"A common and major error made by American coffee roasters is their silly preference for pure Arabica coffee beans."
Ok, I promise I'm not here to pick a fight, but this statement is purely subjective, and stating as fact that American roasters have made an "error" and have a "silly preference" is just inherently misleading. It severely discredits the artistry and craft in roasting coffee, and without going on a deep-dive into why exactly roasteries (not just Americans) have moved toward primarily roasting Arabica, it should be stated that there's a place for all coffee. And it's worth the deep-dive sometime, too! Similar to wine, there's something to suit anyone's palate, and that includes Robusta AND Arabica! Having had great coffee in Italy myself, I'd love to bring you my favorite state-side cappuccino for comparison; and the espresso happens to be roasted from amazing Arabica beans. There's so much that contributes to a "good" cup of coffee, that doesn't begin or end with just the varietal of bean, and part of it, is really just personal taste!
I live in Indonesia, which produces some of the very best Arabica (Sumatera and Bali) which I'm very happy to consume just for the taste.
The real problem with American roasters is that they over-roast to allow for "consistency". In Sydney (Just down the road in Australia, which I frequently visit), where there is a real "coffee culture", Starbucks failed because their over-roasted coffee simply wasn't up to scratch. There is now, I believe, only ONE Starbucks outlet in Sydney, located in the heart of the "tourist district" so Americans can "feel at home" and drink over-roasted, over-priced coffee.
I've had some absolutely wonderful Sumatran coffee!
Respectfully - again - I feel like clumping "American roasters" together is a gross misrepresentation and an overgeneralization. Starbucks barely even scratches the surface of the world of American roasteries, and *hardly* serves as an example of what is happening within that world. Starbucks, Shmarbucks.
to die for? indeed, long time ago that little cup of espresso almost killed my heart and esophagus... Would never ever touch it again. BUT the italian ICE CREAM, boy, nobody can compete with that one. Or actually the italian fashion design, too. Look at the italian Crocodile Leather Bags, driving the nature to an extinction level. And let's not mention all the composers Vivaldi, Verdi, Rossini, Puccini, Marcello etc, etc. all the geniuses waking up human ears in this modern acoustic chaos.
Somehow all the italians must have gotten affected by Leonardo's da Vinci genes, just joking, otherwise the italian mafia wouldn't thrive so well.
Quick funny story: I had a small 38 seat Bistro in a small antique town / River town along the Mississippi River in North East Iowa for about 8 years. I was getting coffee from a roaster in Madison , WI (Ancora Roasters) I liked their Black & Tan back then, don't care for it any more. The caffenated & decaffenated tatsed identical which was nice. I tasted lots & lots of coffee before deciding and while I loved the art work of Ray Troll from the Pacific Northwest and he does do the art for Ravens Brew Coffee out of Alaska ,the coffe was very nice though the shipping costs were going to eat up any profits and more than likely put me in the hole. Anyway, the day came to set up and calibrate my Espresso machine. The Rep came from Ancora with pounds & pounds of coffee. As we calibrated the machine looking for a certain flavor intensity with crema in a certain amount of time per each espresso pull. The Rep started dumping all our failed attempts down the drain. I dislike wasting anything, which ironically was how I made lunch quiche every morning for the Bistro........open my refrigerator doors and search for left overs. Huge success, people loved the quiche. Back to Espresso, instead of dumping I began drinking the shots like a complete knucklehead! I didn't know it would take hours to calibrate. When we finally wrapped it up and I walked out of the building, I said to a friend that was there. WOW! I bet this is what it feels like to eat a handful of 'white cross' aka speeders aka amphetamines. The stuff they gave housewives in the 50's & 60's when they told their Dr. they were tired with 5-10 kids and a house to clean and cook for everyone, attempting to be & look like Jane Wyatt from 'Father Knows Best'. What's that saying about Moderation????
I used to tell my clients, "Caffine and nicotine are my prozac. I feel sorry for anyone who would ever take them away from me". Hahaha, keeps me happy enough to stand anything or anybody.
John - I too agree about Italian coffee. I've had lots of good coffee when I spent a lot of time in France, but I think it's because they get their coffee from Italy! Do you have a favorite brand?
After a visit to Costa Rica I found the real stuff so much better than American supermarket coffee i almost gave up on coffee. After a friend introduced me to a hearty brand I resumed. But I made a fortuitous mistake : I grabbed what I thought was my regular ground brand but discovered at home they were unground whole beans. So I dug out a hand grinder and started grinding my beans afresh. I discovered a new world of great tasting fresh coffee. No more ground stuff for me!
My husband and I learned that our good ol' Pilgrims drank beer coming over to America - again safer than water - I believe it was 8 pints a day, for even the children! Coffee is a blessing that's for sure!
A person of discriminating taste & after my own heart, 2 just STARTS the day! Cannot even cogitate before the 3rd myself. John, great info; Arabica seems to be all that's available here. I'll try your recommended brand, thanks!
As you probably know, green coffee bean extract helps the brain repair and rewire broken synapses. It is fun hand roasting your own beans in a small cast iron skillet so you can watch to first or second crack. Lighter toast gives more caffeine and flavors of terroir. If you like the burnt Starbucks style, mix lighter toast in with your double crack roasted beans in your grinder. If you can’t be bothered waiting on pour overs, get some refillable stainless K cups for your K cup coffee maker and use finest grind.
Be careful where you buy green beans from, a lot of sources especially on Amazon sell moldy improperly dried beans. I have no financial interest in the site I use, but Sweet Maria’s was recommended to me and their products have been great for years now.
I used to get whole bean Italian roast from Starbucks until I discovered MyCoffee organic dark roast Honduran Marcala sold by MyPillow's Mike Lindell. Never had the pleasure of visiting an Italian coffee bar, but I couldn't roll out of bed at five am if I couldn't brew a pot of MyCoffee. I'm an addict.
So many things to love, however, the coffee bars, from modest to grand, are burned into my soul. Many are glorious and beautiful. The simple ones have their own splendor, smells, sounds, taste, true authentic Italia.
'You can have the universe, if I can have Italia."
I've gotta add that Italian delicatessens are incredible. The array and types of foods hanging from the ceiling, on the shelves, behind the glass, are dizzying, delightful and bountiful. I've never seen better.
I credit coffee with getting me through four years of Pre-med in three years. I agree that the coffee in Italy is award worthy. But I have also had cups of Arabic or Turkish coffee that were yummy especially served with a bit of Halva.
Melbourne (Australia) has a very satanic covid reputation, but if you want the devil's coffee you should come on down, and try not a cappucino but a "Melbourne Magic". 2 shots in 3/4 of a cup with cafe-latte-style milk The run through the beans is short, maximising the caffeine content, but eliminating the bitterness, and the crema remains on top.
not only Italian coffee, or chocolate, but pasta and zuppa di verdura, (in the most modest trattoria still 40 years later memorable ) having had them all too.
Nice of you John to articulate in your humble way an humble lusty earthly pleasure.
FYI: hard apple cider in the US of A was essential drinking...re Johnny Apple seed and the great plantation and spread of apple trees due to unsuitable water. though hard apple cider does not hold a flicker to good good coffee. A nice post thanksgiving contemplation: the colonies vs the continent.
"A common and major error made by American coffee roasters is their silly preference for pure Arabica coffee beans."
Ok, I promise I'm not here to pick a fight, but this statement is purely subjective, and stating as fact that American roasters have made an "error" and have a "silly preference" is just inherently misleading. It severely discredits the artistry and craft in roasting coffee, and without going on a deep-dive into why exactly roasteries (not just Americans) have moved toward primarily roasting Arabica, it should be stated that there's a place for all coffee. And it's worth the deep-dive sometime, too! Similar to wine, there's something to suit anyone's palate, and that includes Robusta AND Arabica! Having had great coffee in Italy myself, I'd love to bring you my favorite state-side cappuccino for comparison; and the espresso happens to be roasted from amazing Arabica beans. There's so much that contributes to a "good" cup of coffee, that doesn't begin or end with just the varietal of bean, and part of it, is really just personal taste!
I live in Indonesia, which produces some of the very best Arabica (Sumatera and Bali) which I'm very happy to consume just for the taste.
The real problem with American roasters is that they over-roast to allow for "consistency". In Sydney (Just down the road in Australia, which I frequently visit), where there is a real "coffee culture", Starbucks failed because their over-roasted coffee simply wasn't up to scratch. There is now, I believe, only ONE Starbucks outlet in Sydney, located in the heart of the "tourist district" so Americans can "feel at home" and drink over-roasted, over-priced coffee.
I've had some absolutely wonderful Sumatran coffee!
Respectfully - again - I feel like clumping "American roasters" together is a gross misrepresentation and an overgeneralization. Starbucks barely even scratches the surface of the world of American roasteries, and *hardly* serves as an example of what is happening within that world. Starbucks, Shmarbucks.
Totally agree about Italian coffee. Italian chocolate is also to die for.
to die for? indeed, long time ago that little cup of espresso almost killed my heart and esophagus... Would never ever touch it again. BUT the italian ICE CREAM, boy, nobody can compete with that one. Or actually the italian fashion design, too. Look at the italian Crocodile Leather Bags, driving the nature to an extinction level. And let's not mention all the composers Vivaldi, Verdi, Rossini, Puccini, Marcello etc, etc. all the geniuses waking up human ears in this modern acoustic chaos.
Somehow all the italians must have gotten affected by Leonardo's da Vinci genes, just joking, otherwise the italian mafia wouldn't thrive so well.
Indeed, I bought an Italian purse made from Ostrich and ate their ice cream every day. Loved every minute of Italy.
NB: Crocodiles aren't at risk for extinction, writing from Australia.
then you better be careful when diving into waters down there...
oh yes, depending on the amount of these bags, I should have said 'probable'.
Crocodiles will get you on land.
Adding that Melbourne coffee is 'to die for'. Try a "Melbourne Magic" next time you're down.
I drink a 3 country blend of coffee these days.
Quick funny story: I had a small 38 seat Bistro in a small antique town / River town along the Mississippi River in North East Iowa for about 8 years. I was getting coffee from a roaster in Madison , WI (Ancora Roasters) I liked their Black & Tan back then, don't care for it any more. The caffenated & decaffenated tatsed identical which was nice. I tasted lots & lots of coffee before deciding and while I loved the art work of Ray Troll from the Pacific Northwest and he does do the art for Ravens Brew Coffee out of Alaska ,the coffe was very nice though the shipping costs were going to eat up any profits and more than likely put me in the hole. Anyway, the day came to set up and calibrate my Espresso machine. The Rep came from Ancora with pounds & pounds of coffee. As we calibrated the machine looking for a certain flavor intensity with crema in a certain amount of time per each espresso pull. The Rep started dumping all our failed attempts down the drain. I dislike wasting anything, which ironically was how I made lunch quiche every morning for the Bistro........open my refrigerator doors and search for left overs. Huge success, people loved the quiche. Back to Espresso, instead of dumping I began drinking the shots like a complete knucklehead! I didn't know it would take hours to calibrate. When we finally wrapped it up and I walked out of the building, I said to a friend that was there. WOW! I bet this is what it feels like to eat a handful of 'white cross' aka speeders aka amphetamines. The stuff they gave housewives in the 50's & 60's when they told their Dr. they were tired with 5-10 kids and a house to clean and cook for everyone, attempting to be & look like Jane Wyatt from 'Father Knows Best'. What's that saying about Moderation????
I used to tell my clients, "Caffine and nicotine are my prozac. I feel sorry for anyone who would ever take them away from me". Hahaha, keeps me happy enough to stand anything or anybody.
Ravens Brew! I still have that wonderful old black t-shirt, and I'm still homesick for Alaska. Thanks for the funny story and the memories!
KH, 😀
John - I too agree about Italian coffee. I've had lots of good coffee when I spent a lot of time in France, but I think it's because they get their coffee from Italy! Do you have a favorite brand?
Readily available in the States, Kimbo from Naples good for espresso/ cappuccino.
After a visit to Costa Rica I found the real stuff so much better than American supermarket coffee i almost gave up on coffee. After a friend introduced me to a hearty brand I resumed. But I made a fortuitous mistake : I grabbed what I thought was my regular ground brand but discovered at home they were unground whole beans. So I dug out a hand grinder and started grinding my beans afresh. I discovered a new world of great tasting fresh coffee. No more ground stuff for me!
Sean - yes! Once you grind the beans every morning, there’s no going back.
My husband and I learned that our good ol' Pilgrims drank beer coming over to America - again safer than water - I believe it was 8 pints a day, for even the children! Coffee is a blessing that's for sure!
Be thankful, therefore, that without beer there would be no Constitution or BOR?
Funny, I gave up "coffee" when I retired, & now I have 1 double espresso every morning. (Home brewed)
A person of discriminating taste & after my own heart, 2 just STARTS the day! Cannot even cogitate before the 3rd myself. John, great info; Arabica seems to be all that's available here. I'll try your recommended brand, thanks!
As you probably know, green coffee bean extract helps the brain repair and rewire broken synapses. It is fun hand roasting your own beans in a small cast iron skillet so you can watch to first or second crack. Lighter toast gives more caffeine and flavors of terroir. If you like the burnt Starbucks style, mix lighter toast in with your double crack roasted beans in your grinder. If you can’t be bothered waiting on pour overs, get some refillable stainless K cups for your K cup coffee maker and use finest grind.
Be careful where you buy green beans from, a lot of sources especially on Amazon sell moldy improperly dried beans. I have no financial interest in the site I use, but Sweet Maria’s was recommended to me and their products have been great for years now.
Happy Beans to All.
My Nespresso machine with Roma pods does a great job of
Delivering and excellent espresso with beautiful crema
And dose of aluminum I think…might look into that…
I used to get whole bean Italian roast from Starbucks until I discovered MyCoffee organic dark roast Honduran Marcala sold by MyPillow's Mike Lindell. Never had the pleasure of visiting an Italian coffee bar, but I couldn't roll out of bed at five am if I couldn't brew a pot of MyCoffee. I'm an addict.
I've had the privilege of living in Italia.
So many things to love, however, the coffee bars, from modest to grand, are burned into my soul. Many are glorious and beautiful. The simple ones have their own splendor, smells, sounds, taste, true authentic Italia.
'You can have the universe, if I can have Italia."
Verdi (or his librettist)
I've gotta add that Italian delicatessens are incredible. The array and types of foods hanging from the ceiling, on the shelves, behind the glass, are dizzying, delightful and bountiful. I've never seen better.
Try Life Extension Rain Forest coffee. Tested for mold and uses a special roasting process to x2 antioxidants.
“Qahwah” is just Arabic for “power” or “strength”
I credit coffee with getting me through four years of Pre-med in three years. I agree that the coffee in Italy is award worthy. But I have also had cups of Arabic or Turkish coffee that were yummy especially served with a bit of Halva.
Melbourne (Australia) has a very satanic covid reputation, but if you want the devil's coffee you should come on down, and try not a cappucino but a "Melbourne Magic". 2 shots in 3/4 of a cup with cafe-latte-style milk The run through the beans is short, maximising the caffeine content, but eliminating the bitterness, and the crema remains on top.
not only Italian coffee, or chocolate, but pasta and zuppa di verdura, (in the most modest trattoria still 40 years later memorable ) having had them all too.
Nice of you John to articulate in your humble way an humble lusty earthly pleasure.
FYI: hard apple cider in the US of A was essential drinking...re Johnny Apple seed and the great plantation and spread of apple trees due to unsuitable water. though hard apple cider does not hold a flicker to good good coffee. A nice post thanksgiving contemplation: the colonies vs the continent.