How coffee beans are judged is the profession of a barista, a coffee maker. Coffees taste is judge by a cupper, a professional taster. All this expertise is combined to help buyers get the best beans to make the best cup of coffee. However, the barista is the person you see at your coffeehouses. They note every comment, good and bad, to judge the failure or success produced by cappuccino machines and other coffee brewing methods.
About 70 countries grow coffee beans in a band from the Equator to about 25 north or 25 south. Plantations are found in Africa, the Middle East, South America, the Caribbean and even Hawaii. It is the barista’s job to decide which region supplies the best beans as influenced by their customers.
Due to varied climates, altitudes, machinery and techniques, each country’s beans have different qualities. Each plantation will also have individual variants of the two main types of beans, robusta and arabica. Robusta is the bean of choice due to lower caffeine levels. It is used for the best coffees, supplying better flavor and aroma.
Arabica beans are best grown at above 3000ft. Brazilian arabica beans are less...