee beans special. The flavored coffee from Kenya will differ from the coffee grown in Brazil.
The flavor of coffee beans is determined by various factors such as the climate they were grown in, how high up they were grown, what processing method was used, and the type of bean.
Coffee Roasts
The origin of the coffee bean affects the flavor greatly, but the type of coffee roast also makes a big difference.
The flavor of brewed coffee is strongly affected by the roast of the beans. There are many different roasts, each with its own distinct flavor profile. The different coffee roasts are light, medium, medium-dark, and dark.
You likely know some coffee roasts by name, such as French roast, Italian roast, Vienna roast, American roast, and city roast. There are a few different roast levels that people tend to use when they are talking about coffee. Each one of these roast levels has a different flavor profile, and they are all named after the type of coffee roast that corresponds to that flavor profile.
TThe way to tell the type of roast by the color of the bean.
Light roast coffee beans have a light brown color. Light roast coffees preserve more of the coffee’s flavor compounds, leading to a more complex and nuanced flavor.
Lighter roasts tend to have more pronounced acidity and a toasted grain flavor. The surface of the beans is dry and there is no oil on them.
Medium roast coffee beans are brown with a dry surface. American roast and city roasts are medium roast coffees. The darkness of city roasts can vary from light city to half city to full city.
Vienne roast coffee is a coffee that has been roasted until it is a medium-dark brown. The bean is a dark brown color with possible oil residue on the surface.
Viennese coffee has a darker color, richer taste, and more body than coffee from America.
The surface of dark roast coffee beans can appear slightly oily and they are a rich dark brown in color. Many continental roasts tend to be bitter and smoky in flavor.
Darker roasts are popular in espresso blends. There are three popular types of dark roast coffee: French roast, Spanish roast, and Italian roast.
Coffee Grounds
There are also many types of ground coffee, from a coarse grind to a fine grind. The grind of the coffee beans is important for each type of coffee drink.
To make the best French press coffee, use a coarse grind rather than a fine one. Fine grounds can clog the filter and make the coffee cloudy. A medium grind size is ideal for most drip coffee makers.
Espresso needs a finer ground. The grind for Turkish coffee needs to be very fine, almost like powder. Although you might typically order coffee with milk or cream, you will develop a stronger understanding of the drink when it is black.
Arabica
One of the most popular types of coffee in the world is arabica coffee. This coffee is made from the beans of the Coffea arabica plant.
The Arabica coffee bean is native to the southwestern regions of Ethiopia. This bean is responsible for the production of up to 60% of the coffee consumed globally. Brazil is the world’s foremost exporter of Arabica beans.
Types of Arabica Coffee Beans
Typica
Typica is one of the earliest coffee varieties and is the parent plant for many other varieties. It’s popular for its clean and sweet cup. Some subtypes of Typica are
- Sumatra
- Bergendal
- Rume Sudan
- Amarello de Botancatú
- Blawan Paumah
- Java Mocha.
Bourbon
Bourbon coffee is also known as Bor-Bonn coffee. It is one of the first coffee types and is known for its rich flavor. These beans have a chocolaty and fruity overtone. Bourbon coffee plants are used for crossbreeding to produce many other types of Arabica coffee.
Some of the Sub-varieties of Bourbon are:
- French Mission
- N39, Mayaguez
- Arusha, Jackson
- Kenya Selected
- Semperlorens
- Caturra
Caturra
Caturra is a strain of coffee that is a hybrid of the Bourbon strain. It was first grown in Brazil during the early 1900s, but it is now grown in the higher altitudes of Central America. Caturra has a light body and citric flavour.
Catimor
This coffee bean is a crossbreed of Caturra and Timor, the latter of which is a hybrid of Arabica and Robusta beans. The Catimor bean has a strong flavor because it is a Robusta bean. However, the Catimor beans grown in Nicaragua and India have a milder flavor.
Catuai
A Catuai coffee bean is a hybrid of the Caturra and Mundo Novo coffee beans. It is widely grown in Brazil and has a deliciously piquant acidity and sweetness.
Gesha
This coffee bean originates from near the city of Gesha, Ethiopia, but was imported to Panama. It is now grown in high altitude areas of Central America. The taste is unique and delicate, reminiscent of a tropical fruit with hints of jasmine and honeysuckle.
This coffee is among the most costly in the world.
Jackson
Jackson is a variety of coffee that is produced in the countries of Burundi and Rwanda. It is famous for its delicate, acidic edge.
Jamaican Blue Mountain
The name of this coffee variety is inspired by the mountainous region in Jamaica where it’s grown. Condensed milk is known for its drawbacks including its light, creamy, smooth mouthfeel and mild flavor.
This drink is naturally sweet, so you don’t need to add any extra sugar or cream.
Jember
This typica strain of coffee is grown a lot in Indonesia and is known for being rich and having a buttery texture. It also tastes like brown sugar and caramel.
Kent
The Kent strain of marijuana is characterized by a light, delicate spicy flavor.
Kona
Kona coffee is grown on the slopes of Mauna Loa and Hualalai volcanoes on the Big Island of Hawaii. This coffee is very expensive due to the difficulty of growing it in this location.
The climate, altitude, and lava soil in Kona are ideal for producing coffee. This beverage has a light body and a flavor that is naturally sweet and fruity with hints of spices and nuts.
Maragogype
It is also known as “Elephant bean coffee” because of its large bean size. This variety is grown in Brazil and offers a very heavy, buttery body with hints of citrus flavours.
Maracatu
Maracatu is a type of coffee that is a crossbreed of Maragogype and Caturra. It is grown in the high altitude areas of Central America and has a ripe fruit flavour.
Mocca
The beans are small and have a strong chocolate flavor. They grow in Hawaii and Yemen.
Mundo Novo
Mundo Novo is a cross between Bourbon and Typica coffee beans, often used as a base for other popular varieties. It has a slightly bitter taste with a hint of caramel sweetness.
Pacamara
The name of the coffee bean, Pacamara, suggests that it is a cross between the Pacas and Maragogype beans. It is grown in Central America and has a well-balanced flavor with sweet acidity and floral flavors.
Villa Sarchi
This natural Bourbon hybrid was developed near the Costa Rican town of Sarchi. It has a medium body with refined acidity and pronounced fruit flavour.
Villalobos
The Villalobos coffee bean grows well in Costa Rica’s poorest soils and produces a balanced mixture of acidity and sweetness. You wouldn’t need to add any sugar or cream to this coffee.
Robusta
Robusta coffee beans are the second most popular type of coffee bean in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Robusta coffee has a strong, harsh flavor and contains very high levels of caffeine, which makes the plant much more resistant to disease than Arabica coffee.
Robusta coffee has a burnt or rubbery taste, which makes it less popular than Arabica.
Although Robusta beans are much simpler to cultivate and gather than Arabica beans, many growers make more money when they sell Robusta.
A roaster could save up to 20 to 30 percent on the cost of raw beans by using 4 parts Arabica beans to 1 part Robusta in a given collection. Although it may seem like sacrificing product quality is unavoidable, there may be other options.
Robusta coffee beans with hints of chocolate and rum are of high quality, but these are not always easy to find.
However, if you are only looking for a way to get your daily caffeine fix, then you can go for a standard cup of Robusta coffee and cut the strong flavor by adding cream and sugar.
Liberica
Liberica coffee beans are rare and grow best in specific climatic conditions. Production is low, so farmers cannot meet global demand.
Liberica coffee is known for its fruit and flower notes, as well as its slightly “woody” flavor.
At one time, Liberica coffee was very famous. A plant disease known as “coffee rust” developed near the end of the nineteenth century, wiping out almost all of the Arabica plants across the world.
The huge demand for coffee led both farmers and government officials to find suitable substitutes.
Excelsa
Although Excelsa is a member of the Liberica family, it is actually very different from the other members. Although Excelsa coffee beans are grown primarily in Southeast Asia, they only make up a small portion of the world’s coffee production.
Excelsa coffee beans have a tart, fruitier flavor, and are known for having attributes of both light and dark roast coffees.
Black Coffee
Drip Coffee
This is a type of coffee that is made by filtering hot water through ground coffee beans. This is what “coffee” has meant in the United States for years.
A drip coffee that is well-made can be amazing. It is not only about using the correct amount of water and coffee, but also having a high-quality coffee machine and using the best ground coffee.
Pour-Over Coffee
Pour hot water over ground coffee in a filter (either paper or reusable).
A barista or coffee brewer can control the coffee brewing process to bring out subtle aromas and flavors.
French Press Coffee
French press coffee uses a coarser grind than coffee that is extracted with hot water. The coffee steeps and becomes more potent the longer it is in hot water. The coffee grounds are then pushed to the bottom of the pot with a metal mesh filter.
Cold Brew Coffee
Coffee grounds are steeped in water for many hours, then filtered out, in this popular method originally from Japan. You can use a French press to make a great cold brew coffee.
In the slow drip cold brew method, water is slowly dripped through the coffee grounds over a period of several hours.
To make a smooth and rich low-acid concentrate, you will need patience regardless of which method you use. Once you have made your concentrate, you can dilute it with water or milk to create different coffee drinks.
Turkish Coffee
This method, which is hundreds of years old, is still popular in the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean. The coffee is ground finely, mixed with water, and simmered in a small pot until a head of foam forms a ring around the center.
The coffee grounds are not filtered out. Turkish coffee is traditionally drunk from small cups, so that the grounds can settle at the bottom.
Coffee Drinks With Milk or Cream
Espresso Drinks
A shot of espresso is combined with milk to make a variety of coffee drinks.
Cappuccino
A cappuccino coffee drink is made with equal parts of espresso and steamed milk, with a head of foamed milk on top.
A double cappuccino is a more potent coffee drink made with two shots of espresso.
Mochaccino
If you want to turn your cappuccino into a mochaccino, simply add some chocolate syrup and top it with chocolate powder.