What's the difference between light and dark roasts?
Light roasts are fruity and acidic. Medium is balanced, while dark roasts are chocolatey, sometimes nutty. Matt Carter, coffee sustainability manager for Tribeca, says people with a taste for bitter, rich foods tend to prefer a dark roast coffee, and people who prefer acidic, sweet foods tend to prefer light roast coffee.
Coffee beans or ground coffee?
Freshly ground coffee really is the star she thinks she is. It's no secret – freshly ground coffee beans begin to degrade as soon as they're cracked open. But if time, space for a coffee grinder, or other parts of real-life get in the way, buying your coffee pre-ground is a great way to make a quality cup of coffee. Beans retain their flavour for longer is stored correctly and ground coffee is quick to make, so entirely up to you.
Packaging and storage
The secret to fresher coffee beans and ground coffee is all in the bag. Most coffee sellers package the beans and grounds in one-way foil bags with pinholes to let out the gas produced in the roasting process, but not to let the air in.
You'll find some coffee beans sold in paper bags, but since it allows gas molecules to flow in and out the bag, flavour will be lost and you'd need to use it within about a week. So, if you want to buy a supply for more than just a few days, stick to the one-way foil bags which retains freshness to ensure a great cuppa.
What does single origin mean?
Everything about where the bean is grown affects the coffee. This includes the climate of the region, farming practices, soil and altitude. It means the bean is exclusive to the farm, region/country and available exclusively at certain times of the year. Traceability, i.e knowing exactly where the coffee comes from and who grew it.
What is a coffee blend?
Coffee blends takes the best qualities from different regions with different climates, soil, altitude ad farming practices to create a well-balanced coffee. Most of the coffee beans in coffee blends are made up of the higher-quality Arabica bean and the lower-quality Robusta bean. Luckily for you, all Woolies branded coffee beans and ground coffee contains 100% Arabica beans.
How should you drink your coffee?
Any way you prefer really, but Matt Carter would like to encourage people to try the coffee first without adding any sugar, but coffee is a personal luxury and you deserve to have it just as you like it. And that is that on that!
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