Published by Jennifer

Most people don’t realize that the very basis for that most excellent cup of coffee at Starbucks is the gourmet coffee beans that are ground to make it. Gourmet coffee drinkers know that the bean is the most important part of the coffee experience. No amount of roasting or flavoring is going to improve a coffee that started its life as an inferior coffee bean.

So what exactly makes a gourmet coffee bean gourmet? The area that it is grown in and the conditions it is grown under. A perfect example would be the Kona coffee bean grown in Hawaii. Kona beans are considered one of the top gourmet coffee beans available. They are grown under the ideal situations that make it the best of the best among discerning taste buds.

Ideal Conditions

To be considered gourmet, a coffee bean must be born under ‘gourmet’ conditions. The soil should be light and fertile, preferably volcanic soil. There should be an abundance of rainfall with some shading and warm temperatures. Wind should be minimal with sunny morning and rainy afternoons and clean pure air is a must. Kona Hawaii is precisely that place, which is why it is one of the top, if not the top, gourmet coffee in the world.

Sun Drying

Another factor that greatly influences whether or not a coffee is gourmet is the drying process. Kona coffees are soaked in fresh pour rainwater and allowed to ferment overnight. This is called the “wet method” and is the preferred method for processing Arabica coffees that are grown in high regions.

Unlike commercial grade coffees that are dried using mechanical methods, Kona coffee and other high grade gourmet coffees are allowed to dry in the warm sun. They are raked carefully throughout the drying process for uniform drying. This sun drying process creates a more delicate, mellow flavor in the bean.

Other Gourmet Coffee Countries

While there is no disputing the gourmet greatness of the Kona bean, there are other great gourmet coffees from around the globe. Taste buds are the true judge of any coffee and not everyone is going to have the same reaction to the same coffee. Some other gourmet coffee beans and their homes are:

Colombia: Colombia offers some of the most known coffees and is also the only country to offer washed Arabica beans, simply put, they wash their beans to release impurities. Colombian gourmet coffees tend to be slightly nutty or chocolate hint and a tinge of bitterness.

Brazil offers gourmet coffees and cheap coffees. The most sought after Brazilian coffees are the Santos 2 beans. These gourmet coffee beans are dry processed. This means that the coffee bean was dried inside the fruit before being hulled. These beans most often come from a variety Arabic bean called the Bourbon, leading to the gourmet coffee bean being called the Bourbon Santos. If you are getting a gourmet coffee bean from Brazil, make sure it is of this variety as Brazil also produces some of the cheapest coffees in the world.

Guatemalan coffees are known to be some of the finest coffees in the world. Guatemala gourmet coffee beans are generally grown in two specific regions of the country. Guatemala Antigua beans are grown in the mountain basin of Antigua and are typically characterized by a smoky, spicy, floral taste with a hint of chocolate.

Guatemalan coffees grown outside the mountain basin of Antigua tend to be softer bodied but still with the unique flavors of the Antiguan coffees. The highest grade of Guatemalan coffee is grown under strict government supervision and is called the Strictly Hard Bean.

From Hawaii to Guatemala and countries all around the world, gourmet coffee beans all share a common trait. They are grown under near ideal conditions and handled with the utmost care from the tree to your kitchen. Gourmet coffee is as distinguishable to the palette as a fine wine. Though they cost more, gourmet coffee beans are worth the expense.

-Sharon V. Chapman

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