The journey of coffee starts with its core element: the beans.

Coffee BeansPhoto bycanva

Coffee is loved worldwide. There are many ways to buy, brew and serve coffee, and it all begins with the bean.

Instant coffee is made from coffee beans that have been roasted ground and brewed then dried into either powder or granules. There are two methods of making instant coffee, spray-drying, and freeze-drying. The drying method makes all the difference in the taste. Spray-dried makes a fine ground coffee that is light on flavor and has 30-40% less caffeine than traditional ground coffee. Freeze-dried instant coffee has larger granules than spray drying, and the larger granules offer better quality and richer taste. Freeze-dried coffee also has micro grounds which are bits of finely ground coffee added to the dried coffee to give the instant coffee a more complex flavor.

Ground Coffee is processed in three types of roasts, dark roast, medium roast, and light roast. Each roast level delivers a different taste. Dark roast is a rich, bitter, smokey flavor and is darker in color. The medium roast has a balanced slightly sweet taste and is brown in color. Light roast is high in acidity and has a fruity taste and is light brown in color.

There are five common coffee grinds, coarse, medium-coarse, medium, medium-fine, and fine. Coarse grinds are chunky pieces of coffee beans about the size of sea salt. The coarse ground is used for French Presses and percolators. Medium-coarse consistency is close to rough sand and is ideal for Chemex. A medium grind is like sand and is used in an Aeropress or a siphon brewer. Medium-fine consistency is like table salt and is used for Aeropress or pour-over coffee drippers. Fine grind consistency is less than table salt and is used in an espresso machine.

The choice of the bean, the roast, and the grind makes the flavor. Coffee technology has progressed in recent years and roasters work to find the right combination to make the coffees we love. Sampling different varieties and types of brews can be a fun way to find a new favorite.