Why buy coffee beans?

If you are wondering why you should buy coffee beans instead of ground coffee, here are some answers. Coffee beans, when purchased and stored in this form, retain all their taste and organoleptic characteristics.

As espresso or filter coffee lovers know, choosing coffee beans is the assurance of having a cup with deeper and finer aromas.

As you can see, grinding your beans just before preparation is the ultimate way to enjoy a coffee to the full. The downside is that you need a coffee machine with an integrated grinder or mill, or a coffee grinder on the side.

How to choose your coffee beans?

Coffee is apparently a simple product, but in reality it is complex. From its cultivation to its consumption, dozens of factors will mark its identity. Here are some elements that will help you select the coffee that suits you best.  

• Pure origin coffee: Unlike a blend, which is a mixture of coffees, pure origin coffee is not mixed and comes from a single geographical area. With its strong character, its particular aromas and its power, it is a coffee appreciated by initiates.
  
  Discover our selection of pure origin coffees.

• 100% Arabica coffee: Generally speaking, Arabica coffee has a more pronounced aroma, a rounder flavor and better acidity than Robusta. It is a variety used for milder coffees with less caffeine. Within this family, there are several varieties of Arabica such as Moka, Bourbon or Typica.

• 100% Robusta coffee: Strong, bitter and full-bodied, this coffee is perfect for those looking for an incredible energy boost, thanks to its high caffeine content. For a long time, Robusta coffee was considered to be cheap and not very popular, but it has become very popular especially in Southern Europe and Italy.

Coffee blends: also known as "Blends", these are mixtures of coffees from different regions and origins. This blend, made by the roaster, results in coffees with particular and singular aromas. They are often composed of a part of Arabica and another part of Robusta, which allows to create coffees with a more balanced aromatic palette, which will be more suitable for neophytes who wish to discover the specialty coffee.

Discover our selection of coffee blends.

• Organic coffee:

Long associated with Fair Trade coffee, organic coffee beans are now more than a sign of militant buying. With 2% of the global market and increasingly popular with consumers, it represents a new horizon, far from industrial coffees and their intensive and destructive culture.

To help you, don't hesitate to consult our article on how to choose your organic coffee. This will allow you to understand the specificities of each certification and of each growing method.

Discover our selection of organic coffees.

WHAT IS THE BEST coffee bean?

We are all different and we all have very particular tastes. Some like sour things while others prefer bitter things, some like fruity tastes and others like floral tastes... and so on!

So here are a few guidelines to help you make your choice:

• Coffee beans with little bitterness: 

The less caffeinated your variety is, the less bitter it will be. If you are looking for a coffee without too much bitterness, we invite you to discover the Bourbon Pointu de La Réunion (link) as well as the Gédéo, the Moka Bunna Bet and the Chakra Do Dago.

Another tip: avoid fast roasts and advanced roasts, called "Dark Roast" by the Anglo-Saxons or "A L'Italienne" by the French.

• Low acidity coffee beans: Beyond these organoleptic characteristics, the type of preparation of a coffee can also reinforce its acidity or bitterness.  

For example, espresso, by the pressure it exerts, tends to reinforce the perceived acidity of a coffee. A good roaster will therefore take this into account and roast his coffee in such a way as to reduce this perceived acidity. You should therefore avoid roasts that are too light, but also those dedicated to mild extractions.

• Low-roast coffee beans: coffee cooking can be similar to meat cooking. Thus, coffee can be raw, blue, rare, medium, overcooked or burned. At L'Arbre à Café, we prefer "mid-roast" cooking, which allows us to reveal the unique taste of each coffee.

• Coffee beans with little caffeine: What are the least caffeinated coffee varieties? These are most often 'Pure Origin' varieties like those we offer at L'Arbre à Café. They come from a unique terroir and are not mixed with others, or from crossbreeding or hybridization between arabica and robusta (more robust) as is often the case with commercial varieties.

You will also find here a selection of our best coffees.

How to store coffee beans?

Quality and conservation are the two most important criteria to fully appreciate a coffee.

Here are some tips to improve the conservation of your coffee beans:

• - Avoid light and humidity.
• - Avoid putting it in the refrigerator. Coffee is like a sponge, it absorbs the odors of other foods.
• - Place it in an airtight bag or box to specifically preserve the coffee.

Generally speaking, you can keep your coffee beans for 12 months after roasting and at L'Arbre à Café we advise you to consume them within 3 months at the most, 6 weeks for an optimal taste.

Learn more about coffee preservation.