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Coffee is a bit like wine: it takes its origin from a fruit, but also from the work of agricultural producers. Its bouquet will be impacted by several parameters, such as its geographical origins, the altitude at which the plot is cultivated, the weather it faces, the cultivars worked, the nature of the soil, its exposure to the sun or its access to water. The way the grain is dried and roasted will also be taken into account. All these elements specify the traceability of a coffee and will help to better choose organic espresso coffee.
To reduce the margin of error a little more, you should also consider the color of the roast and its freshness. Anyway, let's discover some tips to choose organic espresso coffee more easily.
What can be surprising about a coffee bean is that an amazing and mysterious transformation occurs when heat energy is applied to it: roasting. All the elements that make up this green bean undergo a transformation and degradation, which will create aroma, taste, texture and flavor molecules.
Roasting occurs in several stages, but if the degree of roasting is not pushed far enough, the organic espresso coffee can be too acidic. On the other hand, an espresso that is too roasted can be too bitter. The taste of the coffee can vary according to this parameter.
For this reason, there is a roast color indicator on coffee packages. This rating ranges from 0, for the lightest coffee (which remains roasted), to 100, with extremely roasted coffees. To have a well-balanced organic espresso coffee with little acidity and a minimum of fruit flavor, you can choose a coffee with a minimum indicator of 50.
It should be noted that for espresso, it is possible to go up to indicator 100. However, extracting coffees marked with an indicator 10 or 20 is not forbidden, especially to make an espresso. They will just be more acidic.
A medium to dark roast is best for a traditional manual coffee machine or espresso machine. Remember that if the roast is too light, the organic espresso may be acidic. For Italian-style espressos and Italian coffees, the darkest roasts are the best: there is nothing better to reveal the most gourmet flavors, with accents of cocoa or toast.
Coffee, as a rule, remains optimal for about a month depending on its roasting date (and if the bag remains properly closed). After that, the coffee will quickly lose all its aromatic potential. If the roasting date is several weeks or even months old, there is no risk to consume it, but it will still be highly oxidized and its aromas will have disappeared.
This is one of the reasons why it is always recommended to choose organic espresso coffee that specifies the roasting date.
Organic coffee remains a commodity that, even after roasting, is very fragile. Indeed, an organic coffee bean is subject to the phenomenon of oxidation, as it happens with bread, for example. When you buy bread and keep it whole, it normally lasts longer than when you start cutting it. In the latter case, it will tend to dry out. It's the same thing with coffee. If you save it as a bean, you can keep it for about 1 month after roasting, while keeping its full aromatic potential. Organic espresso coffee will start to degrade once this period has elapsed. But for ground coffee, it goes much faster.
It is easy to say that Arabica coffee beans have a delicate taste, with sweet nuances and a slight acidity. All this is a guarantee of quality for this type of coffee. Robusta, on the other hand, has a fuller taste and a peanutty aftertaste. It is especially cultivated in the Eastern Hemisphere, while Arabica comes from Africa and Latin America.
The latter is probably more precious and rarer, which is why its price remains higher. However, it is a robusta that should be chosen for organic espresso coffee. Indeed, this variety is distinguished by its strong bitterness. In a cup, it produces a full-bodied coffee. In Italy, it is a robusta that is served if you want a dark and full-bodied espresso.
It is also used to enhance the taste of certain blends, such as when mixed with Arabica, which has delicacy and finesse.
Again, the parallel is easy with a good wine. An organic coffee bean grown on a plot without character and without any care will not produce a good coffee in a cup.
This is why it is advisable to choose organic espresso coffee with a strong identity. Several pieces of information may appear on the package: the altitude of the plantation, the country of origin, the region or the treatment. All of these criteria can change the experience of the drink.
The terroir contains especially all the environmental conditions that can have an impact on the final taste.
For organic espresso coffee, this mainly includes:
As with wine, traceability gives the opportunity to know what you are drinking. However, the reasoning is different. When we talk about coffee, we can hear anything and everything. Thus, "coffee from Brazil" and/or "coffee from Ethiopia" do not provide relevant information. Why not? Because in these countries, there are several producing regions, each with their own specificities. You should therefore try to be more precise, for example by focusing on the Jimma region rather than on the whole of Ethiopia.
The indications that describe more precisely the terroir, the mouthfeel, the intensity and the taste notes are therefore very important.
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