I used to think that I loved coffee. I used to think that coffee was this magical elixir that gave me the power to stay awake longer and helped me to get through long nights at work or perk me up first thing in the morning. I believed that more bitterness must have meant more caffeine, and the harder it was to drink was somehow more beneficial to me. Boy was I completely wrong about all of it.
Coffee doesn't have "a taste". When I hear somebody say that they don't like the taste of coffee, my ears perk up, my heartrate increases, my eyebrows raise and I cant help but ask a bunch of questions. I love talking about coffee. Where do you drink coffee? Where do you buy coffee? How do you brew it? What ratios of coffee to water do you use? Do you buy whole bean or already ground coffee? Have you ever tried single origin coffees? Do you ever buy from local roasters for fresh coffee? Coffee is so complex in its flavors that all of these questions can play a huge part in the overall enjoyment of a simple cup of coffee. Unfortunately, the answers are usually very similar. Their coffee experience is limited to brand named coffees like Folgers and Maxwell House or gas station and restaurant coffee. I'm sorry, but this is not how you should be forming your opinion of coffee. That would be like going your whole life eating one kind sandwich (like a bologna sandwich) and basing your opinion of all sandwiches on the taste of bologna sandwiches.
There are as many "flavors" of coffee as there are farms that grow coffee. Coffee from different regions of the world have very distinct flavor profiles. Coffees from a place like Ethiopia have more of a lighter floral and citrus fruit note compared to a Brazilian coffee with nutty bittersweet chocolate characteristics. The way the coffee is processed and brewed also makes a difference in the overall taste of the coffee in the cup. That will all be explained in further detail in future posts.
I've really learned a lot about coffee from farm to cup over the past few years. There are so many processes that have gone into a simple cup of coffee before it gets to you from farming practices, harvesting, sorting, fermenting, drying, bagging, shipping, exporting, roasting, grinding, brewing and serving. You are the last step in a long chain of people who have worked hard to make sure every drop of coffee is as amazing as possible. Enjoy it!
So I used to think I loved coffee, but now I know that I love coffee. I'm excited. I'm passionate about it. I can't learn enough fast enough. I'm all in!!