Buying Coffee for Beginners #1

Okay, you’re faced with the important choice of buying new coffee (beans). Do you actually know what to look out for? It’s quite difficult to determine exactly what a pack of coffee beans from the supermarket or coffee shop will taste like.

Coffee expert and Dutch Aeropress champion Edward from Trakteren Koffie in Amsterdam will help you develop your palate and translate it into a purchase.

#1 Arabica or Robusta

There are several types of coffee beans, but they all come from either an Arabica or a Robusta plant. As the name suggests, Robusta is a robust plant with strong roots and large leaves. In terms of taste, the bean can be described as an elephant in a china shop: not refined, strong, harsh, with lots of crema (the layer that sits on top of your coffee). If you really want to stay awake, choose Robusta, because these beans contain twice as much caffeine as Arabica.

Refined taste

Arabica beans only grow above 1,500 metres and have a complex flavour. Soft, sweet and fruity are the perfect descriptions. Within Arabica, there are also many different plants that can be divided into varieties including Bourbon, Geisha (very exclusive) and Jamaica Blue Mountain. Coffee lover with a refined palate? Then always go for Arabica.

Read the coffee-buying guide here: #2, here #3, here #4, here #5, and #6 to become a coffee expert.

Thanks to Edward Beumer from Trakteren Koffie.