- Coffee facts
Help! How do you find your favorite coffee?
We’re crazy about coffee, that’s for sure. We taste, sip, and drink coffee all day long. We talk, discuss, argue, and write about it. We can’t be without coffee – at least not happily.
Karsten Suhr
But for most people, coffee is more of a caffeine kick, a stimulant. But if you dive a little deeper, let a perfectly brewed espresso melt in your mouth (pure, without sugar) and discover the universe of flavors that there is – well, then…
The search for your favorite coffee, the best beans, THE coffee taste is not sooo easy thanks to the incredible range of coffee that is out there. So, let’s start at the very beginning.
The different types of coffee.
To find out which is the best coffee for your taste, you first need to know which type of coffee you like best, as each requires its own specific beans. In principle, there are 3 types of coffees or coffee preparation methods:
The drip coffee.
It is a “clear”, rather smooth, lighter coffee that is served in larger cups and mugs. The coffee is filtered with the classic hand filter (or coffee machine) with a paper filter or a permanent filter. Or – more ambitiously – a Chemex, Aeropress, or Karlsbad pot. It is always a so-called pour-over, meaning the water is slowly poured onto the ground coffee.
The full immersion coffee.
In contrast to pour-over/drip coffee, the ground coffee is completely “submerged” in water. And this is done with the French press or coffee press. The coffee itself is not as clear as a filter coffee because more ingredients are extracted from the ground coffee. A full immersion coffee therefore tastes more intense, fuller-bodied, and appears a little “oilier”.
The espresso with all its variations.
It is pressed through a sieve filled with espresso grounds in a portafilter or fully automatic machine at approx. 9 bar. It is therefore relatively thick, intense, and spicy and is served as an espresso or mocha in small (0,85 fl oz) cups or glasses. Served as a Café Crème – in a larger cup of approx. 4 fl oz – it is more reminiscent of a coffee, but has a fine crème on top, which gives it its name.
Caffè from the stovetop espresso maker.
Strictly speaking, this is not actually an espresso because it is not pressed through the sieve of the pot at such high pressure – it is only about 2 bar instead of 9 bar. It is therefore a very aromatic, strong, and opulent coffee, oilier than a filter coffee and most comparable to a French press coffee.
You can find all the important information about making coffee and the different preparation methods here:
What is the best way to make coffee?
The Chemex – worth the hype? Or not?
Why you might actually need an Aeropress.
Aromatic, strong, and quite simple: French press coffee.
Portafilter – (not) a male preserve?
The fully automatic coffee machine – only for lazy people?
A lucky find for every occasion.
The right type of coffee for each preparation method.
The most important coffee bean types worldwide are Arabica and Robusta. Although there are (botanically speaking) around 124 known coffea species, only Coffea Arabica (Arabica coffee) and Coffea Canephora (Robusta) are of economic importance. They differ in taste, caffeine content, and acidity, among other things.
Arabica coffees are naturally more complex, multi-faceted, and aromatic. This is because they have twice as many chromosomes as Robustas. If you look at the caffeine content, Arabica coffees are less strong and less acidic. As with apples, there are of course variations within the different types. At Mount Hagen, we mainly have Caturra and Catuai (100% Arabica) in our coffees.
However, the actual taste profile of an individual coffee depends on many factors:
Cultivation area:
Coffee grows in the narrow subtropical “coffee belt” that stretches along the equator between the 25th parallel north and the 25th parallel south. This results in a number of aspects such as precipitation, soil conditions, vegetation, and sunlight, which shape the taste profile (“Care has a brilliant aroma”) of the coffee.
Mounting height:
The higher the altitude, the lower the caffeine content, but the higher the sugar content. Arabicas are only grown from 1000 meters upwards, which is why they are also known as highland coffees. Robustas are grown below 800 meters altitude.
Roasting / Roasting degree:
Organic coffees or espressos can be made from the same type of coffee – it is the roast that determines what it becomes. Dark, long roasts are stronger, more intense, and less acidic, which is why they are used for espressos. Filter coffees are roasted lighter and milder. The most important thing when roasting: All coffee beans must be roasted gently, slowly and carefully. Otherwise, they burn on the outside and are still “raw” on the inside or burn completely and become bitter.
Mount Hagen coffees are refined for at least 11 minutes (espressos 14 minutes) at approx. 400°F in a drum roaster (“Viva la macchina”). Conventional industrial coffees are usually “shock roasted” for 3-5 minutes in a hot air process. Just for comparison.
Single origin or blend:
Single origins are specialty coffees from a single coffee variety and a single growing region. They have very complex, fine, “pure” aromas. A blend is a mixture of different coffees from several growing regions. The combination results in unique flavor profiles that are determined in advance by the master roaster.
And which type of coffee goes with which type of preparation?
Ideal für for the drip coffee:
For a drip coffee, a high-quality Arabica with a lighter, medium roast is generally recommended. A distinction can be made here between single origin and blend. What you prefer is a matter of taste. Some baristas are of the opinion:
- Pure drip coffee?
- Then you should go for a single origin, because you can better perceive the unique aroma profile of this growing region.
- Filter coffee with milk?
- Then a coffee bean blend is more fun.
The perfect coffees for espresso and the like.
For espresso and all its variants with or without milk you need an intense coffee flavor. This can be a blend of Arabica and Robusta. However, there are also pure Arabica blends that are ideal for roasting espresso. And again – of course – it is all a matter of taste.
3 Some tips that make it easier for you to choose your favorite coffee.
1. Organic coffee or not?
With organic coffee, you can do a lot of good for biodiversity, the environment, and the coffee farmers (“How fair is fair trade?“). You can also be sure that there are no residues of herbicides or anything like that in your cup. An organic fair trade coffee like Mount Hagen is pretty much the best thing you can do to make your coffee drinking more sustainable.
2. Coffee with milk or not?
The more you change the pure coffee taste by adding milk, sugar, syrup, etc., the more intense and spicier your coffee should be. For lattes, cappuccinos etc., coffees with a more chocolate-nutty flavor are particularly suitable. Fruity, citrusy coffees taste more exciting on their own. But this is also a matter of taste.
3. Coffee bean? Coffee powder? Instant?
It definitely depends on your preferences. If you celebrate coffee or espresso, freshly ground beans are of course perfect. If your coffee machine is in constant use, pre-ground Mount Hagen Arabica with its velvety smooth, spicy aromas is the recommendation. And if you want your outrageously delicious coffee easily and conveniently: Our instant coffee or instant espresso are unbeatable.
The best coffee for you?
That is and remains a matter of taste, of course. Coffee has over 800 flavors, which is really a huge amount (wine, by the way, has “only” 400). So once you have made your pre-selection, try 3-4 coffees that are at issue and compare them directly with each other.
Here you can find out more about coffee flavors and how to do your coffee tasting at home:
Floral? Nutty? Caramel? Resinous?
Short introduction into cupping.
Apart from all personal taste preferences, the most important thing for us is the quality of the beans, which of course includes organic farming. And gentle roasting in a drum roaster.
But it is also clear that good, high-quality organic coffee has its price. However, in addition to its great taste, it also brings a whole lot of positive benefits (“Rooted in respect”). And that is definitely worth it.
