S3: Episode 2: There’s More Than One Type Of Coffee?
There is more to coffee than just its roast level and in this episode we are taking a look at the many different types of coffee that are out there and why it's useful to know your type. This week’s FACQ lifts the lid on ‘Heirloom’ coffees.
Videos showing the cupping method:
The method
The process
Photos:
Aftermath of a cupping session
Professional cupping session
Species of coffee:
Arabica, Robusta, Excelsa, Liberica, Stenophylla
Examples of Arabica coffee varieties:
Bourbon, Catuai, Caturra, Geisha or Gesha, Maragogype, Pacamara, Ruiru11, SL28, Typica, Villa Sarchi, Mundo Novo
For many more examples of Arabica varieties check out: the World Coffee Research coffee varieties catalog (https://varieties.worldcoffeeresearch.org/arabica/varieties)
Types of coffee by shape of coffee bean:
Peaberry
Elephant ear
Get in touch!
Please note that although I read all texts, I don’t have the facility to reply to them, but you can also get in touch via Instagram and email.
Email: thecoffeedrinkersguide@gmail.com
Instagram: @thecoffeedrinkersguide
Lusona Publishing and Media Limited website: https://www.lusonapub.co.uk
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Hello and welcome to The Coffee Drinker’s Guide, a podcast for the coffee curious where I explore and explain the world of specialty coffee to make your daily coffee better and more satisfying.
I’m Angela Holder a coffee roaster and writer on a mission to fight back against bad coffee by giving you the knowledge you need to help you get good coffee and a happier (coffee) life in coffee-break sized episodes. So grab your coffee, pull up a chair and take a break…
In this week's episode we are taking a look at the many different types of coffee available to the consumer because, yes, there is more than one type…and later I’ll be answering a question about a type of coffee which has the grand sounding label of ‘heirloom coffee’ so stay tuned for that…
If you have only ever been exposed to instant coffee or a big cafe chain’s espresso coffee it would be easy to fall into the trap of thinking that coffee is pretty generic. It’s something that had actually never occurred to me but was brought home during a recent conversation with a friend when they said in all seriousness ‘Isn’t there only one type of coffee and it’s just roasted differently?’. And before you say it, they weren’t winding me up! I have to confess that it did shock me a little. Its a bit like saying to a sommelier “Isn’t there only two types of grapes: red and white?” I can see why my friend could possibly believe there was only one type of coffee, but the answer is that there are many types of coffee - even before you get to roasting it and all the different ways of preparing it as a drink. Yup, it’s time for a deep dive into types of coffee beans…
So firstly and appropriately coffee types and the bean.
Its true that most roasted coffee beans do essentially look the same. But lurking under this apparent similarity is a whole spectrum of difference. Using the definition of ‘type’ to mean a group of things that have common characteristics, there are many different types of coffee depending on what characteristic you use to define it. Amongst other things a coffee type can be based on the shape of the bean, its quality, where it was grown and the species of the coffee. Two big things that define the flavour of the coffee you drink are the type of botanical variety of the coffee and the type of green bean processing method that was used to turn the seeds of the coffee fruit into the coffee beans we roast. Both of these heavily influence a coffee’s flavour. Alongside understanding the impact of the roast level on a coffee, getting to know how different types of coffees taste will give you a really good idea of where your personal preferences lie in terms of coffee flavours. Which is a huge help when choosing what coffee to buy. Coffee flavours can also be a type category in itself but that’s a separate and very deep rabbit hole!
Next coffee types and the taste
As the seed of a fruit, the inherent flavour of a coffee comes from the type or botanical variety of the plant that it grew on. So as with wine, it’s worth getting to know the names of the varieties that you like the flavour of. However these inherent flavour characteristics are influenced and modified by other factors. Grow the same variety of coffee plant in a different place, or process the fruit in a different way, and the flavour of those beans will be altered to a lesser or greater extent. Coffees grown at high altitudes are more complex with more obvious fruit flavours than coffees grown at lower ones. Natural and honey process coffees have more sugary sweetness than washed process coffees. If you ever see a coffee for sale which has been subdivided and processed three different ways its definitely worth buying the set to taste the influence of the processing method on that coffee’s flavour. So to circle back to my friend’s question - there is more than one type of coffee and if you taste different types of coffee next to each other, they will taste different.
Finally coffee types and the brew
At this point you may well still be thinking that coffee just tastes like coffee right? And it’s true that it can be difficult to detect the differences between different coffees when you taste them in isolation. For proof that different types of coffee taste different there is no better way than by doing a side by side comparison. But to be sure that what you are tasting is the real flavour of each coffee you need to brew all the coffees you want to taste at the same time using the same brewing method. This is admittedly tricky at home if you want to compare several coffees and have limited space and brewing equipment! Professional coffee tasters use a process called the cupping method to assess as many as fifty coffees in a single session. Using multiple small bowls, or cups as they are called, allows the coffees to be prepared at the same time with minimal influence on the coffee’s flavour. If you want to try this at home I will put links in the show notes to videos that show you how its done. While this is the professional way to taste coffee you can also do it quite easily at home. It can be a bit messy but it is a lot of fun.
And now its time for a Frequently Asked Coffee Question…
And this episode’s question is…
Speaking of types of coffee, what is an heirloom coffee?
In the coffee world ‘heirloom’ is a loose term used to describe coffee plant varieties that have been around for over 100 years. These are varieties such as Typica which dates from the 1600’s, Bourbon dating from the 1700’s and the relatively youthful Maragogipe discovered in the late 1800’s. ‘Heirloom’ is also often used as a catch-all term for Ethiopian coffees where the exact variety is unknown (out of the 10,000 or so possible candidates!). While heirloom coffees have fine and interesting flavours, the use of the word ‘heirloom’ in a coffee’s description should not be taken to imply that it is automatically superior in flavour to a more modern variety since the quality of a coffee’s flavour is the result of more than just its botanical variety. Word to the wise.
Thank you for listening to this episode of The Coffee Drinker’s Guide and that was all about different types of coffee. Did I miss a type of coffee that you are curious about? Drop me a line on Instagram @thecoffeedrinkersguide, email me at thecoffeedrinkersguide@gmail.com or leave me a text message using the link in the show notes. In the next episode I will be revealing a special type of coffee bean which is familiar to coffee professionals but you’ve probably never heard of, despite the fact that it could be lurking in the coffee you are drinking today. For some insider knowledge to impress your friends be sure to hit follow so that you don’t miss it when it drops. If you know someone who you think would also find this interesting please tell them about the show and rate and review this podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts to help other coffee curious people find the show too. Thanks to my executive producer Viel Richardson at Lusona Publishing and Media Limited. You can find him at lusonapub.co.uk. Until next time I’m Angela Holder thanks for taking your coffee break with me - the best way to tackle life is one coffee at a time and here’s to better coffee!
The Coffee Drinker’s Guide is a Blue Sky Coffee Project