Freshly roasted coffee is the new red wine.

There are many similarities between the art of cultivating coffee beans to the same artful processes used by vintners to grow their grapes for wine. The care and nurturing of the plants, the groves in rich, fertile lands and the exquisite care given to both coffee beans and grapes produce a rich cup of coffee or a luscious glass of wine for the discriminating consumer.

Freshly roasted coffee provides you with a multitude of flavours that are not available by drinking mass produced coffee due to a lack of natural diversity surrounding the coffee tree and the fact that mass produced coffee can never reach the consumer prior to it being stale. Coffee obtains much of its flavours via the soil that it is cultivated in.

Mass produced coffee is most often grown using the mono-farming method. These technified coffees are a high yield mono-agricultural crop grown in direct sun on megaplantations. This is unnatural for the tree species, creating unhealthy vulnerable trees with an overwhelming dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Traditionally coffee has been shade grown, cultivated on small family farms beneath forest canopies often as richly biodiverse as tropical rain forests. On these farms, coffee crops pick up the nuances of the surrounding crops specific to the region. You may be able to taste a hint of banana in a coffee from Costa Rica or a touch of pepper from the African coffees. 

Sampling freshly roasted coffee from different countries provides an entire spectrum of taste profiles to experience and enjoy and just like wine, these coffees can be paired with foods in a way that enhances each.  Coffees that are higher in acidity are wonderful with breakfast treats like Blueberry Muffins, or a dessert like a Key Lime Tart,  whereas coffees with a deeper body are spectacular with Cannolis or Apple Pie à la Mode.

For a truly decadent taste experience try some Chocolate-Covered Strawberries with a dark-roasted Indonesian Sumatra coffee.

To learn how to roast your own coffee at home click here.