The Exquisite Experience Of Gourmet Coffee

A very common drink amongst Americans, coffee has been present in our lives since the 16th century or even before. Nowadays, gourmet coffee has become trendy and small farms have gained recognition. It is becoming more usual to find people who are interested in the plant and have learned more about the process of making coffee. All this is in order to have a better experience with more quality.

What Makes Gourmet Coffee 

There’s no common ground on what exactly is gourmet coffee. However, this term defines fancy good-quality coffee.

Usually, when talking about gourmet coffee, we should take two aspects into consideration: flavored coffee and carefully cultivated coffee. There are even people who refer to any 100% Arabica coffee as gourmet. 

The fact is that this term is more related to marketing than to any official classification. When talking about real standards the correct term is “specialty coffee”. The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) grades coffee quality on a 100-point scale. Coffee must receive at least an 80 on that rating in order to be classified as a “specialty.”

If you want to flavor a good gourmet coffee nowadays you only need to look for a coffee shop. They have become even more common and diverse, serving a variety of drinks and different coffee beans.

When In Las Vegas

If you are around Las Vegas, you can enjoy a coffee at Urth Caffé, located at Wynn Las Vegas. They offer exclusive signature coffee blends, single organic varietals, limited reserve offerings, and Swiss Water decafs along with a variety of delicious meals and beautiful latte art presentations. You can also enjoy your coffee on the way to work or an attraction in luxurious chauffeured transportation that will grant you a complete experience to savor your gourmet coffee. Get a quote with us.

The Best Coffee

There is a consensus that the best grains are the Arabica but there is no agreement when it comes to the best coffee. That’s because it depends on the drinker’s taste. Some may prefer a more fruity coffee or even a more acid one. It’s up to personal preference. However, some grains are considered the best ones based on several aspects like the altitude and climate where the harvests are cultivated. Here are some of these premium coffee beans.

Tanzania Peaberry Coffee:  Grown on Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro, these beans have a medium body and a fruit-toned acidity that is lively, and even penetrating. Black currant overtones that soften into chocolate and merge into the sweet and savory aftertaste may be present in the deep, rich flavor.

Hawaiian Kona Coffee: On the western part of the Big Island of Hawaii in the United States, in the Kona district, grows this premium gourmet Arabica coffee. It is renowned for its direct yet savory flavor. It is frequently delicate, mellow, and light with a complex scent and flavor.

Nicaragua Coffee: Nicaraguan coffee is described as having a medium to smooth body, a noticeable but moderate acidity, rich yet delicate flavors, balanced sweetness, and a nutty fragrance that frequently displays overtones of vanilla.

History of coffee

The legend

Legend says Kaldi, an Ethiopian goat owner noticed that his goats got really agitated after consuming a certain type of berries. They became so energetic they didn’t even want to sleep at night. Kaldi then told people about it so they could produce drinks from it that would help people get alert during long periods of night prayer. Rumors would then spread to the Arabian peninsula and this would be the start of coffee popularization around the world.

Coffee Houses

By the 16th century, farmers started to grow coffee in the Arabian peninsula, namely Persia, Egypt, Syria, and Turkey. Back then there were already public places called qahveh khaneh that were like coffee houses. People would go there to consume coffee in many different contexts. In addition to drinking coffee and chatting, the customers also enjoyed music, performances, chess, and keeping up with the news. These houses became really famous for information trading and were even referred to as “schools of the wise”. With the popularity of these places increasing, Europe slowly became aware of these black beverages.

Influence

Soon, cultural changes took place. First people were suspicious about the drink and even the pope had to intervene. Pope Clement VIII tasted the beverage himself and gave it his papal approval. Also, the coffee houses spread through  England, Austria, France, Germany, and Holland. Coffee ended up replacing the common breakfast beverages that used to be beer and wine.

In the 17th century, tea was still the most famous drink in America despite the quick emergence of coffee houses until the end of the 18th century, when the colonists rose up in opposition to a high tax on tea imposed by King George III. The Boston Tea Party uprising would permanently alter American coffee consumption habits.

Going Abroad

There was intense competition to grow coffee outside of Arabia as the beverage’s popularity grew. In the half of the 17th century, the Dutch succeeded in planting the bitter plant. Travelers and missionaries took the seeds to other places around the world and ended up arriving on the American continent. The plant thrived mainly in Brazil.

On the basis of coffee economies, new countries established themselves. Wealth was gained and lost. Coffee was one of the most lucrative export crops in the world at the end of the 18th century. Coffee is now the most demanded commodity in the world after crude oil.

Fun Facts 

According to Eat This, the conventional latte was in fact the most ordered coffee beverage between June 2017 and June 2018, according to the Specialty Coffee Association and Square, a credit card processing business. Americans drank over 67 million lattes during that time.

According to Finances Online, Black Ivory is the most expensive coffee, costing $500 per pound. In Thailand, this coffee is first fed to elephants that process the beans during their digestion. The bean proteins break down in their stomach acid, which also gives the beverage its distinctively strong flavor. The product of this process is then used to make the final product.