EmailClearly, what matters most is how a coffee tastes to you. Still, experts say there are some basic distinctions you can use to whittle your choices.
- Try a darker roast if you take milk. In Cook's Illustrated's tests, those who typically drink their coffee with milk preferred a darker roast, while those that liked their coffee black were happier with a lighter roast.
- Grind your own beans if you can. In taste tests, whole-bean coffee is almost always higher rated. It's not hard to see why. When you grind your own coffee, the coffee's natural oils are fresher and more flavorful. But grinding coffee every morning isn't everyone's idea of fun.
- Arabica beans are best. Arabica beans are grown in semitropical climates at high altitude in both hemispheres and require monitoring and special care because when they ripen, they fall off of the trees and spoil easily. Therefore, production costs of these beans are higher. But subsequently, experts say Arabica beans taste better. Robusta beans are grown at low altitudes in the eastern hemisphere and remain on the tree when they are ripe. Experts say Robusta beans are harsher-tasting. Many cheaper coffees use a blend of the two, while better supermarket coffees use 100% Arabica beans, often from Colombia.
- Fair Trade coffee isn't a trade-off. Coffee aficionados used to worry that organic and Fair Trade coffee couldn't compete taste-wise with other coffee, but this is no longer true. The catch is that Fair Trade and organic coffee is harder to find and more expensive. But if you can find it and want to support environmental and socio-economic causes, experts say taste is competitive with other coffee, and is in many cases better.