There May Be More Types of Coffee Than You Realize

Coffee is considered a household essential by millions of people across the globe. In fact, this brewed drink is the most popular in the world. With choices for home brewing including keurigs, french presses, espresso machines, percolators, and drip coffee makers there are plenty of ways for coffee lovers to make this drink from the comfort of their own home. Of course, there are also many places for people to buy coffee on the go such as Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, and Caribou Coffee. No matter if a coffee enthusiast brews at home, purchases cups to go, or does a combination of both, having a good cup of coffee can make all of the difference in a person's day.

Types of Coffee Beans

The end result of a delicious coffee drink is quite different from how it begins. First, ripe coffee cherries are picked before the beans inside can be retrieved. The beans then go through a process of drying, milling, roasting and grinding before ultimately being brewed into coffee. There are several types of coffee beans that are harvested around the world with three main types as the most used.

• Arabica - This is the most used coffee bean around the globe with 80% of all coffee coming from this type. This delicate bean provides a smooth taste.
• Liberica - This coffee bean is the most unique, with an odd shape and a flavor that is often described as smoky while having a contradictory fruity aroma.
• Robusta - Robusta beans contain twice the “wake me up kick” as arabica beans, and have a strong flavor that makes this a great choice for those who enjoy creamer.

Types of Roasters

Before coffee beans can be consumed as coffee, they need to be roasted. Commercial coffee producers often use a roaster drum for this process. Once the beans are placed in the roaster, the drum will rotate while it is heated for 12-15 minutes. Another way for companies to roast coffee is with the use of air-roasters where the beans are roasted with hot air. Coffee enthusiasts can even roast their own coffee with a home coffee roaster, a popcorn popper, in the oven, or on the stove. When roasting coffee beans commercially or at home, it's important for roasters to know what strength and flavor they are looking for. Once roasters know what flavor they would like, coffee beans can be roasted as light, medium, medium-dark, or dark.

Different Coffee Drinks

Since coffee is such a sought-after drink, it's no wonder that many variations have been created. Coffee lovers can create their own special concoctions with any number of ingredients including creamer, sweetener, milk, or tea. Coffee shops can provide a variety of even more special cups of joe for coffee lovers to enjoy.

• Cappuccino - This foamy breakfast drink is a mixture of espresso, milk and a shot of flavor.
• Macchiato - Macchiotos combine espresso and milk with a little bit of flavoring.
• Latte - With more milk than coffee, this is a shot of espresso, foam, steamed milk, and a shot of flavor.
• Americano - This drink is simply espresso combined with hot water.
• Espresso -  Espresso is used with other ingredients to create delicious coffee drinks however, this high strength coffee can be consumed by itself as well.
• Mocha - Espresso, chocolate syrup or powder, and steamed milk makes this a hot chocolate/coffee blend.