Regards
Khalil Mardini

Really liked the coffee tasting course it teached you a lot for people like me who likes coffee a lot i am basically from India have tasted starbucks in Dubai was nice but didnt find yet reached uptp the mark where the coffee tastes excellent i have liked filter coffee from south India even Sumatra and Jave beans are very good i am interested in learning more about different types of coffee and what types of machines are good in making excellent i sometimes prefer extra strong and extra sweet coffee.

Gayatri

i think this course is a fantastic idea! I’ve been passionate about coffee since I was a teenager. I’ve just recently discovered the art of bean roasting…and I am so keen to learn more about it.

Thank you.

Glad you’re finding the coffee tasting course information helpful. Good for you, nothing beats just tasting the coffee and getting familiar.

Do you have any specialty coffee houses in your area where you might be able to find like-minded folks interested in talking about coffee? Not so much the franchise operation where the owner is absent and just hires college kids to crank out lattes. Not to malign the hired help at some of these coffee houses. Of course there are plenty of truly passionate young baristas out there who know their stuff, you just have to find the right place. If you have a coffee house in your area where they have passion for specialty coffee, hang out. I’ve found people in the right coffee establishment want to talk about coffee as much as you do.

Another idea to track down fellow specialty coffee enthusiasts is a barista competition. If you’ve never attended a barista competition, you’re in for eye-opening experience. Start here (US Barista Championship – click on your region on the US map at the top) and see if you can find something close by. You might have to travel a bit of distance to get to a regional competition, but if you poke around a little (just search online), you might even find something more local in your area.

I post videos from the WBC – World Barista Championships on this blog, have a look at World Barista Championship – Have You Seen These Baristas.

So, of the coffees you’ve been tasting, do you have any particular favorites or leanings?

Mark

Great question. There are a lot of opinions out there whether or not it’s a good idea to keep coffee beans in the freezer. In my experience, it’s definitely not a good idea. Without getting into the tedious physical details, the best method is to store coffee beans in an airtight container. But not in the freezer or refrigerator.

Store your beans in an airtight container and keep in a cool dry place. The kitchen counter is fine as long as you keep away from any direct light (and definitely stay away from direct sunlight). Or better yet, keep in the cupboard.

Immediately after roasting, beans will continue to throw off higher volumes of carbon dioxide (hence the one-way release valve in a good coffee bean bag). Freshly roasted beans are best consumed about 2 to 3 days after roasting, and will stay at an optimum freshness for another week or so (OK, 10 days at the most). So if you can, it’s better to buy your fresh roasted beans as you go. Try not to stock up on big batches that you can’t comfortably consume in a reasonable amount of time. Of course, if you’re a coffee fanatic like we are, it doesn’t take much time to go through a pound of beans.

If you like to keep a few different coffees on hand (after all, variety is the spice of life), try buying smaller quantities of fresh roasted beans. 1/2 pound bags, or even 1/4 pound instead of the full pound. Your favorite specialty coffee store should accommodate as well as some of the online stores.

And just be sure to use the beans in a reasonable amount of time (or try inviting more coffee drinkers over for your great coffee).

Here’s a link to a few coffee storage solutions we recommend.

BTW, if you do insist on freezing your coffee beans (ouch), you will want to bring the beans up to room temperature before you put through the burr grinder. It’s just not a good deal to put the coffee beans through this stressful process.

Hope that helps. And thanks for your great comments.

Mark

I was reading on your site about the importance of freshly roasted coffee beans to achieve a great cup of coffee. I’m curious to know whether you can take a freshly roasted coffee bean purchase and prolong the “shelflife” by keeping it in the freezer. Is it better to keep the beans in the refrigerator rather than freezing? Do you have to bring the beans to room temperature before grinding? Or can you grind the beans straight from the refrigerator or freezer? How does the temperature of the beans affect the burr grinding and ultimate brewed coffee flavor? Thanks for your input.

So glad you’re enjoying the coffee tasting course and finding the information useful.

Sounds like you’re right on track. Just keep exploring the different coffees.

You hit on a particular favorite of mine. I’m big on the Central American origins and Costa Rica in particular. The volcanic soil, climate, and coffee producing excellence in this region really stands out.

Costa Rican Terrazu should be on everyone’s list to try. And Hacienda La Minita is one of the finest coffee farms in Cost Rica, a pioneer of “single-estate” coffees.

The 2008 La Minita crop was one of the best. New 2009 crop should be coming in about now, late March, early April. Definitely on my list to check out.

Coffee from Sumatra is another must and at the top of my favorites. The classic Indonesian coffees including Sumatra, Sulawesi, Java, and Papua New Guinea should be on everyone’s list to explore.

Always an interesting experience to try Java and Yemen Mocha separately, and see how the different characteristics of these coffees taste. Then you gain a better appreciation of how the classic “Mocha Java” blend works.

Keep trying those coffees, and let us know what you find.

Mark