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Best Gourmet Coffee
A look at gourmet coffees from around the world for the true coffee afficionado.
Published March 18, 2022
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Daniel Hedlund
Coffee experts@The Coffee Lab
While there are people who only want, or need, that first morning cup of coffee, there are equally as many, if not more, who enjoy coffee at any hour of the day. These are likely to be coffee lovers who are always in the market for the best gourmet coffee - ground or whole bean. If you are looking for the very best gourmet coffee brands, you’ve come to the right place. In fact, let’s get some information on a few of the brands you might want to consider along with information about the gourmet coffee beans themselves.
Flavor Profile
One thing you should know right off the bat is that even the best high end coffee beans can vary based on the region in which they are grown. Therefore, you can get arabica gourmet coffee grown in Hawaii that differs significantly from that which is produced in Ethiopia, for example. It’s all in the flavor profile which depends largely on the region in which those beans are grown. In addition, the roast can alter the flavor profile, but we’ll get to that in just a minute.
For the time being, let’s look at the basics of flavor profiles from various regions. Consider the following:
- East Africa – fruity and sharp
- South America (i.e., Columbia) – sweet and smooth
- Central America – a complex full-bodied blend of spicy and fruity
- Asia – rich, smoky, mildly acidic
- Hawaii – rich, full-bodied
To top that off, even different geographical sub-regions can cause a distinct variation in flavor within luxury coffee brands. Let’s make the reasons short and sweet. Mostly the regional variations of flavors within the exact same kind of premium coffee beans are the result of weather and soil. For example, the moist, tropical regions of South America greatly affect the flavor profile, so that is something to keep in mind. Flavor profiles vary from region to region.
The Roast
This is something many casual coffee drinkers don’t quite understand. The way high end coffee beans are roasted has a huge impact on flavor. Much of the flavor in coffee is due to the color of the roast and the caffeine content is altered by the length of time coffee is roasted as well. With that said, some coffees are naturally higher in caffeine but when roasted for longer periods as in French roasted beans, much of that caffeine is lost to extended periods of heat.
Therefore, you can use literally any kind of premium coffee brands if you know what you are looking for in taste and caffeine. As a general rule of thumb, the darker the roast, the lesser the caffeine. Conversely, the lighter the roast, the higher the caffeine. With that in mind, along with the type of coffee bean and the region in which it is grown, you can start your search for exclusive coffee brands. But wait just a moment, there is one more thing you’ll need to consider before shopping for those fancy coffee beans!
The Brew
So, you have done the research and have a flavor profile in mind. You know which region of the world you want the beans of gourmet coffee brands to have been grown in and you know what roast would best suit you on two levels. You want a certain amount of caffeine, and you want a flavor that is milder or stronger depending on the roast. Isn’t that everything you need to know before choosing between the top specialty coffee brands?
That’s not quite everything! You will also need to know how you intend to brew your perfect cup of gourmet java! Are you using a French press? Will you be percolating your coffee? Is it a pour over coffee pot? Are you using an espresso machine? The list goes on. There are many ways to actually brew the perfect cup of coffee to your taste, so how you brew your coffee matters.
Generally speaking, percolated coffee can be stronger because the water is pulled up and poured over the coffee throughout the entire percolating process. Cold brewed coffee can be weaker while drip coffee makers can be set to bold, medium, or light. If you are buying a new coffee maker to begin brewing the perfect gourmet coffee blends, find a machine that will yield the strength, flavor, and size pot you want to brew.
Popular Gourmet Coffee Brands
Finally, we can start talking about those specialty coffee brands you might want to put on your wish list! Many can be found on Amazon and if you are a Prime subscriber, you can often find FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon) storefronts to order from. Another caveat to FBA ordering is that you can also subscribe to regular deliveries once you have found the perfect brand. Without further ado, here they are!
Gavina Gourmet Coffee
While you may be searching for Gavina Gourmet Coffee because you’ve asked what you are drinking at your favorite coffee shop, you might be interested to know that all Gavina coffees are not the same! Actually, Gavina is an importer and roaster of coffees from around the world and the most popular gourmet brands they produce are Don Francisco's Coffee, La Llave and, naturally, the Gaviña brand label gourmet coffee blends. They also blend and roast a number of private label blends.
Russell’s Gourmet Coffee
Russell’s Gourmet Coffee is a specialty online coffee shop that imports, roasts, and blends various beans to provide unique flavors which may not be found elsewhere. They sell exclusively online and although they may have a storefront in popular marketplaces like Amazon, their coffees are hand chosen for the quality and flavor of each and every imported bean.
San Francisco Bay Gourmet Coffee Blend
As a brand that dates back to 1979, can you guess where this gourmet coffee company is located? One thing that is popular among coffee lovers is how San Francisco Bay Gourmet Coffee chooses their beans. According to the company website, each and every bean is carefully selected and analyzed before leaving the country of origin. Therefore, the coffee beans from Ethiopia will have a specific profile that is found to be acceptable to the importer. If you are looking for the best gourmet ground coffee, you might want to try a San Francisco Bay gourmet coffee blend.
Jose’s Gourmet Coffee
As one final coffee you might want to try, why not check out a few reviews? For example, Jose’s Organic French Roast Coffee review will give you an idea of what professional reviewers are saying along with customer comments and opinions. You can also find Jose’s decaffeinated coffee if you want to limit your caffeine intake. Jose’s Gourmet Coffee blends and roasts can also be found on Amazon.
Our Own Review
Whether you are headed out to a highly popular coffee shop in Birmingham, Alabama like the renowned Caveat Coffee shop, or looking to buy the above-mentioned gourmet coffee brands mentioned above, it pays to have a full appreciation of all the love and care that goes into specialty brands and blends.
There is nothing quite like knowing the difference between Kona coffee Amazon carries and Kopi Luwak coffee Amazon lists for the discerning coffee afficionado. You may be looking for the ultimate super premium coffee brands but if you want a real lesson in coffees from around the world, do a bit of research on exactly what Kopi Luwak coffee beans are. You are in for a real treat!
Well, maybe not so much but even though you see how these beans are grown and harvested, it might be a bit much for the sensitive stomach. With that said, a good look at Kopi Luwak beans will help to explain why this is one of the more expensive beans on the market. Are you ready to increase your knowledge? Hold onto your seat. Here is everything you want to know about these interesting ethically sourced coffee beans from Indonesia. And, yes, you can get Luwak coffee Amazon storefronts list!
To sum it all up, our own slant on gourmet coffee is that no matter how many reviews you read or how many coffee shops you visit, you won’t have a full understanding of just why one cup of coffee tastes so much better than another, even though it is the same blend of beans. You’ll need to know about how that coffee was roasted, where it was grown and also how it is brewed.
All these factors go into the best gourmet coffee and as one final note, the age of those beans matters as well. That is one of the reasons why coffee lovers shop FBA gourmet coffees! Amazon has such a huge reach and the biggest market in the world, so beans can rarely go stale. If you are looking to try one or more gourmet coffee blends, know what you are buying before making the plunge. This will ensure that almighty marketing catch phrase, “Your satisfaction guaranteed.”
About the author
Daniel Hedlund
Working with the Era of We initiative and loves knowledge sharing and a really good cup of coffee.
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