Basics about Coffee:
- You need to determine what type of coffee you prefer. Do you want something strong with a slightly bitter or nutty taste or is your liking more to a mellow type coffee.
- The answer to #1 will help you to decide from what country you will want to make your choices, but only if you know a little about the varieties of coffee that come from them.
- You need to understand the roasting process and then the packaging as well. Ideally you are going to want a least a foil sealed bag.
- A little knowledge of knowing the shelf life of coffee once it has been opened or ground will give you some idea as to what to look for.
Just a little bit of basic knowledge about coffee can go a long way in helping you to track down coffee suppliers that are going to meet your needs.
What to Look For When At Your Coffee Supplier:
Actually, one can put coffee suppliers into two categories. One being those that cater to individuals who want to prepare the best coffee they can at home. Alternatively, those that just want to have an establishment to go to experience a great cup of java.
Looking at coffee suppliers for your home needs, you want….
- To be sure that the establishment you are purchasing from is clean. If this is not the case then you should question as to whether enough care is being taken with the handling of the coffee supplies as well.
- What is the background of the supplier? Where do they get their products? Do they have it directly shipped in or do they purchase through an intermediary?
- How knowledgeable are the people serving you when it comes to the various aspects of coffee? Such as the conditions where the product is grown, or how it is roasted, or are the coffee beans organic. If they are fairly well versed in their coffee products then they should be knowledgeable in these areas.
- Does the coffee suppliers you are contemplating dealing with roast their own coffee beans? If so then are they storing it properly once they have done so?
- Is the packaged coffee they are offering sealed in proper packaging to ensure its freshness?
- Are the beans in a loose bin or are they in an enclosed container to help retain their freshness.
If you have favorable answers to these questions and any others that you may have thought of then the step is deciding on what type of coffee you want. Based on your knowledge you should at least have an idea of some of the types you would like to try. For example is it Arabica or Columbian that you feel you may want to try first. Once you have found good coffee suppliers, at least you know you have the opportunity to try several different kinds.
