Coffee Guide: Your Personal Coffee Bean Guide

Need a coffee guide to help you choose the right coffee? Need some help choose the best coffee beans.

Given the range of coffee beans, it is difficult to choose those bags of coffee beans sometimes.

So I've written a short buying guide that should help those looking for a little coffee bean guidance! It's a simple checklist, just make sure you answer each question before you go shopping for coffee beans.

Then, when you're in the store, mentally check off the coffee brand you are looking at to see if it meets your requirements. If it doesn't, put it back! If it does, shortlist it or buy it!

My Simple Coffee Bean Guide

Left: First Colony's Organic Rainforest Blend.

1. Do you prefer ground coffee or whole coffee beans?

If you choose ground coffee, you may still be able to ask the coffee vendor to grind them for you. Otherwise you will be looking for pre-ground packs. Whatever you choose, you should certainly choose 100% Arabica beans for your first few bags of coffee. If you opt for whole coffee beans, see step 3.

2. What roast would you choose?

There are four basic roast grades, though you will find many more shades. Most coffees, ground or whole bean, are generally graded broadly within those categories. For most coffees, though, you will be choosing between either Light Roasts or Medium Roasts: Light Roasts - used more to accentuate the individual quality of the coffee beans; or Medium Roasts - generally used for daytime blends or your breakfast coffee.

3. What grind type should you use?

If you are having your coffee ground, you really need to pay attention to this point otherwise you will end up with a bag of useless grounds. Make sure you tell the person grinding your coffee how you make your coffee so they will know how to grind your coffee beans.

4. Are you buying off-the-shelf coffee beans or ground coffee?

If so, always check the bag or canister for tears or wholes, all roasted coffee needs proper coffee storage as the air will start to diminish and deteriorate the flavors of the coffee. This is also true for whole coffee beans.

5. If you are buying fresh coffee beans, what do you look for?

Fresh coffee beans should look tempting, clean and smell great. If you are looking for coffee beans, and they do not look good, it's likely they'll have been stored too long, or that their storage has been compromised by light, heat, air or moisture. All of these will turn even the best coffee beans.

6. How big a bag should I buy? How do I store it?

Once opened, do remember to follow good storage directions, and don't keep the coffee packet exposed to the air. If it's more than about 2 weeks old, and opened, the flavor will dissipate noticeably. So don't buy bulk coffee bags that are too big. Quarter pound bags are sufficient to last for about a week or so; and can be used quickly without significant deterioration of the flavor.

I offer you these tips in my coffee guide on choosing good coffee brands and how to store them. There are many factors that could affect your choice of brand, as well as many differences in coffee brands, so doing a little sensible shopping will help to avoid some of the common mistakes.

I do plan to extend and add to the tips on this page of my coffee guide, but if you are still looking for more coffee brands, check out some of my other articles.

Do you have any additional tips or advice you would like to see in this coffee guide? If so, drop me a line at the contact page.

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Wherever you are, remember "Only Coffee Beans Make Great Coffee"! And enjoy that cup of coffee!

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