10 Best of … Coffees

I personally am always in search of references for the best of everything, that’s one of the reasons I refer to Nathaniel and Andrew Lande’s expertise, experience, and reviews. Below is a list of their selection for the best coffees,a review which was done in 2008. Coffee lovers will criticize, as this is a matter of taste, as the case is with all gourmet food and beverage items. Although the brands listed are  American brands, as we all know the bean origin varies from continent to another. Bring your cup and enjoy !

1- Peet’s Coffee

Each day they hand-roast 32 varieties of coffee in small batches then ship them within 24 hours to give the freshest, most deeply flavored cup of coffee possible.Peet’s sample each batch to make sure the roast tastes just right.  www.peets.com

2- Terroir

They specialize in medium roast styles that bring out the character of the green coffee. They sell only single origin coffees no blends. Terroir™ freezes its green coffee in nitrogen flushed containers. The reason behind this strategy is because they believe that one should not blend truly fine coffees, just like one does not blend fine wines, because they are already complete statements.

3- GreatCoffee.com

This is a mail order coffee company, owned and operated by Great coffees of America. Consumers like them because its a one-stop shopping outlet for fresh, top rated coffees from the finest roasters and farms in addition to their wealth of information regarding coffee types and origins.Owners of greatcoffee.com came up with the idea that great coffee should be easily accessible to everyone.The internet made this possible. They seek out rare and distinctive coffees from around the world, roasted by the best .

4- The Roasterie

The Roasterie has become one of the most renowned specialty coffee roasters in the U.S. The Café has been named the “Best Coffee Shop” in Kansas City by “KC Magazine”, two years running. Committed to finding the best coffees from around the world, The Roasterie buys its beans from small, specialty farmers for a fair price. Those beans are then roasted using a convection air-roasting method, instead of the more traditional drum-roasting method, to ensure superior consistency and a tastier, smoother cup of coffee.

5- Dean & Deluca

Joel Dean and Giorgio Deluca opened their flagship specialty food store in Soho, new York City in 1977. The store is known for everything gourmet, especially high quality coffees from around the world.  Dean & Deluca opened branches in the Middle East namely Dubai, UAE, and Kuwait. In Kuwait they are located in Avenues (Mall).  www.deandeluca.com

6- Starbucks Coffee

I know everyone reading this post is waiting for Starbucks to pop up, this is where marketing reveals its strengths. One of the most popular brands world wide with branches in most countries. This however has not changed or affected the quality of the coffee they serve. They offer a selection of the world’s best coffees. Their pride lies in locating and purchasing the best coffee from the Americas, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Each coffee is chosen for the qualities that distinguish its origin, thus offering customers defining regional coffees. Starbucks is definitely available in Kuwait, with branches popping all the time and everywhere.

7- Graffeo Coffee

Graffeo is one of North America’s oldest artisan coffee roasters and remains a family-run company passed on down through generations. They started by hand roasting their select blend providing aficionados and the first European-style cafes’ with rich, dark, fresh roasted coffee beans. Graffeo’s blend is prepared by using the finest, freshest Arabica beans imported from Colombia, Costa Rica and New Guinea.

8- Bucks County Coffee

Rodger Owen founded this company in 1982 in his garage, originally roasting only nuts. Since adding coffee to its roster in 1988, the company has grown into one of the leading specialty coffee micro-roasters in the United States. The coffees are known to be unique and flavorful. www.buckscountycoffee.com

9- Green Mountain Coffee Roasters

This specialty roaster offers a wide range variety of coffees and roast styles. Each bean has a distinct story.  www.gmcr.com

10- Paradise Roasters

Paradise Roasters are known for providing their customers with the highest quality coffee at reasonable prices. Their beans are from Central America, East America, Indonesia, and Hawaii. Food & Wine magazine listed them as one of the top ten boutique coffee roasters in the US.

Coffee flavors by origin:

According to the Expert Kenneth Davids of www.coffeereview.com, every fine coffee has particular characteristics that make it unique. The taste generalizations are for the three major coffee growing region.

Latin American coffees are known for their “clean mouth feel” and slightly sweet, lively acidity. African and Arabian coffees often have sweet flavors ranging from mellow to wine-like to zesty and citrusy. Coffees from the pacific region are generally rich and full bodied with nutty and earthy flavors.

What makes a good cup of coffee according to Starbucks:

Factors that determine a great cup of coffee are: proportions, grind, water, and freshness.

Proportion: use the right proportion of coffee to water. This is the most important step in making the coffee. Starbucks recommends 2 Tbs (10gr) of ground coffee for each 180 ml of water.

Grind: the shorter the brewing process the finer the grind must be. grind you coffee depending on the brewing method.the time the water and coffee spend together affects the flavor elements that end up in your cup and the design of your coffee maker dictates how long the coffee and water are in direct contact during the brewing process.

Water: use fresh cold water heated  to just below boiling. A cup of coffee is 98% water. Therefore the water you use for making coffee should have a pleasing taste: clean, fresh, and free of impurities.

Freshness: Use freshly ground coffee. Think of coffee as a fresh produce. to keep coffee fresh, store it in an opaque, airtight container at room temperature. For best results, coffee should be ground just before brewing and used or stored immediately.