Freshly Roasted Coffees & Teas
About Stewart's Coffee Blends |
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Coffee is at its best when purchased within a few days of roasting. For this reason, we keep our roasted stock to a minimum to ensure we only dispatch freshly roasted coffee. Roasted beans have a life of one month to six weeks, after which they become flat & lose their full-bodied taste; the flavour having quickly deteriorated. Ground coffee deteriorates more quickly than beans, in fact 60% of the gases in coffee (which create the pleasant aroma) have escaped 24 hours after grinding. We recommend keeping coffee in an air-tight container or in our special 'barrier bag' as supplied. The grinding of your coffee is equally important to ensure its full flavour. You require fine grind for filter & medium for Espresso. Remember, coffee beans keep very well in the freezer; from where you can remove them & grind straight away, without defrosting. The two main types of coffee beans are, Arabica & Robusta. These can be compared to 'eating apples' & 'cooking apples'. As with apples there are a variety of flavours governed by climate, humidity, soil, etc.. We import Arabica coffees from Costa Rica, Colombian, Brazil, Kenya, Tanzania, New Guinea, Ethiopia and others. These coffees are grown at a height of 2,000ft & 5,500ft above sea level. Robusta coffee comes mainly from Africa and is grown from sea level to 2000ft & is generally used in cheaper blends & instant coffees. Recent market surveys show that people are buying more Arabica coffee which ensures a better & full-body taste. While unroasted green beans (if properly stored) remain fresh for many months; however roasted coffee is quite perishable. Volatile oils created during roasting give coffee its wonderful flavour and aroma, unfortunately these same oils deteriorate all too quickly when exposed to air. Whatever coffee blend you choose, the taste is ultimately determined by the system you use... The best coffee is made under pressure which ensures all the flavour of your coffee ends up in the cup! which is why we recommend Espresso systems. Espresso systems force water and steam under pressure through the coffee to give the superb full flavour with no hint of bitterness. Our Swiss and Italian Espresso Blends have been specially blended & roasted to ensure you get a superb crème in your cup. The Espresso system is also the most cost-effective way of making superb coffee. |
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