Have you ever wondered how coffee gets those fruity notes or chocolate tones given in their descriptions?

Well, coffee is made up of more than a thousand flavor compounds!

Let’s start with the basics of where flavor comes from in coffee…

Origin

A coffee tree and the beans it produces are affected by the soil’s mineral content, the surrounding plants and trees, the weather, and other environmental factors.

To give you an idea the distinct sharpness of a Kenyan coffee can be traced directly to the amount of phosphorus in the soil.

Different regions have different mineral content in their soil and may have different vegetation growing amongst the coffee trees.

Available Nutrition

Nutrients are vital for overall coffee quality. To ensure the soil is nutrient-dense some producers, grow a diverse variety of plants, as well as ‘feed the soil’ either by compost or by adding other organic materials directly to the ground.

Not only are organic materials needed but the mineral composition is important as well, hence why coffee grows so well in volcanic soil. Specifically, phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium, calcium, zinc, and boron are all contributors to developing flavor.

Weather & Elevation

Weather and elevation are very closely tied together, in that the weather changes as the elevation changes. More rainfall happens and cooler nights occur as you go up a mountain. The higher elevations often lead to climatic conditions that are ideal for specialty coffee with large variation in temperature from hot days to cool nights, forcing a slower maturation of the coffee cherry and increased flavor and sugar development.

Another note in terms of climate is that steep topography is ideal. It helps with drainage (a coffee tree loves water, but its roots do not want to be sitting in it) and increases the sun exposure of each individual tree.

Removing the bean from the cherry

Post-harvest coffee processing seems to be a hot topic in coffee right now. The way coffee is processed can drastically affect the flavor of the resulting coffee. The basic ‘styles of processing’ are Natural, Honey, Washed, and Wet-Hulled.

Even within each of these methods, there are variations that affect the final cup. For instance, in the washed process, how long the cherry stays on the seed for, how long the coffee is fermented for (if it is), and the temperature at which it was fermented, even the chemistry of the water used can affect the flavor of a coffee.

Example of Natural Processed where the bean ferments in the cherry

Drying/Milling

The main factors are how evenly a coffee dries and the length of time the drying process takes. Coffee can take anywhere from a few days to a month and a half depending on the processing style, the weather, and access to resources like mechanical dryers, solar dryers, or raised beds. Proper drying allows for sugars to be preserved as well as ensuring that the green coffee will stay full of flavor for a prolonged period of time, as opposed to a quick-to-stale coffee.

Roasting

The roasting process drastically changes coffee’s flavor attributes. Coffee goes from this hay-smelling green bean to a brown bean with a wide variety of aromatic compounds and flavors. Roasting is extremely complex in that hundreds of chemical reactions are happening during the process.

To put it simply these different chemical reactions are what bring out the fruity/floral notes or those chocolate/caramel tones.

This is why at Java Planet we don’t take a coffee and roast it dark for the sake of having a dark roast coffee from a certain region. We take the time to roast the coffee in several ways and see which one brings about the best flavor.

 Thank you to Zoey Thorson Contributing Author 

Our Coffee Gift Set gives you a wide range of flavor profiles for an interesting sensory experience.

Read more

We at Java Planet believe that "Life is too short to drink bad coffee" and want to ensure you get the best possible coffee to enjoy. We provide you with organic freshly roasted coffee to start your cup of right. Below we have some tips on taking those great beans and brewing them into a cup of coffee that is just right for you!

1. Keep your coffee in an airtight container

2. Ensure your coffee maker is clean

3. Adjust your grind size. There are general rules for grind size and brewing method, but if you find your brewed cup is a bit bitter, then you may need to make the grind larger. Feel free to experiment until you find what is just right for you.

4. Water temperature – if you are using an automatic drip coffee maker, you cannot do much about this. If you are doing Pour Over or French Press it is especially important. The recommended temperature for the water is 195 to 205 F. If you do not have an electric kettle that measures the temperature, let your water boil, and then take it off the boil for about a minute before pouring into the grounds. We recommend using only filtered water.      

5. The next tips we have is about the coffee to water ratio. It is recommended 1 – 2 tablespoons of ground coffee per 6 ounces of water. This leaves a lot of room to experiment. If you add cream and sugar to your coffee, you may want a more intense brew and you can start with 2 tablespoons and turn it down if you find it too strong. If you drink coffee black, we recommend starting with 1 tablespoon and working your way up.

Read more

Java Planet has a mission to provide the highest quality product that also supports a healthy body, a healthy planet, and ensures that the growers of the coffee are fairly compensated. To that end, all of our coffees are Certified Organic and some have certifications with Fair Trade USA, Rainforest Alliance Certified™, or Bird Friendly® certified.

We are proud to have Rainforest Alliance & Bird Friendly certified coffees and are always looking to support farmers who are protecting the environment & native wildlife.

WHAT IS THE RAINFOREST ALLIANCE?

The Rainforest Alliance is an international non-profit alliance of farmers, forest communities, companies, and consumers committed to creating a world where people and nature thrive in harmony. It works to make responsible business the new normal in order to protect forests, improve the livelihoods of farmers and forest communities, promote their human rights, and help them adapt to the climate crisis.

Coffee farms or groups of smallholder farmers that earn the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal protect biodiversity, deliver financial benefits to farmers, and foster a culture of respect for workers and local communities. 

On Rainforest Alliance Certified farms, coffee grows naturally under the shade of other trees which are the habitat of many forms of wildlife. Some of these are amphibians such as frogs, birds like hummingbirds, and various mammals like the howler monkey.

WHAT IS BIRD FRIENDLY COFFEE ALL ABOUT?

The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center states that “shade-grown coffee production is the next best thing to a natural forest.” In the past, all coffee was grown in the shade of the trees. Most coffee varieties can’t take a lot of direct sun, thriving under a canopy of trees that shade the coffee plants. The trees act as a protective sunscreen for the coffee and keep the soil moist and fertilized with the mulch created from the fallen leaves.

These trees are part of a complex habitat in which many bird species and other wildlife live. Coffee grown in these conditions is the nearest thing to growing it in a natural forest. The shady fruit trees growing here enable more birds to flourish and they help the coffee plants by keeping the pest population under control so the growing coffee plants can thrive. 

This method of Bird Friendly coffee growing is done by providing a forest-like habitat for birds as opposed to being grown on farms where all the vegetation has been cut down. Tree height, foliage cover, and biodiversity are all taken into consideration to ensure quality habitats for birds and other wildlife. 

The Bird-Friendly program has the purpose of protecting these green habitats from the danger of deforestation. So when you drink Bird-Friendly certified coffee, you’re helping to support the environment for a more sustainable, biodiverse world. 

 SO WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RAINFOREST ALLIANCE CERTIFIED AND BIRD-FRIENDLY COFFEE?

They are similar in their missions and requirements. Both Rainforest Alliance and Bird-Friendly certifications require at least 40% forest cover. Rainforest Alliance also requires an average of 12 native tree species per hectare. Bird-Friendly requirements include variations in height up to 35 meters for adequate bird habitats. Those requirements protect wildlife habitats.

Part of the Bird-Friendly certification is that the coffee is also organic certified. 

The Rainforest Alliance has human rights requirements.

Either certification will allow you to enjoy your cup of coffee knowing you are doing good for our planet!

Shop for Colombian and Guatemalan Certified coffee here

Read more

There’s not much that beats a fresh cup of coffee, either in the morning to get you on the move or in the afternoon when you need that extra pick-me-up. But with summer’s heat already upon us, sipping your usual hot cup may not be the way you want to go. 

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Try cold brew coffee! It can be quite surprising how enjoyable it is. We don’t mean dropping a few ice cubes into your usual brewed coffee. Nope, real cold brew coffee isn’t a watery version of coffee. Real cold brew is full of flavor and is delicious. And making it in a French Press gives you what many think is the best coffee you can drink. The French Press steeps the coffee to give you a smooth, full-flavored, and refreshing brew with a unique, rounded flavor.

Cold Brew coffee is also less acidic than regular coffee because of the longer brewing method.

IT’S VERY EASY! 

Just:

• Grind

• Pour (water)

• Plunge

• Enjoy!

BUT HERE ARE A FEW EXTRA TIPS TO MAKING THE PERFECT COLD BREW IN YOUR FRENCH PRESS…

• Always use coarse grinds for French Press coffee to get the best flavor without getting the gritty bits in your cup.
  

• Cold-brew coffee teases out the subtle flavor in the beans so to get a delicious cup of coffee.
  

• Don’t use cheap beans! Your coffee grounds must be of good quality and fresh, otherwise, you will end up with a cold brew that is very tasteless.
  

• Balance is the key to a perfect cup of French Press coffee. Use too much or too little water, and your coffee just won’t taste right. So fill your French Press with a mixture of water and coffee in a ratio of about 1 cup of ground coffee to about 4 cups of water.

      Water to Coffee Ratios:

      4:1 Regular Cold Brew

      3:1 Strong Cold Brew

      2:1 Cold Brew Concentrate

• Stir it up to mix, and put in the fridge, or let it sit out on a counter, for at least 12 hours. Once brewing is complete, don’t leave your coffee in the French Press. Plunge the French Press and pour it into a carafe so it won’t continue to brew and grow bitter.

• Pour over ice, sweeten* and add creamer (coconut creamer has great flavor!) or milk if you like, and you’re set.

• Properly brewed cold brew coffee can last for a good while, so you can make enough to last you a couple weeks before you have to brew again. 

• Get ready for an exceptional taste!

*You can make a syrup with warm water and sugar to add to your cold coffee - or use sugar alternatives such as stevia and monk fruit.

To get beautifully prepared coffee in a wonderful French Press, check out ours – Java Planet’s Stainless Steel French Press. It makes your coffee come out perfectly every time - hot or cold brew!

TIP: Replace that expensive high-calorie afternoon pick-me-up by making cold brew with one of our Organic Flavored Coffees! Available coarse ground!

SHOP NOW

Read more

Imagine spectacular vistas – misty mountains, verdant forests, and coffee-growing slopes covering green rolling hills. Colombia's coffee region is speckled with small pueblos where little has changed over the past century and the same colonial air of bygone days still lingers, as coffee farmers travel the old country roads to bring their goods to market. 

THE COFFEE TRIANGLE - COLOMBIA’S COFFEE GROWING REGIONS

With an ideal climate and perfect growing conditions, Colombian coffee is celebrated as some of the world’s best coffee. The richness of its flavor is hard to match. The coffee comes from the Eje Cafetero or “coffee axis” in central Colombia that sits at the crossroads between the towns of Manizales, Armenia, and Pereira in the Paisa Region, also known as the Coffee Triangle. Coffee from each area has its own distinct hints of flavor.

And in all regions the coffee beans are carefully picked, every bean harvested by hand; with this selection process, only the very best coffee is produced. 

A MINI-HISTORY OF COLOMBIAN COFFEE

The coffee plant was first introduced to Colombia with the Jesuit priests who came from Europe in the mid 16th century. After a slow start, it gained momentum and by 1835 Colombia began exporting coffee to the United States. Since then, Colombia's coffee exports to our country and across the world have exploded, putting Colombia near the top in terms of coffee production worldwide.

Colombian coffee growing has even become a part of Colombia’s national identity, and because of the country’s record of sustainable coffee farming traditions, the “Coffee Cultural Landscape” of Colombia has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

COFFEE PROFILE

Just breathe in that aroma! Colombian coffee is known for its mild acidity and balanced body.

 HOW CAN DRINKING A CUP OF COLOMBIAN COFFEE DO SOME REAL GOOD?

The country of Colombia has long had serious problems with drug trafficking, murder, and crime. Over the last 20 years, many plans and programs have gone in place to help reduce those problems. In 2016 it was reported that the murder rate in Colombia had dropped to the lowest rate since 1974. Another statistic showed that in 2010 the production of cocaine was reduced by 60%. Coffee plays a role in these bettering statistics since many farmers switched from growing coca leaves (which make cocaine) to growing coffee. When you purchase Colombian coffee you are not just supporting the farmers, but you are actually contributing to safer communities in Colombia and by extension, in the USA.

Our Colombia Organic Coffee is also Rainforest Alliance Certified, which means that the farm where the coffee grows is held to a strict standard. The Rainforest Alliance says: “Coffee farms or groups of smallholder farmers that earn the Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal are audited annually against a rigorous standard with detailed environmental, social and economic criteria. These criteria are designed to protect biodiversity, deliver financial benefits to farmers, and foster a culture of respect for workers and local communities. Rainforest Alliance certification also promotes decent living and working conditions for workers, gender equity, and access to education for children in farm communities.”

All in all, you can feel good about the cup of coffee you are drinking!

AND THAT BRINGS US TO OUR FEATURED COFFEE OF THE MONTH . . .

One of the hallmarks of Java Planet’s Colombia Organic Coffee is its full-bodied, big-balanced flavor in a dark roast with mild acidity. This is a favorite among people who are looking for “low acid” coffee. Many of our customers who have acid issues, tell us this is the only coffee they can drink!

Enjoy the great aroma and rich flavor while imagining enchanting misty mountain vistas. Check it out here! 

Read more