La Minita Coffee - It's in the Green Beans

La Minita; Spanish for "The Little Gold Mine" says it all. La Minita is arguably the best coffee in the world and is sipped by the who's who in the specialty coffee industry as well as by those of us who have access to it in our businesses. Similar to the wine industry, the best coffees are not always the most expensive. There are many factors involved in determining the final price of a coffee, unfortunately the quality of the bean is only one of them.

La Minita comes from the Tarrazu region of Costa Rica in Central America. This region has long been known for it's quality coffee and remains one of the finest growing regions in the world. The La Minita Estate is located at the pinnacle of this region on a spur between two rivers 5700 feet above sea level. The farm actually has several "Micro Climates" within the farm which effect the crop in different ways. The meticulous way in which coffee is grown, pruned, fertilized, shaded, and weeded all add to the final product. Long before "Organic" was popular, this farm was using machetes to cut back weeds rather than chemicals. Long before "fair trade" was popular this farm was treating it's employees with respect, providing dental and medical resources right on the farm, paying above local scale, providing household items at below cost prices, and encouraged a coffee workers association to promote fair, safe and equitable conditions.

When the "new crop" is in, samples are taken from each of the micro growing regions on the farm and cupped to determine the years mix. The pickers start at daybreak and finish picking about noon. The days harvest is measured from each picker then at a central pick up point and again at the mill. Every La Minita coffee bean arrives at the mill the same day it is picked which is essential in producing the world's best coffee. The milling process is more meticulous than other mills and the beans are watched at each stage of the preparation. When they have reached the point where most beans would be bagged up and exported, LaMinita enters its final stage. Every bean is looked at by trained coffee sorters who go over and over the beans removing any bean that may taint the final cup.

Unlike the other "exotic" coffees of the world, La Minita is in this category for one reason: QUALITY! I once spent a few days with a farmer from Jamaica who wanted to increase his crop. When he was told how to make his coffee better, he replied: "I can sell every bean I can grow for $17.00 a pound; all I want to do is get more production". Unfortunately this is often the case in the exotics. Jamaican Blue Mountain, Hawaiian Kona and other exotics demand high prices but way too often do not deliver the cup. LaMinita sells for far less than Jamaican and Kona and is always a superb coffee at a reasonable price. Visit the La Minita web site at: www.laminita.com .

www.laminita.com

This article is written by Jim Cameron without the permission of La Minita and expresses only the opinions of the Author on what he believes to be the best value coffee in the world. To purchase this coffee green to roast at home, contact: http://www.u-roast-em.com . To purchase this coffee roasted, contact your local coffee roaster or coffee shop.

http://www.u-roast-em.com

jamaican blue mountain coffeean introduction to one of the best coffees in the world

This aromatic and flavorful coffee has to be experienced to be believed. Widely considered to be one of the worlds best, if not the best, coffees, Jamaican Blue Mountain is a rich, smooth roast. The Beginning of Jamaica's Coffee Trade More than 600 coffee plantations had been established by the early nineteenth century. Less than ten years later, coffee exportation had already begun. Once this coffee plant arrived on Jamaican soil, a coffee crop was quickly established thanks to soil rich in nitrogen, potash, and phosphorous. Just one of the three plants survived, and this particular coffee plant was given to Sir Nicholas Lawes, a former Jamaican Governor, approximately five years later. According to one legend, King Louis XV of France sent three coffee plants to French colony Martinique around 1723. The history of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is just as rich and interesting as the coffee itself. It is believed that all of the coffee plants grown in Jamaica today are descendents of that single plant, of the Arabica typica variety, that arrived in Jamaica from France, via the island of Martinique. The Blue Mountains Factor-why does that Coffee Taste so Good? The fantastic Blue Mountain taste is achieved by a combination of three different factors: altitude, a special kind of rich, nutrient-laden soil called volcanic soil, and the treatment processes undergone by the beans once they are harvested. The hub of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee production is, of course, Jamaica's Blue Mountains, a magnificent mountain range that rises more than seven thousand feet above sea level. The high altitude, dense cloud cover, and low annual rainfall of the region all serve to slow down the maturation rate of the coffee crop. In this region, crops take up to ten months to mature, whereas in most other parts of the world, the average time taken is five to six months. The longer maturation time produces beans that are larger and have a more concentrated and complex flavor. Like every other mountain in the islands of the Caribbean, Jamaica's Blue Mountains are the peaks of extinct volcanoes. Throughout centuries of eruptions, the soil created on the peaks of the Blue Mountains has become extremely nutrient-rich due to the decomposition of plant life, and the deposition of accumulated biomass. This extraordinarily rich soil is an important ingredient in producing the exceptional quality coffee beans that go into every cup of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee. This is not the entire story, however. There is one more important factor, without which Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee would not be as highly-regarded as it is today. The production and distribution of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is rigorously regulated and protected by the Jamaican government to ensure that every bean roasted and every cup brewed is of the highest quality. For example, only coffee grown at an altitude of between 3,000 and 5,500 feet is allowed to bear the name Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee. If the coffee plants are grown between 1,500 and 3,000 feet, the coffee is known as Jamaica High Mountain Coffee, and plants grown below 1,500 feet are Jamaica Low Mountain or Jamaica Supreme Coffee. These regulations ensure that all Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is grown at the special altitude that delays maturation of the coffee plants and produces that complex and rich flavored coffee. In addition, there are geographical requirements as well as elevation requirements, in that to bear the Jamaican Blue Mountain, the coffee plants must be grown in one of only four parishes in the region. Another unique aspect of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is that pulped and washed coffee beans are allowed to age for a full six weeks, which is a particularly unusual part of the preparation process. Finally, before export of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is allowed, it is checked for appearance and taste, to ensure that every single batch of coffee is of the highest quality. How to Best Enjoy Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee

Once you have made the effort to purchase one of the very best coffees in the world, it would be almost criminal if you did not ensure that your coffee is properly stored and brewed!

Storing your coffee properly requires that it be sealed in an airtight container, away from any foods with strong odors or flavors, such as curry powder and other spices. Refrigeration in an airtight container is the ideal way to store ground beans.

Additionally, give the pot a rinse with hot water before making a fresh batch of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee, and enjoy. Simply empty the pot, brush and rinse thoroughly with hot water. Never use detergent or other cleaners in your coffee pot, this can affect the taste. You can keep your coffee tasting great by cleaning your coffee pot immediately following each use.

This aromatic and flavorful coffee has to be experienced to be believed. Widely considered to be one of the worlds best, if not the best, coffees, Jamaican Blue Mountain is a rich, smooth roast.The Beginning of Jamaica's Coffee TradeMore than 600 coffee plantations had been established by the early nineteenth century. Less than ten years later, coffee exportation had already begun. Once this coffee plant arrived on Jamaican soil, a coffee crop was quickly established thanks to soil rich in nitrogen, potash, and phosphorous. Just one of the three plants survived, and this particular coffee plant was given to Sir Nicholas Lawes, a former Jamaican Governor, approximately five years later. According to one legend, King Louis XV of France sent three coffee plants to French colony Martinique around 1723. The history of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is just as rich and interesting as the coffee itself.It is believed that all of the coffee plants grown in Jamaica today are descendents of that single plant, of the Arabica typica variety, that arrived in Jamaica from France, via the island of Martinique. The Blue Mountains Factor-why does that Coffee Taste so Good? How to Best Enjoy Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee





Additionally, give the pot a rinse with hot water before making a fresh batch of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee, and enjoy. Simply empty the pot, brush and rinse thoroughly with hot water. Never use detergent or other cleaners in your coffee pot, this can affect the taste. You can keep your coffee tasting great by cleaning your coffee pot immediately following each use.

how gourmet coffee can benefit health

One week the gourmet coffee you love to drink is good for you, and the very next week it is bad for you. While other reports say that drinking coffee carries health risks. While other reports say that drinking coffee offers many health benefits. Some reports say that drinking coffee offers many health benefits. The reports we hear and see about the benefits and risks of drinking coffee can be confusing. Taking a more cautious stance on the suggested amounts of caffeine that can safely consumed however, many health experts do recommend a limiting of no more than 3 cups of caffeinated coffee per day for coffee drinkers, and reducing caffeine intake from other beverages like teas and sodas. Taking a more cautious stance on the suggested amounts of caffeine that can be consumed daily without risking health, remains to be reached. How much is too much is hotly debated in health circles, and a clear consensus on the allowable amount of caffeine that can be consumed daily without risking health, remains to be reached. But caffeine has also been shown to cause health risks when consumed in large amounts. Caffeine gives you a quick energy boost and may even help you focus more on what you are doing and can help you remember details a little better. It is the caffeine that makes coffee such a stimulating drink. A lot of the confusion begins with the caffeine content found in coffee. Because of these conditions, the beans retain higher amounts of their healthy properties while less-desirable properties such as caffeine are reduced. The Arabica coffee plant is typically grown in elevations ranging from 1000 to more than 5,500 feet above sea level, and in regions with rich soils and climates that foster the healthy growth and development of this plant. It has far less caffeine content than the coffee that is made from the seeds of other varieties of the coffee plant. Gourmet coffee is derived from the seed or bean of the Arabica coffee plant. Lost in the shadows of all the debating over caffeine in coffee are the health benefits that gourmet coffee, for example, offers. The gourmet coffee bean used in the brewing of gourmet coffee for drinking, is full of antioxidants that offer us protection against the radicals that are present in our bodies and that can make us sick and even make us more susceptible to major conditions like heart disease and cancers. The conditions under which the gourmet coffee bean is grown permits less use of pesticides which are harmful to humans, animals, plants, and the environment. When pesticides are used to control insect infestations and plant diseases, they can infiltrate the plant and remain there even after processing, although usually in lesser amounts. But consuming pesticides in any amounts from the foods we eat and the beverages we drink is not good for our health. They can cause serious and even deadly risks to our health when consumed regularly because the level of pesticides grows higher than what our bodies has natural defenses to fight. Other harmful substances are often added to foods and drinks made available for consumers to extend shelf life and enhance appearance, and these can harm our health as well. The antioxidant properties in gourmet coffee can help the body to fight off the harmful affects of the pesticide residuals and added substances we ingest from the foods and beverages we consume. Antioxidants help the body to neutralize these radicals before they can develop into serious and deadly diseases. Other properties in gourmet coffee beans have been shown to reduce the risks for developing heart disease for many coffee drinkers who are at higher risk for heart disease. Caffeine can of course give you a quick burst of energy and this is why many people drink coffee. But the other properties in the gourmet coffee bean and present in the brewed coffee we drink interact with chemicals in the brain to elevate mood, and improve powers of concentration and comprehension. These attributes are viewed as health benefits that can result from the consuming of gourmet coffee. Drinking coffee has long been a social activity and sharing a cup of coffee with a friend or in a group setting benefits us by meeting the basic human need we all have of connecting socially with other human beings. In unfamiliar surroundings and settings, drinking coffee offers the comfort of something familiar to the coffee drinker, which can reduce the stress of being in a new place or with new people. You should be aware of how much caffeine you are consuming daily in other beverages and substitute decaffeinated versions of your favorite gourmet coffee and beverages to keep caffeine consumption levels under control. Two or three cups of gourmet coffee a day should not present a risk to your health. The health benefits gained by drinking gourmet coffee far outweigh the risks associated with caffeine consumption when you take care not to consume more caffeine than is recommended.

One week the gourmet coffee you love to drink is good for you, and the very next week it is bad for you. Some reports say that drinking coffee carries health risks. The reports we hear and see about the benefits and risks of drinking coffee can be confusing.How much is too much is hotly debated in health circles, and a clear consensus on the allowable amount of caffeine that can safely consumed however, many health experts do recommend a limiting of no more than 3 cups of caffeinated coffee per day for coffee drinkers, and reducing caffeine intake from other beverages like teas and sodas. But caffeine has also been shown to cause health risks when consumed in large amounts. Caffeine gives you a quick energy boost and may even help you focus more on what you are doing and can help you remember details a little better. It is the caffeine that makes coffee such a stimulating drink. A lot of the confusion begins with the caffeine content found in coffee.Because of these conditions, the beans retain higher amounts of their healthy properties while less-desirable properties such as caffeine are reduced. The Arabica coffee plant is typically grown in elevations ranging from 1000 to more than 5,500 feet above sea level, and in regions with rich soils and climates that foster the healthy growth and development of this plant. It has far less caffeine content than the coffee that is made from the seeds of other varieties of the coffee plant. Gourmet coffee is derived from the seed or bean of the Arabica coffee plant. Lost in the shadows of all the debating over caffeine in coffee are the health benefits that gourmet coffee, for example, offers.You should be aware of how much caffeine you are consuming daily in other beverages and substitute decaffeinated versions of your favorite gourmet coffee and beverages to keep caffeine consumption levels under control. Two or three cups of gourmet coffee a day should not present a risk to your health. The health benefits gained by drinking gourmet coffee far outweigh the risks associated with caffeine consumption when you take care not to consume more caffeine than is recommended.