The Great Bean Mystery - Find the World?s Best Coffee

Who doesn't love solving a good mystery? Is the Loch Ness monster real? Who built Stonehenge? Does Big Foot really exist? What is the world's best coffee? While you may need to be an expert to solve the first three, no advanced degree or special knowledge is required to unravel one of the greatest mysteries of the 21st century: What is the world's best coffee?

All you need to solve this caffeinated mystery is equip yourself with the right information. And, thanks to the Internet, finding the information for your coffee trekking adventure is as easy as the click of a button. If you're ready, grab your favorite coffee mug and join me as we head out to discover how you can find the world's best coffee.

Learn How To Speak The Language

Before you embark on your journey to find the world's best coffee, you'll want to brush up on your coffee lingo. If you head out into the great unknown of Coffeeland and don't have a good grasp on the language, all of your searching will be for nothing. Learn the language and you'll understand what to look for in your coffee. A few important terms include:

• Acidity

  The acidity of a coffee determines how "sharp" it'll taste. More acidity tends toward a bold coffee. Less acidity tends toward a milder cup.

• Body

  Like a wine, when talking about a coffee's body, you'll be referring to its "texture." You're likely to find terms such as heavy, light, and syrupy to describe a coffee's body.

• Flavor

  Much like a wine's bouquet, flavor refers to your overall sensory experience of the coffee. Terms you might hear a coffee connoisseur use include floral, nutty, smoky, spicy, and winy.

X Marks The Spot

Whether you're finding buried treasure or the location of the world's greatest coffees, you'll need to discover where the x marks the spot. Coffee is grown in various regions around the world, including such differing locales as South America, Africa, and Indonesia.

To unravel the mystery of the world's greatest coffee, you'll need to learn the about the distinctive characteristics based on where and how it is grown. For example, coffee from Colombia is typically rich while coffees from Kenya often have a mildly sweet-tart flavor and coffees from Sumatra coffee are full-bodied and contain low acidity. Learning which regions produce the best coffees suited to your tastes is an important first step on solving the mystery. How do you learn which regions produce the best coffees for you? It's really quite simple: start sampling coffees!

Follow Your Nose

If you truly want to find the best coffee, simply follow your nose. Good coffees and beans not only look good, but they smell wonderful, too. Fresh beans that have been well-roasted will fill your senses with an unmatchable aroma. Starting with premium beans such as Arabica, you'll want to smell for the type of roast that fills your fancy. Popular roasts such as French, Italian, or American will give you a variety of coffees from mellow to bold. When you've sampled coffees that use premium beans and a variety of roasting techniques, you'll begin to start zeroing in on the world's best coffee and discovering what type of roast is your personal favorite, too.

What To Look For

As with any great mystery, it's important to know what you're looking for. If you were tracking Big Foot, you'd look for footprints. But, what do you look for when you're trying to find the world's greatest coffee? That's a great question. Here are some key things to look for when choosing the ultimate cup.

• Ask experts

  Find a gourmet coffee shop where the baristas really know their coffee. Ask about roasting styles, types of beans, flavors of coffee. Be sure to taste test any coffees before buying!

• Go fresh

  The quality of coffee deteriorates rapidly after being roasted. In addition, the flavor weakens considerably as time passes after grinding. Look for freshly roasted coffee. Don't be afraid to ask your coffee shop experts when, how, and where the beans have been roasted. If they don't know, it's not a good sign that the beans are fresh-so shop elsewhere. If you're shopping in your market, check to see if the coffee has a "roasted on" date printed on the bag. Whatever you do, you're always looking for the freshest you can find. Fresh is best!

• Make It Au Natural

  Look for all-natural ingredients in your coffees. Finding organically-grown, sustainable coffee crops are a great place to start. In addition, when choosing flavored coffees, be sure the flavoring is natural and not a chemical. Not only do the natural flavors taste better (like nuts, cinnamon, and chocolate), they're sure to make you feel better about your choice, too.

Know Thyself

The most important thing to know when searching for the world's greatest coffee is yourself. That's right; the answer to the mystery of the world's greatest coffee doesn't come from some connoisseur or from some ancient book of coffee lore. No, the solution to the timeless mystery of great coffee comes simply down to what you prefer. If you arm yourself and your taste buds with the right information and know the correct questions to ask, and sample, sample, sample, you'll soon find your favorite cup of coffee.

Your choice might not be your neighbor's favorite, but who cares? You're the one doing the drinking, so knowing yourself is the only thing that matters!

Jon Butt is the publisher of The Coffee Guide, an innovative website dedicated to all things coffee. From beans to gourmet, espresso machines to coffee makers , espresso cups to just great tasting coffee, The Coffee Guide advises you on the best coffee products and top-rated suppliers

---

Does Coffee Make You Fat or Help with Diabetes?

Who the heck knows?According to two studies published in the... Read More

Russian Tea drinking - The beginning

It is believed history of Russian tea drinking tradition have... Read More

Tea at Sea

Marylyn Monroe famed amongst other things for her love of... Read More

Factors to Consider When Choosing an Espresso Machine

Buying an espresso machine is an important decision ? choose... Read More

More Tips on Getting the Best Coffee Maker

It's unbelievable, but when you start your search for a... Read More

Caffeine & Low Birth Weight Babies

These studies begin to point the way to the more... Read More

Coffee Bean Roaster

The coffee bean roaster is fast becoming a "must have"... Read More

The Best Cup of Drip Coffee Possible

With a "good" cup of coffee costing almost as much... Read More

Coffee in America

American coffee? Technically there is no such thing, at least... Read More

3 Simple Tips For Making Perfect Coffee

Want to brew the perfect cup of coffee?Here are 3... Read More

Starbucks Coffee History

To summarize something as phenomenonally successful as Starbucks coffee history... Read More

Choosing A Coffee Maker - Tips On Finding The Right Features

Choosing a good coffee maker is not a decision to... Read More

Starbucks Product Review

Have you had the pleasure of tasting Starbucks new less... Read More

Mocha Coffee: Learn About the Source and Try Our Recipes for Making Great Mochas

Depending on how we look at it, mocha coffee may... Read More

Coffee, A Brief Overview

The coffee plant has two main species. There is the... Read More

Coffee Makers

If you are a gourmet coffee drinker, you may want... Read More

The History Of Coffee

Coffee - THE Drink of ChoiceDid you know coffee is... Read More

Gourmet Coffee Beans

You can be a coffee lover without knowing much about... Read More

Make Money In Your Own Coffee Business

A 2001 survey by the National Coffee Association indicated that... Read More

Gourmet Flavored Coffee

Coffee tastes great by itself, but for an extra special... Read More

Woman Dies from Caffeine Overdose and Expert Calls for Action in New Book and FDA Petition

An autopsy released this week has found caffeine to be... Read More

Coffee - Is It The Most Popular Beverage Of All Time?

Around 850 A.D it is thought that a lone shepherd... Read More

Buy Only Fresh Gourmet Coffee Beans if You are Looking to Brew Flavorful Gourmet Coffee

Most coffee beans are grown in sub-tropical climates all over... Read More

Gourmet Coffee Habit Costing Consumers as Much as $1,500 Yearly

Gourmet coffee consumers rarely consider the cost of their daily... Read More

Gano Coffee - Can Coffee Be Good For You?

Coffee, in all sorts, could be a "pick me up... Read More

Are Coffee Enemas The Real Thing?

Coffee enemas detoxify the liver, as well as cleans the... Read More

Coffee is a commodity

At Starbucks they obviously need coffee. To insure that they... Read More

How to Make a Great Tasting Cup of Coffee - Its Not Rocket Science

There is good coffee and absolutely abysmal coffee. Both may... Read More

Does Your Morning Coffee Cause You Pain or Discomfort?

Does your morning coffee cause you pain? Are you frustrated... Read More

History of Arabian Coffee

Arabian coffee is the quintessential coffee of the world. Arabia... Read More

Coffee Storage Myths; Freeze Your Fresh Roasted Coffee & Other Popular Misconceptions

So you are finally fed up with that bland black... Read More

Portrait of a Barista

The barista is the Italian word for the skilled person... Read More

Coffee For Your Health

Many of us rely on coffee to get us going... Read More