June 2020

How elevation affects coffee?

June 18, 2020June 25, 2020
by What the Cup team

Have you noticed the elevation listed on your bag of beans? This may seem like extra information but the altitude at which the coffee grows has a direct impact on it’s size, shape and taste.

Beans that grow at higher elevation are more sought after as compared to the ones grown at lower elevation.

When the bean grows at a higher altitude it grows at a slower rate due to cooler temperature and less water retention. This gives it time to build a higher concentration of sugar. These beans are dense, hard and the flavor profile richer and aromatic.

Coffee grown above 1,200 masl (meters above sea level) will be considered high altitude and often has chocolate, vanilla, nutty and citrus notes.

While coffee grown above 1,500 masl is considered very high altitude. It will usually have fruit, spice and floral notes.

Some exceptions to this are Hawaiian Kona (250-750 masl) and some of the coffee grown in shaded areas.

Next time you buy coffee try the two grown at different elevations and see if you can figure out which one is HIGH 😉

Coffee

Single Origin vs Blends

June 10, 2020June 25, 2020
by What the Cup team

Specialty coffee is like wine, the more you understand it, the better it tastes
One very commonly talked about concept is the single origin vs blends. Let’s talk about single origin coffee and blends today.

Single-origin is the coffee produced by a single farm, mill or single group of farms from a small geographical area (co-ops).

Blend is simply mixing two or more types of coffee beans.
These could be from different countries like mixing Ethiopian and Colombian coffee or mixing different types of beans from the same region like blending north Colombian and south Colombian. Great blends can be deep and complex.

Single origins appear to be particularly popular because of their traceability but blends can also be equally traceable from cup to crop.

We’d love to hear which single origin or blend have you enjoyed recently? Let us know in the comments.

Coffee

Understanding Coffee Scores

June 10, 2020June 25, 2020
by What the Cup team

For a coffee bean to be classified as specialty coffee it has to score above 80 points on the SCA cupping score sheet. Think of it as one of those beauty pageants. Just replace the human beans (oops beings!) with these aromatic heavenly coffee beans.

These beans are now profiled and graded on fragrance/aroma, flavor, aftertaste, acidity, balance, body and overall.

Higher scores indicate better coffee from a cupping point of view.

We say it can be an indicator but NOT the verdict. Keep exploring the variety of beans and different brewing methods. Brew up!!

Coffee

Sustainable Coffee

June 10, 2020June 25, 2020
by What the Cup team

When we talk about specialty coffee the first thing that crosses our mind is sustainability and traceability. Today, let’s talk about sustainability in coffee parlance.

Here are 3 reasons why: People, Planet and Profit.

The farmers. The people who put in their sweat and blood to grow coffee. Wouldn’t you like them to get a fair share of what you pay for their coffee?

Sustainable farming practices are essential. Do you know that coffee plants are grown in tropics? That means unsustainable practices put our tropical forests in great danger.

Specialty Coffee is more expensive than regular coffee. If you peek under the hood and see how fair it is to the planet and the people producing it, it will be worth it

Coffee

What is Specialty Coffee

June 10, 2020June 25, 2020
by What the Cup team

Specialty Coffee isn’t everyone’s cup of coffee yet.

Great flavor, transparency from crop to cup, fair trade and sustainability make specialty coffee stand apart from regular coffee.

Take a pause to think of the quality of the beans and the efforts of the farmer behind your cuppa and you will say, yes please to Specialty Coffee!

Coffee

Coffee Roast types

June 10, 2020June 25, 2020
by What the Cup team

Light roasts

The less you roast coffee, the more you’ll be able to taste the true character of the bean’s origin. That’s why light roasts are known to bring out unique notes, such as citrus, floral, and earthy. Light roasts are sometimes unbalanced, meaning it doesn’t have equal parts body, acidity and fruitiness. This roast is perfect for those who love bold, unique flavors.

Medium roasts

Not sure where to start in your coffee journey? A medium roast is an excellent place to start. These roasts are often perfectly balanced, meaning it does have equal parts body, acidity, fruitiness. Medium roast beans are roasted enough to start the caramelization, without the burnt, chocolatey taste, while still revealing the origin flavors, such as citrus, berry, or fruit notes.

Dark roasts

Think of a dark roast to be the exact opposite of a light roast. By roasting the beans more, you lose the origin character, so don’t expect to be able to taste any citrus, berry, floral, or earthy notes. However, do expect dark, chocolatey richness! Just be on the lookout for too-burnt roasts, that is, unless that’s your preferred cup of joe.

Month: June 2020

How elevation affects coffee?

Single Origin vs Blends

Understanding Coffee Scores

Sustainable Coffee

What is Specialty Coffee

Coffee Roast types

Deals | Tips | New Roasters | New Tea