All coffee drinkers at one time or another complain about having a bitter cup of coffee. Most coffee drinkers will relate the bitterness to one of the darker roasts. If asked what they associated bitterness with; they would tell you that it is the acidity of the coffee. However, there is a problem with that conclusion. The acidity of a dark roast is less than half of what the acidity is in a medium roast.(From around 1.5% for a medium roast and as little as .70% for a dark roast. Yes, excess acidity is a factor, and some volcanic mountain soils, such as the soil on our farm in Costa Rica, needs a slight pH adjustment from time to time. Because we grow organic coffee beans, we add calcium to the soil. Costa Rican coffee beans are renowned for having just the perfect acidity. There are many different acid compounds in the beans, and a perfect balance in these compounds result in an excellent cup of coffee.

Bitterness in roasted coffee can also be the result of excess caffeine. Many, if not all, large coffee companies (you are familiar with their names), blend in a certain percentage of a different bean. It is called Robusta and is a very inexpensive way to expand production. Robusta has roughly twice the caffeine of the coffee beans grown in Costa Rica, which is called an Arabica bean. Arabica beans have a reputation for being the very best variety and coffee growers in Costa Rica are not allowed to cultivate Robusta beans.

The very best way to eliminate bitterness in your cup is to purchase a very high quality organic coffee. Keens Beans offers one of the best Costa Rican organic coffees on the market.

Rhonda Keen is the owner of a boutique coffee farm in the mountains of Costa Rica. Rhonda is committed to the environment and utilizes organic growing and roasting techniques to craft the finest organic Costa Rican coffee.

Sign up for our organic coffee recipe club at http://www.keensorganiccoffeenews.com/

Author: Rhonda Keen
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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