How to Choose Coffee Beans

If you enjoy drinking coffee and want to always have the perfect cup, it’s essential to learn how to choose the right beans. There are a few factors that you should consider when choosing the right coffee for you, like the specific roasting levels, for example. It will tell you how much caffeine is in your coffee.

We at 5-Minute Crafts looked into what affects the quality of coffee beans and what types of flavors they give, and now we want to share it with you.

1. Look at the color of the coffee beans.

• If you want less caffeine in your coffee, go for dark roasted coffee beans.
• For stronger coffee with higher caffeine levels, go for light and medium roasted beans. Remember: beans that are used for espresso are typically a medium roast.

2. Check the roasting date.

• To ensure high-quality beans, check the roast date before buying them.
• The beans are best for consumption no later than 3 weeks after the roast date.
• Avoid coffee that is tightly packed, like the ground kinds, because it probably has gone through a lot of treatment processes.
• Avoid buying coffee that’s labeled “100% coffee” or “100% arabica” because most of the time this isn’t true.

3. Make a choice based on how the beans were processed.

• Naturally processed coffee is the kind that was air-dried. Choose this type if you want an intense taste.
• Washed coffee is the kind that was fermented in water. Choose this type if you want floral aromatics in your coffee.

4. Choose by type.

Arabica:

• It has a delicate, softer, and sweeter taste.
• It’s less acidic.
• It has 12% caffeine for every 3.5 ounces.
• It’s the most produced coffee in the world by 69%.

Robusta:

• It often has a harsh and strong flavor profile.
• It has high levels of caffeine — twice as much as in arabica, with 22% for every 3.5 ounces of coffee.
• The best robusta beans might have hints of chocolate within the flavor profile.
• It’s the second most-produced coffee in the world by 31%.

Liberica:

• Compared to arabica and robusta, liberica is a rare coffee type.
• These beans give the coffee flower and fruit aromas and are also described as tasting “woody.”
• It has lower caffeine content than arabica and robusta.

Excelsa:

• When it comes to flavor, these beans are unique. They have tart notes, a light aroma, and fruity flavors too.
• They have a lower amount of caffeine, with 8.6% caffeine for every 3.5 ounces of coffee beans.