Thursday, September 28, 2006

Whole Bean Coffee

If I got your attention then you are probably a coffee drinker. I consider myself to be a heavy coffee drinker. Well I should say I was a heavy coffee drinker, because now I am drinking only a cup or two per week. I try to drink more green tea now. But if you love coffee, you don't have to be a specialist or heavy coffee drinker to know that whole bean coffee is the way to go. Whole bean coffee stays fresh a lot longer, and if you brew it immediately after grinding it you get a flavor you just can’t get from pre-grounded coffee that’s been sitting around for some time. Even only mediocre whole bean coffee brands taste pretty good if brewed right after grinding. Just imagine how the real stuff tastes...

Some of the best whole bean coffee I’ve ever tasted was coffee from South America. As an area famous for its coffee, I was eager to try some genuine South American brews. My friend was on vacation last year and I asked him to bring me some genuine coffee if possible. He was kind enough and he brought me different coffees from different countries. I was totally blown away when I tasted it. Knowing that the freshness is much better preserved when the beans haven’t been grounded. I ordered him to bring back only whole bean coffee.

When he arrived back home, I immediately put as many bags of coffee in the freezer, and left the other out for use. Every time I opened that whole bean coffee I thought I was in heaven. Well if I exaggerate a little bit then I can say that I was in a coffee drinkers heaven for the next few months. If I would got already grounded coffee, it would have lost a lot of its unique flavor. You have to believe me when I say that it doesn't feel the same if the coffee is pre-grounded. To know the huge difference you just have to try both coffees and you will know I am right. So now every once in a while I order a whole bean coffee mix for myself. This mix is one of my favourites and it's called Lacas Coffee World Traveler Sampler (whole bean) In this special mix you will find 1 lb Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, 1 lb Colombian Supremo, 1 lb Sumatra Mandheling, 1 lb Kenya AA Estate, and 1 lb Guatemalan Antigua whole bean coffee. That is 5 lbs of whole bean coffee mix worth 45.95$. Of course the problem with whole bean coffee is that you have to grind it. That means you have to purchase a coffee grinder. O own a Gaggia MM Grinder Black that I bought at The Gourmet Kitchen. Now you can get it with 50$ discount! And my friend that brought me my whole bean coffee from South America now owns Saeco MC2002 Grinder. This beauty costs a little bit more but is worth it. This grinder is one of the most versatile and powerful grinders you can buy for under $200.00 yet it shares the same grinding wheels used in many semi-professional grinders.

Coffee grinders can be a pain in the ass when you have to clean them. Another agonizing step you have to take before enjoying your cup of coffee. If the flavor isn’t really that important to you as it is to me, and/or you are lacking in time or patience, whole bean coffee probably won’t appeal to you that much. Most coffee drinkers I know don’t even own a coffee grinder. Putting a coffee powder into a machine and pushing a button is all there is to them. I don't even call that a coffee. It tastes like black water with some taste of coffee. That kind of coffee disgusts me now when I had the opportunity and pleasure to taste true whole bean coffee.

Having said that, there is something nice about just being able to dump some already grounded coffee in a machine and having a pot brewed in just a few minutes with very little effort. For this reason, I usually have both whole bean coffee and already grounded coffee standing by. If I’m in a hurry, I use the grounded coffee, and if I’ve got some time to relax I’ll grind up some fresh whole bean coffee to savor. But it does not tastes the same. I try to drink whole bean coffee every time if possible. I even wake up five minutes earlier before I go to work and make me a nice fresh cup of whole been coffee. It makes my day. Now i don't even drink grounded coffee anymore. I drink only whole bean coffee or green tea if possible. Grounded coffee is no longer an option for me. But whole bean coffee is another story...

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