Have you ever wondered what makes a difference in the taste of the coffee you drink? As a coffee roaster for the past 13 years, we have a few ideas and opinions on the subject.
First and foremost is having a coffee roaster that knows coffee and the intricacies of roasting. Not all roasters are created equally. We are fortunate to have Gerry Leary as our head roaster. Given the fact that Gerry has been blind since birth, his sense of hearing and smell are incredible. The smell, as well as the sound of the coffee beans changes very dramatically as it roasts. Gerry senses all of these inputs. He is aided by a mechanical ‘talking’ thermometer to know the temperature at all times- a very important tool for him as the time the beans are in the roaster determines the ‘lightness’ or ‘darkness’ of the roast.
Many people in the industry argue about which coffee roasting machine is best. We have used two machines (Probat and Joper) and find that they produce equally great coffees as long as the human in charge knows what they are doing. I am sure that there are some machines that are ‘inferior’. We have had the good fortune of not having experienced such a machine.
Another factor in producing great coffee has to do with the quality and type of green coffee beans. There are basically two types: Robusta, a highly caffeinated bean that is typically used for less expensive coffees and blends-we NEVER use these beans - EVER! Arabica beans are the best (these are the ones we use) and within that type there are additional qualitative aspects.
The best-known Arabica beans typically come from Central and South America as well as Africa. Enerhealth roasts largely coffee beans that originate from Mexico (Chiapas region), Guatemala, Honduras, Columbia or Peru and occasionally we blend in some African origins. We use only certified Organic coffee beans. We try to hit certain taste profiles that our customers have come to demand over the past 13 years. The light or medium roasts of these beans have proven to be the most popular, under the roasting direction of Gerry.
Of course, we don’t stop there! We infuse these great beans with organic extracts of medicinal mushrooms. Some might question whether infusing our great tasting coffee with medicinal mushrooms might affect the taste. I am here to tell you that this could not be further from the truth. In blind taste tests, participants were completely unable to detect anything but great coffee flavor. Not only does the coffee taste great with absolutely zero mushroom taste, but you get other health benefits such as immune support, performance enhancement, workout recovery and enhanced stamina. In addition, our customers report that there is no ‘stomach burn’ or nervous jitters after drinking our coffee. We think the mushrooms are somehow lessening the bad effects of the caffeine and allowing the health benefits to be realized.
Many people ask if the heat during the roasting and brewing process somehow harm the benefits of the mushrooms. The great thing about mushrooms is they need heat to become fully activated! What a great delivery system coffee turns out to be! The heat actually makes them work better!!
Some of our customers have asked if we sell ground coffee. We do not and the reason behind that is that as soon as you grind the coffee, it should be used. The longer ground coffee sits around, the less flavor you get. It’s the same reason that most people don’t like the taste of instant coffee. You cannot get that genuine fresh roasted flavor from ground coffee that’s been sitting on the shelf or from instant coffee.
So, if quality great-tasting coffee is your goal AND you want additional health benefits, I always go with NutriCafe!