Full advice book for coffee enthusiasts: Dark-roasted coffee is roasted until the sugars begin to caramelize and the oils begin to rise to the surface of the bean. Depending on the darkness of the roast, the bean may have a slight sheen or an oily appearance. The flavor of dark-roasted beans is strong, smoky, and sometimes spicy. The original flavor of the bean is overpowered by the roasted flavor and therefore lower quality beans are often used for darker roasts. Although these roasts have low acidity, they are often described as bitter. Roasts that fall within the dark category include French, Viennese, Italian, and Espresso.
Cortado – An espresso shot served with just a small splash of milk. It’s a Spanish drink also known as cafe manchado in some parts. Cortadito – Cafe Cubano added with warm milk in 1:1 ratio is Cortadito. This term is often confused with Cortado but they have a slight difference. Cafe Bombon – Espresso with sweet condensed milk is referred to as Cafe Bombon. For sweet tongue, this is a great drink to try. Cafe Con Leche – An espresso shot served with separate hot milk. Usually, hot milk is added in 1:1 ratio of espresso. Carajilo – Espresso served with alcohol and no milk is Carajilo. It’s a Spanish form of coffee popular over there, but now some other parts of the world too. Espresso Romano – An espresso with some twist of lemon is called Romano. A proper way to best taste this drink is – add some lemon juice at the bottom of your cup and rub the lemon around the rim. Then drop the espresso shot to taste the different side of coffee.
Let’s talk about espresso coffee makers. Another great De’Longhi machine is the Magnifica Super-Automatic Espresso and Coffee Machine. It is a combination product and works just like the Nespresso Pixie. However, you can use any coffee beans/grounds with this machine. You can also make both espressos and cappuccinos with it. The De’Longhi Magnifica Super-Automatic Espresso and Coffee Machine has its own built-in burr grinder where you can adjust the beans’ fineness to your preference. It is classified as a super-automatic machine, but it does not have electronic displays.
Arabica is the most common (and certainly most heavily marketed) type of coffee in North America. That’s because it actually has a sweeter, more delicate flavor and the coffee itself tends to be less acidic. Arabica beans are farmed in areas with high elevations above sea level, particularly those where rain is plentiful. In fact, Brazil, known for its lush rainforest, is the world’s foremost exporter of Arabica beans. The plants themselves are fairly delicate, requiring a fair amount of pruning and constant attention to environmental factors. The Coffee arabica species is particularly prone to disease so farming in great quantities is a challenge. This drives up the cost of the bean considerably in the global market, but many coffee drinkers around the world are happy to pay the difference because of the softer, sweeter taste. Discover even more information on this blog.
Gesha/Geisha: This is an original variety of Arabica. It is named for the Ethiopian village that it originated from and wasn’t actually planted/harvested commercialy until the 1950s. It is resistant to coffee rust and is now primarily grown in Panama.The trees are rather tall with notably long leaves that mimic the shape of the beans. Obviously, these aren’t nearly all of the coffee varieties that are out there, but we figured it might help to get an idea of how they are all interconnected. For further reading, Medium has a helpful “periodic table” to help demonstrate the connections. And the World Coffee Research catalog is a great research if you want to more specifically explore individual Arabica varieties. Now let’s more on to the simultaneously less and more complex world of coffee drinks, shall we? Cold Brew Coffee – A method of brewing that doesn’t use hot water. Instead, cold water and a longer period of time is used to create the finished cold coffee beverage. Filtered or Drip Coffee – A method of brewing where coffee is placed into a paper filter and hot water is poured onto it allowing it to drip into the carafe below.