Best Gourmet Coffee - Best Coffee
After cupping coffees from around the world we have found
that the best gourmet coffee is from single-source Arabica beans that originate from the slopes of volcanic mountains.
The rich volcanic soil combined with the high altitude and abundant moisture
from the clouds produce a remarkable coffee that cannot be matched by any other
variety.
If you look at the most famous and best gourmet coffees,
Jamaica Blue Mountain, Kona and Costa Rican, there is one common trait. Each of
them are grown in volcanic mountain regions. Like the finest wine regions of
France and Italy, the best gourmet coffee have a areas were the bean flavor
thrives. The two most important aspects of the best gourmet coffee are soil and
altitude.
Volcanic Soil Factors to the Best Gourmet Coffee
The hot lava that emit from volcanoes is from the center of
the earth, rich in nutrients that have been formed over the centuries that have
recently been brought to the surface of the earth’s crust. The nutrient
deterioration is limited having not been exposed to sun and air. The lava is
cooled and mixed with ash as it settles. The result is a rich soil that is the
fertile host to some of the most famous tropical rain forests.
The best gourmet coffee plants are nurtured during its
growth by this volcanic soil as it matures. The tropical rainforest that
surround many of these coffee farms are home to many birds that feed on pests
that damage the coffee plants. This natural selection is a benefit to the farmer
as they do not need to rely of pesticides. In addition to the cost saving to the
coffee farmer their coffee can then qualify as organic grade which they can then
sell at a higher price.
High Altitude Factors Resulting in the Best Coffee
At higher elevations many different factors come together
to growing the best gourmet coffee. Late afternoon cloud cover protects the
coffee plants from an excessive amount of direct sunlight. The clouds contain
moisture that gently waters the coffee plants through its leaves rather than
through its roots.
The best gourmet coffees are mostly rated with a SHB
rating, which means Strictly Hard Bean rating. The coffee bean grown at higher
altitudes is much harder than those grown at lower elevations. This distinction
places the coffee bean in the category of the best gourmet coffee rating on
world coffee markets.
The downside of growing this coffee at higher elevations is
the difficulty in farming process. Farms at this level are near the peaks of
mountain formations which is very steep. You can imagine the difficulty of
driving vehicles to these remote locations with few paved roads. At times the
terrain is almost at a 45 degree angle making it very difficult to plant, cultivate, inspect and pick the coffee beans from side of a mountain. More
manual labor is required not only for cultivation but also for transporting the
baskets heavy with the best coffee beans. The remoteness of these locations also
make it a long and difficult to transport them to the ports of distribution to
world markets. The roads are often rough and rocky winding up and down mountain
sides and usually beside a dangerous cliff. You can image the inherent danger
involved just in transporting a heavy truck load of the best coffee. Years ago
in Costa Rica this long journey was done by ox cart requiring a few days of
travel to reach the capital city of San Jose for market. The farmers would walk
along side their ox drive cart pulling their payload. The farmers would paint
colorful designs on the large wooden ox cart wheels which has become a symbol of
Costa Rican heritage even to this day. |