May 17 2010
Buy Coffee
True wine connoisseurs wouldn’t dream of buying a cabernet in the local grocer. The same can be said for the coffee aficionado; when they buy coffee they seek out only the best and won’t settle for pre-ground coffee in a brick square. These coffee drinkers only buy their coffee in the form of coffee beans and then they grind their own to perfection.
Today’s grocery stores do offer some top coffee beans and are adding more to the variety they carry in an effort to compete with local gourmet coffee shops that carry only the freshest beans. Knowing how to determine what makes the coffee bean fresh is the first step in purchasing the best coffee.
First, check the coffee beans in the hopper. If there are cracked beans or husks then the beans have probably been on the shelf for too long and have past their peak of freshness. Grocery stores don’t sell as many coffee beans as coffee shops and so their beans might not be as fresh.
The local coffee shop is the best place to purchase coffee beans locally. Visit the shop and ask them what options they offer in purchasing coffee beans. Being allowed to purchase in small amounts on a more frequent basis is one way to better the odds of receiving the freshest beans possible. It is also perfectly all right to ask when the shop receives its coffee bean shipments in order to be there when the beans first arrive.
While these options are good ideas for buying coffee beans that will insure the best pot of coffee, there is one place that can insure the freshest beans possible. Many coffee producers have their own websites and they will sell their coffee beans direct to the public. This option allows consumers to get their coffee beans directly from the source, cutting out the intermediary shipping stop and have the beans sent directly to the person who is going to drink the coffee.
Purchasing the best coffee is important to many people and finding the right coffee connection takes time and research. It may be a trial and error process and some beans might wind up discarded after one cup. The search will be worthwhile when that first pot of coffee is brewing and the aroma is wafting through the kitchen and filling the senses with its come and get it smell.
-Sharon Chapman