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A Complete Guide to Global Coffee Varieties, Flavors, and Brewing Recipes: From Basic Knowledge to Specialty Bean Buying Guide

January 26, 2015
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The world of coffee is rich and diverse, from Brazil Santos to Hawaiian Kona, from espresso to the original Turkish brewing method; different origins and techniques create an endless variety of flavors. This article systematically organizes more than thirty types of coffee, their taste characteristics, and detailed preparation recipes, covering Chinese-English name comparisons and roasting suggestions, while also incorporating basic knowledge about coffee beans, including history, culture, roasting, grinding, and storage. Whether you prefer single-origin pour-over or are enthusiastic about creative iced drinks, you can find the cup that suits you. The article specially retains Front Street Coffee's brand recommendations and product information, providing professional reference for coffee lovers.

Types of Coffee

1. Brazil (South America) Santos Coffee: The flavor is mild and mellow, with a neutral taste. It can be brewed on its own or blended with other beans into a comprehensive coffee, making it a very practical choice.

2. Colombia (South America) Mandheling: The taste is full and solid, with a pleasing acidity. The aroma is rich, the acidity and bitterness are balanced, the sweetness is prominent and the aftertaste is long. Deep roasting is recommended, which can release a mellow and alluring aroma.

3. Colombia (South America) Supremo: It has a distinctive aroma, with a sweet aftertaste emerging from the bitterness, making it unforgettable after one sip.

4. Mexico Coatepec, Huatusco, Orizaba: The entrance is soft and comfortable, with a captivating fragrance.

5. Blue Mountain Coffee: The three flavors of acidity, sweetness, and bitterness are perfectly matched, with excellent flavor and aroma. It is suitable for drinking as a single origin, and medium roasting is recommended.

6. Grosser/kleiner Brauner/Schwarzer: This is a premium Italian coffee, with a small amount of cream or milk added. Sweetness can be adjusted according to personal preference.

7. Melange: Made by mixing equal amounts of black coffee and hot milk, sometimes with whipped cream added, and usually served in a large coffee cup. This is a classic blending method that has been passed down since the seventeenth century when Turkish troops besieged Vienna.

8. Einspaenner: Similar to espresso, the difference is that a layer of prepared cream is added on top. Sugar is added according to personal taste.

9. Wiener Eiskaffee: Using cold coffee as the base, with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream added. It is served in a tall glass, and the sweetness is adjusted to personal preference.

10. Heisse Schokolade mit Schlagobers: Prepared cream is added to hot cocoa. (Involving coffee history, culture, effects, classification, types, roasting, grinding, storage, brands, equipment, and other content)

11. Mocha Coffee: The aroma is unique. At medium roast, the acidity is mild; at deep roast, the aroma is rich. It is occasionally used in mixed drinks as well.

12. Salvadoran Coffee: The three flavors of acidity, bitterness, and sweetness are presented in balance. The best roasting degree is medium to deep.

13. Hawaiian Coffee: The acidity is distinct and the aroma is unique. Medium-roasted beans have strong acidity, while deep roasting gives a better flavor.

14. Brazilian Coffee: The acidity and bitterness can be adjusted through the roasting degree. Medium roasting gives a mild aroma and moderate taste, while deep roasting highlights the bitterness, making it suitable for blended coffee.

15. Mamba Coffee: A combination of Mandheling and Brazilian beans, with a pleasant aroma and a strong taste, making it an excellent pairing in coffee.

16. Kona Coffee: Produced in the volcanic lava soil of the Kona region of Hawaii, the coffee beans have a faint wine aroma and an extremely unique flavor.

17. Santos Coffee: Mainly produced in São Paulo, Brazil. The three flavors of sweetness, acidity, and bitterness are balanced, the acidity is moderate, and the taste is unique and elegant.

18. Java Coffee: Produced on the island of Java, Indonesia, and belongs to the Arabica species. After roasting, the bitterness is prominent, the aroma is light, and there is almost no acidity.

19. Guatemalan Coffee: Both the acidity and sweetness are of superior quality, and the taste is smooth. It is a high-quality ingredient for blended coffee and is suitable for deep roasting.

20. Kilimanjaro: Acidity, sweetness, purity, and aroma are all top quality. Medium roasting brings out sweetness and light acidity, while deep roasting produces a mild bitterness. It is suitable for blending mixed coffee.

21. Iced Latte: By mixing fructose with milk to increase the milk's specific gravity, it separates from the lighter coffee, forming a clear two-layer black-and-white effect, as pleasing to the eye as a cocktail. Adding ice cubes makes it even more elegant and romantic.

22. Café au Lait Iced Coffee: —Preparation Method (for two)—1. Add 260 cc of water to 16 g of coffee powder and extract espresso with an Italian steam coffee machine. Alternatively, brew 40 g of coffee powder with 120 cc of water (non-espresso equipment) to obtain espresso. 2. First add an appropriate amount of sugar to the espresso, then prepare two glasses and fill them with ice cubes. 3. Slowly pour the brewed espresso into the glasses and stir evenly. 4. Slowly add fresh milk (whipping cream may also be used) according to personal preference, and a refreshing, fragrant Café au Lait Iced Coffee is ready to enjoy.

23. Macchiato: —Ingredients— Espresso machine method: 7 g coffee powder, appropriate amount of milk foam. Regular coffee method: 18 g coffee powder, appropriate amount of milk foam. Preparation Method (for one): First pour the coffee into a cup, add 3–5 tablespoons of milk foam (without fresh milk), and it becomes a Macchiato.

24. Swiss Chocolate Coffee: Chocolate has always been a favorite of Europeans, especially the Swiss. In cold weather, Westerners are used to carrying some chocolate candies in their bags to satisfy hunger and keep warm. Adding chocolate to coffee can neutralize bitterness and supplement calories. Chocolate coffee has now become Europeans' favorite hot drink when skiing in the high mountains. —Ingredients— Espresso machine method: 7 g coffee powder, 120 cc water, 15 g sweetened chocolate powder. Regular coffee method: 12 g coffee powder, 120 cc water, or 30 cc chocolate syrup —Preparation Method— 1. Put the chocolate powder or syrup into a coffee cup. 2. Pour freshly brewed coffee into the cup until about eight or nine tenths full, and stir well.

25. Cappuccino · Latte: Cappuccino is a variation of Italian coffee, made by pouring steamed frothed milk over relatively strong coffee. The color of the coffee resembles the hood covering the dark brown robes of the Capuchin friars, hence the name. Latte is also a variation of Italian coffee, except that the ratio of coffee, milk, and milk foam is adjusted to 1:2:1.

26. Cappuccino: —Preparation Method— Espresso machine method: 7 g coffee powder, 50 cc water, 50 cc hot milk, appropriate amount of milk foam. Coffee method: 18 g coffee powder, 120 cc water, an equal amount of hot milk, appropriate amount of milk foam —Steps— 1. Prepare steamed frothed hot milk. 2. Pour half coffee and half hot milk into the cup. 3. Fill the top with milk foam.

27. Turkish Coffee: It still uses the original brewing method to this day. The elaborate process carries an exotic sense of mystery, and from it one can glimpse the past glory of the Ottoman Empire. —Turkish Coffee Preparation Method (for one)—1. Grind 12 g of dark-roasted coffee beans together with an appropriate amount of spices such as cinnamon or cardamom until fine (you may choose not to add them according to personal preference). 2. Put the fine powder into a pot, add water, and boil for about twenty seconds. 3. Wait for the coffee grounds to settle at the bottom of the pot, then gently pour out the clear coffee on top. 4. When drinking, you may add lemon or honey, or pair it with Turkish delight, butter candy, or chocolate; the taste is very special.

28. Royal Coffee: This superb coffee was invented by an emperor who campaigned on the battlefield—he was Napoleon, Emperor of the French Empire! He did not like milky flavors; what he loved was France's pride—brandy! The blue flame dances with the mellowness of brandy and the caramelized aroma of sugar cubes, then blends with the rich coffee aroma, slightly sweet within the bitterness... fully displaying French pride and romance. —Royal Coffee Preparation Method (for one)—1. First brew 90 cc of hot Blue Mountain coffee and pour it into a preheated porcelain cup. 2. Place a royal spoon (with exquisite patterns on both ends, or use a slightly shallow spoon instead) across the top of the cup, pour brandy onto the spoon, and ignite it. Pour the brandy lit with a blue flame into the cup, and it is ready to taste.

29. Magic Ice Cream Coffee: This magical flavor full of creativity and variation belongs exclusively to the young you! Pour Italian espresso over cold vanilla ice cream, then freely create patterns with chocolate sauce on the whipped cream and ice cream. This magically blended iced coffee leaves only fragrance and refreshing coolness in the mouth.

30. Mocha Frappe: —Ingredients—1. Iced coffee (one serving) 2. Three tablespoons of vanilla ice cream 3. Appropriate amount of chocolate syrup 4. Appropriate amount of crushed ice 5. Appropriate amount of whipped cream —Preparation Method (for one)—1. Put an appropriate amount of ice cubes into a blender, then pour in unsweetened iced coffee. 2. Pour in about 2 tablespoons of chocolate syrup. 3. Add vanilla ice cream, which can increase the sweet flavor; adjust according to personal preference. 4. Add some more crushed ice and blend for 20–30 seconds. 5. After pouring into a glass, add an appropriate amount of whipped cream and chocolate syrup.

31. Bitter Iced Coffee: —Ingredients— Espresso machine method: 7 g coffee powder, 30 cc water, 120 cc milk, appropriate amount of ice cubes, appropriate amount of syrup. Regular coffee method: 30 g coffee powder, 120 cc water, 120 cc milk, appropriate amount of ice cubes, appropriate amount of syrup —Preparation Method— 1. Add syrup to the milk and pour it into the cup. 2. Put ice cubes into the cup. 3. Slowly pour in the coffee to form a beautiful red-and-white two-layer effect.

32. Yuanyang Iced Coffee: The "Yuanyang" made of black tea plus coffee can be served not only as an iced drink but also as a hot drink, as if symbolizing a pair of lovebirds bound by fate; whether in deep waters or scorching fire, in ice and snow, they are a community of life. Before drinking, add some thick sweet condensed milk to harmonize the flavor, as if symbolizing that there is still much sweetness in life. —Ingredients— Half a cup of iced black tea, half a cup of iced coffee, appropriate amount of condensed milk —Preparation Method—1. Mix half iced black tea and half iced coffee in a cup. 2. Adjust the sweetness with condensed milk when drinking. P.S. Friends who prefer hot drinks can simply change the black tea and coffee to hot.

33. Irish Coffee: The name itself carries the strong smoky aroma of whiskey. The Irish regard whiskey as life, and they certainly cannot resist doing something with it in coffee too! Irish coffee made with whiskey better complements the sweet and sour taste of coffee. A trace of mature melancholy... Be careful, you can get drunk from drinking too much coffee too.

34. Con Panna · Macchiato Coffee: Italian coffee is truly "a hundred flowers blooming," and now it has produced two more flowers, Con Panna and Macchiato. Simply add an appropriate amount of fresh cream to Italian espresso, and a cup of Con Panna is easily completed. The tender white fresh cream gently floats on the deep coffee, like a white lotus emerging unstained from the mud, making people reluctant to drink it in one gulp. In Italian espresso, without adding fresh cream or milk, just adding two large spoonfuls of dense, soft milk foam makes a Macchiato. Unlike Con Panna, if you want to enjoy the deliciousness of Macchiato, you have to drink it in one gulp.

35. Green Tea Coffee: The fresh fragrance of green tea pulls our attention back from distant lands. Japan is a nation good at absorbing and integrating, and this time they have found a balance between Western coffee and Eastern green tea, also providing a new favorite for tea-loving friends. This is a coffee with a purely Eastern flavor, where the elegant fresh fragrance of green tea and the rich heaviness of coffee interact and surge.

36. Mocha Frost Coffee: Friends who love chocolate, do you still have an appetite to try "frosted" chocolate mocha coffee? Use a blender to crush and mix ice cubes and ice cream, creating a dense visual effect, then add mocha iced coffee, and it is done! Smooth on the palate, refreshing and fragrant, giving you a cool afternoon in the hot summer.

37. Mazagran: —Ingredients— Espresso machine method: 10 g coffee powder, 50 cc water, unsweetened sparkling beverage (e.g., Perrier), appropriate amount of ice cubes, 10 cc lemon juice. Regular coffee method: 30 g coffee powder, 120 cc water, unsweetened sparkling beverage (e.g., Perrier), appropriate amount of ice cubes, 10 cc lemon juice —Preparation Method—After the coffee is brewed, pour about half a glass into a glass filled with ice cubes, then add the sparkling beverage and lemon juice. The characteristic of Mazagran is that no sugar is added. If you want it a little sweeter, you can use syrup or replace the sparkling beverage with 7-up.

More than 50 countries around the world produce over 3,000 kinds of coffee beans each year.

As a recommended specialty coffee bean brand, Front Street Coffee offers many high-quality coffee beans, covering the various flavor types mentioned above, suitable for coffee lovers to explore and taste.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.

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