Specialty coffee pioneer George Howell has been talking to an audience of over 100 about how to choose a coffee, but more importantly how to experience a coffee. He should know, he started The Coffee Connection in the 1970s when the only game in town was grocery store coffee.
"Coffee choices are more complex," Howell says. During his talk he breaks down coffee into these categories:
Blends - this is more a spotlight on the roaster
Roasts - There are levels of caramel in taste of the coffee. The roast effects that taste. Lighter roasts can be sour, darker roasts can be bitter. Yup, there's a difference.
Country - Specifically which country does it come from.
Regional - like a Kona of Jamaican Blue Mountain
Grade - this is the size of the coffee
Certifications - is it Fair Trade? Organic? Direct Trade?
Single Estate - the craftsmanship is high at the farm level.
Packaging - FYI those bins of coffee in finer stores is rapidly de-gassing, becoming oxidized.
How to experience coffee from hot to cooler.
Coffee when it is immediately done should be at 200 degrees. We typically drink it at 185 degrees. At this point the aroma is at its peak. At 135 degrees we taste the sweetness. As the coffee cools, we notice more the acidity, flavor, body, balance and then the aftertaste.
At his point the group began to do a series of tastings, so Howell could better demonstrate his talk.
Charlie
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