Introduction to Black Coffee Bean Varieties: Which Brand is Best and Their Unique Stories

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What Types of Black Coffee Beans Are There? Which Brand of Black Coffee Beans is Best?

A. Geisha (GEISHA)

An excellent choice! Geisha has repeatedly won first place in international cupping competitions (Cup of Excellence), making it the best of the best among coffee beans. The price of award-winning green beans has reached as high as $1,200 per pound. Although expensive, the quality is exceptional. Originally a wild Ethiopian bean, it was later transplanted to Panamanian estates for cultivation. After roasting, it offers extremely rich flavors, including tropical fruit notes like mango and passion fruit. The coffee tastes like juice, making it an exceptionally unique variety in the coffee flavor spectrum.

B. Yirgacheffe (YIRGACHEFFE)

A premium bean variety and representative of specialty coffee. The flavor is balanced and smooth, with citrus-like acidity and jasmine floral notes. After drinking, it feels somewhat like drinking floral tea, thus having a strong tea-like quality. After the green beans undergo washed processing, they are best presented using pour-over methods to showcase the rich layers of the coffee beans' essence.

C. Kenya AA (KENYA AA)

Coffee beans from this East African country show consistent quality among many varieties, with less bitterness and making them easy to drink. While not reaching the highest quality, they are quite good. Their fruit acidity is outstanding, primarily featuring berry acidity. You first taste the acidity upon entry, followed by a slight licorice aroma. Premium Kenyan beans even carry the sweetness of blackcurrants.

D. Guatemala (GUATEMALA)

Among these, the "Flora" (Antigua Flora) coffee beans from Antigua are the most outstanding. Grown in fertile volcanic soil and volcanic pumice, they carry a smoky flavor. The taste is rich in floral and fruit sweetness, smooth and balanced on the palate, with slight acidity and excellent aroma. The aftertaste features cocoa, nutty, and fruity notes.

E. Mandheling (MANDHELING)

According to baristas' unreliable statistics, customers who love Mandheling are usually of a certain age, preferring its high body and bitterness. Because Mandheling quality was only average over a decade ago, roasters generally chose dark roasting. Thus, in the public mind at that time, Mandheling equaled bitterness. Mandheling from Indonesia carries licorice and caramel flavors, but be aware that Mandheling quality can vary greatly, so choose carefully!

F. Jamaican Blue Mountain (JAMAICAN BLUE MOUNTAIN)

Produced in Jamaica's Blue Mountains, with rare production. After a major disaster caused crop failure and Japan provided assistance, a treaty was signed, giving Japan a much larger quantity of Blue Mountain beans than other countries. With market promotion assistance, Blue Mountain beans tend to be expensive, but whether they're worth the money is subjective. Japan's famous Blue Mountain charcoal-roasted coffee, besides bitterness, also offers sweetness and dark chocolate flavors.

G. Colombia (COLOMBIA)

High production volume and relatively inexpensive price, similar to Brazilian coffee beans in being suitable for blended coffee. If blended well, it can easily surpass other expensive coffee beans. Colombian flavor is singular and rich in licorice, with a "herbal tea" mouthfeel, moderate acidity, and complemented by dark chocolate and citrus fruit flavors.

H. Brazil (Brazil)

Generally used for blended coffee, single-origin coffee is less common because the flavor isn't outstanding. It's rich in nutty and dark chocolate flavors, with fruit acidity not being too strong. For friends trying black coffee for the first time, Brazilian beans are a good starting point. Its acidity and bitterness are relatively balanced, with peanut and almond nutty flavors. Note that Brazilian beans are not suitable for light roasting, as this can create a genmaicha-like texture and become bitter.

Black Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

Single-origin and espresso black coffee beans roasted by FrontStreet Coffee: Yirgacheffe coffee, Brazilian coffee, Mandheling coffee, etc., all have full guarantees in terms of brand and quality, suitable for brewing with various equipment. More importantly, they offer extremely high value-for-money. A half-pound (227 grams) package costs only around 80-90 yuan. Calculating at 15 grams of powder per pour-over cup, one package can make 15 cups of coffee, with each cup of single-origin coffee costing only about 6 yuan. Compared to the normal café price of 30-40 yuan per cup, this represents extremely high value.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find various famous and lesser-known beans, while also providing online store services. https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473