I just got back from a week in Rio de Janiero-great town!What really got me (along with the women) was how good the coffee was-I actually enjoyed drinking it balck-something I don’t do at home. Brazilian coffee is mild and sweet, with no bitterness or acidity. So, doing some research, I found out most of our (domestic)) coffees are using beans from Columbia or Africa(Kenya, Uganda). As I say, the difference is like night and day. I wonder why we don’t import Brazilian coffee-can it be that the US Govt. is trying to lure the Columbian cocaine farmers away from their favorite crop? So, to all you coffee lovers, try some good Brazilian stuff (Santos)-it will really amaze you!
It’s not hard to find Brazilian coffee in the US, just not in one gallon cans with a Folger’s label on it. It usually comes in vacuum sealed foil bags. Keep in mind that what you were drinking in Rio might have been fresh-ground. In my neck of the woods (CA) there is a Starbucks or some other coffee house on just about every corner, that sells the whole beans from Brazil as well as some nifty over-priced grinders.
I’m with Ursa, sgo into most any coffee shop and you can find most any kind of coffee beans you want (I’m in Seattle, where you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a coffee shop).
Voted Biggest Smartass by all you beautiful people!
You always use violence. I should’ve ordered glutinous rice chicken.
Guatamalan Antigua strikes me as another low bitterness coffee you might wanna try. Costa Rican’s a bit bitter, but tastes so good you should try it anyway. If you don’t like a coffee variety well enough to drink it black, move on to another.
Granted that some coffee varieties are intrinsically bitter, preparation has a lot to do with it. Starting with the same Brazilian beans you had down there, you could use a coffee maker whose water temperature is too high and end up with some mouth-puckering brew. Also, a little dash of salt in the pot will reduce bitterness, and that might be standard procedure down there.
When buying bulk coffees from specialty shops or supermarkets, consider asking an employee how old the beans in the bin are. A variety with low sales can get mighty stale waiting for you to purchase it. If you get a coffee grinder, you can store whole beans for up to 6 months in your freezer, so your coffee’s as fresh as possible every morning. Also, the sound of the grinder will guarantee you wake up.
It’s possible to get as obsessive about this as wine, BTW.
I lead a boring life of relative unimportance. Really.