About Coffee Beans, Cappuccino Makers and Me

Coffee. Yes, I am obsessed with it. Some people believe it is the most popular beverage in the world. I say, why not?

Coffee addicts like me cannot even go a day without having their coffee and I love my ancient little steel coffee filter that makes the best coffee in the world.

So let me tell you a little story. Two days back, I ordered my filter coffee powder along with the rest of my groceries. I usually do this when I have at least three days’ worth of coffee powder, simply because the thought of an empty coffee tin makes me shudder.

Then yesterday, I realized that I hadn’t actually placed the order and laughing to myself, I ordered the list from my local supermarket. Three hours later, my order was delivered. After a brief chit chat with the delivery person and jokes and smiles exchanged, I went about putting away the stuff. This morning, I set the water to boil on the stove,  and happily took one pack of coffee, and cut it open. I filled the coffee tin and fondly looked at the pack, straightening it out. To my horror, I discovered that it wasn’t the variant I ordered.

I also felt sheepish, because I should have checked to see if the delivered items were correct, instead of exchanging jokes with the delivery person. Oh well. Can’t change that. Now that I had cut the pack, I could no longer return it.

So what was so wrong about this coffee? You see, I get a particular type of bean in a specific pure coffee to chicory ratio. The one I received this time had a higher ratio of chicory.

What to do?

I remembered that a friend of mine had gifted me some coffee beans. So I set about roasting them to a rich oily brown. Then ground the beans and shook it up with the coffee powder in the tin. I also had some Colombian coffee another friend had gifted my husband, and added a little of that, too.

The result? Rich brown perfectly blended coffee powder that I couldn’t wait to drink.

As I shared a cup of the “global” coffee with my neighbor, I couldn’t help recalling memories of the time I was around ten years old, and sent to the Coffee Board to buy coffee beans, which was then roasted at home and ground the night before so we’d have fresh coffee the next morning.

That’s when I learned that there are basically three different types of coffee beans from which different types of coffee are extracted. These are Arabica, Robusta and Kona Coffee Beans. They vary in pricing and taste and grow in three types of environment. Seems like the rule of three, eh? Obviously, each country and region has its own traditional brewing method.

Of the three types of beans, Robusta is the most popular and easily available. Also, decently priced. It was first discovered in the Congo region, where it grew naturally, and then began to be cultivated in different parts fo the world. It grows easily in continental climate.

Next comes Arabica coffee beans, which are expensive compared to Robusta. Arabica, which has a delicate taste and not easily available everywhere, also grows in different parts of the world and the bean from each region tastes different depending on the climatic conditions.  The aroma and taste are great, which is probably why they make a great accompaniment to your breakfast, for their refreshing taste.

Finally comes Kona, the most expensive type of coffee beans. Rare because of its small scale production, Kona Coffee Beans are grown in Hawaii in a small scale and they are not even used in daily life like the other coffee beans. Kona beans have a strong aroma and because of this, not everyone can handle its taste. Even regular users of Kona Coffee beans just blend a small quantity.

And by the way, the coffee bean is really a type of seed but called a “bean” because of its shape.

I love my coffee strong and dark and mostly mixed with a little milk to get that perfect shade. I was quite surprised to learn that there is a cappuccino maker! So for the cappuccino lovers out there, to brew the perfect coffee, you must choose the best cappuccino maker to extract the taste from each and every coffee bean. There are different types of coffee makers available online, which you can compare based on their features and price and pick the one that is right for you.

Cappuccino makers come in a range of models, and while some just prepare cappuccino, others are more diverse, with the ability to brew your espresso and latte, as well. The main thing to bear in mind is the capacity of the cappuccino machine. No point in getting the one-cup type, at least for me, since I come from a family of coffee lovers.

So how do you like your coffee?