Table of Contents<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n- The “G Word”<\/a><\/li>\n
- Bucket List Coffee<\/a><\/li>\n
- About Gourmet Coffee<\/a><\/li>\n
- Coffee Factors<\/a><\/li>\n
- Conclusion<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The word “Gourmet”<\/h3>\n
“Gourmet” is often an overused and misused word. Today we view the word as “high falutin,” or better than other varieties of the similar products. Gourmet is incorrectly used as a superlative, as a substitute for Excellent, or Supreme, although it can mean exactly that. A little later we will dive into that, too, in relation to coffee.<\/p>\n
Absurdity demonstrating the absurd<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/delightfulcoffee.com\/writing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Coffee-is-a-Hug.png\")
<\/p>\n
Years\u00a0<\/span>ago,<\/span>\u00a0I worked at a pizza joint that touted itself as serving “World Famous Gourmet Pizza.” In my way of thinking, and public perception, this would be an extraordinary product.\u00a0 The pizza was very good, definitely the best around. It was not world famous, by the wat, only locally known, really. But was\u00a0<\/span><\/span>it<\/span><\/span>\u00a0gourmet? Was the crust an amalgam of crushed snail shells formed into a paste by adding expertly prepared blowfish eyes. No. The sauce was not made from tomatoes grown by unicycle riding, blind, left-handed, red haired Himalayan monks. Well, perhaps the cheese made from special one teet milk cows that only eat earthworms and live their whole lives laying on pillows which float atop rivers infested with piranha fish? At the south pole? Well, no.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Thus,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0it was ordinary, yet delicious, pizza.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBreaking the word down<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/delightfulcoffee.com\/writing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/What-is-gourmet-coffee_.png\")
<\/p>\n
As a noun, gourmet means, basically, a\u00a0<\/span><\/span>connoisseur<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0of food or drink. It describes\u00a0<\/span><\/span>one’s<\/span><\/span>\u00a0self. It is in the first, second, or third person. Example, “I am a gourmet, a connoisseur and expert at that which is…” You are a gourmet, they are gourmets.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nAs an adjective describing an object or process, the word Gourmet means:<\/p>\n
…of, relating to, or being high quality, expensive, or specialty food typically requiring elaborate and expert preparation…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
And there you have it. Pricey. The above is from Mirriam-Webster<\/a>.<\/p>\nBroken down further, gourmet coffee would be…<\/p>\n
\n- Pricey<\/li>\n
- High quality<\/li>\n
- Possibly a specialty item that is difficult for the average person to make or obtain.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Bucket List Coffee<\/h4>\n![\"kopi](\"https:\/\/delightfulcoffee.com\/writing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/kopi-luwak-gourmet-coffee-300x225.jpg\")
<\/h4>\n
The coffee from the film Bucket List, Kopi Luwak, would technically fit the bill. It is exclusive and rare, and it is pricey, at nearly $36 an ounce. High quality? I am a little squeamish about drinking coffee that first must go through the digestive tract of any animal. Technically, this would be gourmet coffee.
\nBy the way, you can learn more about this, and even buy that same coffee here:
\nPure Kopi Luwak<\/a>
\nOf course, I also found it for $42 a half pound, ($84 a pound, so $5.375 an ounce) on ebay. Coming from Chicago. Hmmm….<\/p>\nAbout coffee – gourmet and otherwise<\/h4>\n
Coffee is not made from a coffee bean. Coffee beans are actually pits, or seeds, similar to the seed you find at the center of a cherry. As a matter of fact, coffee plant fruit is actually called cherries.<\/p>\n
There are two kinds of coffee plants and their beans, or seeds: Robusta (Coffea canephora<\/a>), and Arabica (Coffea arabica<\/a>). Read up on these to learn all about them. However, I can tell you that Robusta tends to be more bitter, has more caffeine, and is generally cheaper. The coffee connoisseur will tell you Arabica is the only way to go. I agree, but I’m more a coffee sewer than connoisseur. Even bad coffee is still coffee.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/delightfulcoffee.com\/writing\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Print-2-Circle-Venn-Diagram.png\")
<\/p>\n
So, what makes gourmet coffee so good?<\/h4>\n
Aside from the oddball Bucket List coffee, which certainly qualifies, what else is there, besides personal taste, that makes a cup of joe a “tasse de caf\u00e9 d\u00e9licieux”? Well, nothing really. The topic is so very subjective, yet there is a way to quantify it, boil it down, the factors, as it were.<\/p>\n
The Factors<\/h4>\n\n- The coffee species and origin<\/a><\/li>\n
- Age of the beans<\/a><\/li>\n
- When was it roasted, and how<\/a><\/li>\n
- Coarseness of grind<\/a><\/li>\n
- How it is being brewed<\/a><\/li>\n
- Surprise!<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
All of the items above factor into the making of a fine cup of coffee. Or, conversely, a crappy one. However, should all the stars align just right, you could end up with the best coffee ever. Or, by using the guide below, you can greatly increase the odds of a great cup of java.<\/p>\n
First things first<\/h4>\n
Start with Arabica beans. Life is much\u00a0<\/span><\/span>too<\/span><\/span> short to even deal with Robusta of Arabia\/Robusta blends. Where the beans come from largely determines the flavor. At the same, how they are roasted skews that as well. But, by starting with region etc. that you prefer, this by trial and error, you erase much of the uncertainty.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nHow old are they?<\/h4>\n
The word “Gourmet”<\/h3>\n
“Gourmet” is often an overused and misused word. Today we view the word as “high falutin,” or better than other varieties of the similar products. Gourmet is incorrectly used as a superlative, as a substitute for Excellent, or Supreme, although it can mean exactly that. A little later we will dive into that, too, in relation to coffee.<\/p>\n
Absurdity demonstrating the absurd<\/h4>\n
<\/p>\n
Years\u00a0<\/span>ago,<\/span>\u00a0I worked at a pizza joint that touted itself as serving “World Famous Gourmet Pizza.” In my way of thinking, and public perception, this would be an extraordinary product.\u00a0 The pizza was very good, definitely the best around. It was not world famous, by the wat, only locally known, really. But was\u00a0<\/span><\/span>it<\/span><\/span>\u00a0gourmet? Was the crust an amalgam of crushed snail shells formed into a paste by adding expertly prepared blowfish eyes. No. The sauce was not made from tomatoes grown by unicycle riding, blind, left-handed, red haired Himalayan monks. Well, perhaps the cheese made from special one teet milk cows that only eat earthworms and live their whole lives laying on pillows which float atop rivers infested with piranha fish? At the south pole? Well, no.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Thus,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0it was ordinary, yet delicious, pizza.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As a noun, gourmet means, basically, a\u00a0<\/span><\/span>connoisseur<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0of food or drink. It describes\u00a0<\/span><\/span>one’s<\/span><\/span>\u00a0self. It is in the first, second, or third person. Example, “I am a gourmet, a connoisseur and expert at that which is…” You are a gourmet, they are gourmets.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n As an adjective describing an object or process, the word Gourmet means:<\/p>\n …of, relating to, or being high quality, expensive, or specialty food typically requiring elaborate and expert preparation…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n And there you have it. Pricey. The above is from Mirriam-Webster<\/a>.<\/p>\n Broken down further, gourmet coffee would be…<\/p>\n The coffee from the film Bucket List, Kopi Luwak, would technically fit the bill. It is exclusive and rare, and it is pricey, at nearly $36 an ounce. High quality? I am a little squeamish about drinking coffee that first must go through the digestive tract of any animal. Technically, this would be gourmet coffee. Coffee is not made from a coffee bean. Coffee beans are actually pits, or seeds, similar to the seed you find at the center of a cherry. As a matter of fact, coffee plant fruit is actually called cherries.<\/p>\n There are two kinds of coffee plants and their beans, or seeds: Robusta (Coffea canephora<\/a>), and Arabica (Coffea arabica<\/a>). Read up on these to learn all about them. However, I can tell you that Robusta tends to be more bitter, has more caffeine, and is generally cheaper. The coffee connoisseur will tell you Arabica is the only way to go. I agree, but I’m more a coffee sewer than connoisseur. Even bad coffee is still coffee.<\/p>\n Aside from the oddball Bucket List coffee, which certainly qualifies, what else is there, besides personal taste, that makes a cup of joe a “tasse de caf\u00e9 d\u00e9licieux”? Well, nothing really. The topic is so very subjective, yet there is a way to quantify it, boil it down, the factors, as it were.<\/p>\n All of the items above factor into the making of a fine cup of coffee. Or, conversely, a crappy one. However, should all the stars align just right, you could end up with the best coffee ever. Or, by using the guide below, you can greatly increase the odds of a great cup of java.<\/p>\n Start with Arabica beans. Life is much\u00a0<\/span><\/span>too<\/span><\/span> short to even deal with Robusta of Arabia\/Robusta blends. Where the beans come from largely determines the flavor. At the same, how they are roasted skews that as well. But, by starting with region etc. that you prefer, this by trial and error, you erase much of the uncertainty.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nBreaking the word down<\/h4>\n
<\/p>\n\n
Bucket List Coffee<\/h4>\n
<\/h4>\n
\nBy the way, you can learn more about this, and even buy that same coffee here:
\nPure Kopi Luwak<\/a>
\nOf course, I also found it for $42 a half pound, ($84 a pound, so $5.375 an ounce) on ebay. Coming from Chicago. Hmmm….<\/p>\nAbout coffee – gourmet and otherwise<\/h4>\n
<\/p>\nSo, what makes gourmet coffee so good?<\/h4>\n
The Factors<\/h4>\n
\n
First things first<\/h4>\n
How old are they?<\/h4>\n