Enjoy Coffee as it is unique experience
Arron Gwinnett
Results-Oriented General Manager | Expertise in Team Leadership & Revenue Management | Hospitality Innovator
Within coffee you have 4 types of coffee bean. Arabica, Robusta, Excelsa and Liberica. All four have radically different taste profile, but there are over 100 species. Much Like Wines the six historical Noble Grapes include Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling, now you have over 10,000 varieties.
Over time just like your family tree evolution expands into many extensions, creating new lines of grapes/beans from many countries all who have different soils, eco systems which gives variety. People forget how much the Terroir has an impact on Beans as it does to grapes. The levels of Roasting can also affect the Beans.
The problem with coffee and unlike with wine is that we do not have the access to varieties that coffee has and coffee diversity is hard to find
A fact, about 70% of the world’s coffee comes from the same 5 countries. Bearing in mind over 50 countries produce coffee! So why is coffee from most of these countries so hard to find?
Coffee from the big 4-5 coffee countries is cheaper, because its mass produced and grown at lower altitudes, as well as the big chains, Starbucks, Costa, Nescafe, Gloria Jean, McCafé & Dunkin buying in large volume.
Much of the coffee industry’s diversity comes from coffee grown on small farms high in the world’s mountain ranges, but these coffees are more expensive and require more effort to grow, harvest, find, and buy.
Fresh from the farm is always the best experience, you get to live the story of the bean, and by living the story you become more knowledgable about the process! The producer will also recommend the best way to prepare the coffee!
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That makes coffee from countries like Malawi, Papua New Guinea, Burundi, Ecuador, and Myanmar nearly impossible to find on the shelves of your stores or coffee shop, because most coffee companies don’t want to pay the premiums required to support high quality coffee production in far-flung, underdeveloped regions.
When I see comments in social media, travel pages, review sites which comment on “coffee is poor” & “coffee was awful” I laugh because for you it may be as you say but “what do you normally drink” for coffee? I can guarantee that these people have really not tried the vast array of what coffee has to offer.
If you don’t like the coffee then don’t knock the venue supplying the coffee, everyone’s favourite will not be the same, there are many reasons for this! Unlike wine which is premade for you, with Coffee you have to do it yourself – Get the right water, right boiling temperature, right grind, right volume etc.
Not all coffee is brewed in the same way. Different brewing styles can cause changes in the flavour and strength of the drink.
Picking your coffee is therefore not as simple as it seems and there is a lot to take into consideration. So, when you go to a coffee shop and you are offered an array of choices then take that chance and try it, remember you are not getting intoxicated it is perfectly legal to have more than one.
We really have only really discovered a tiny level of drinking and experiencing coffee because it is such a unique product and because we have been bombarded with these companies that have monopolised the market which restricts the ability to try something new and unique!
The more we have access to options and the ability to be able to discover new products the more we can grow in life. The circle of life is forever expanding and will keep on developing new opportunities.
Finally, if you pick a place to travel too based on comments people make on the quality of the coffee then you should just stay at home!