The Arabica bean has greater flavor and aroma than the robusta bean. Only 5% of arabica beans are considered specialty grade. The coffee that Hurley Coffee Company sells comes from that 5%. [Alakef]
          

The Americas
Clean, bright, mild and balanced. These are smooth tasting coffees.

East Africa and Arabia
Lively with exotic, winey, floral aromas. These are coffee's native lands and the best beans from these areas offer unrivaled flavor intensity.

Indonesia and the Pacific
Smooth, full bodied, often earthy and usually low in acidity.

Dark Roasts
Pungent, smoky and powerful.

Blends
Complex, balanced and consistent. Combining carefully chosen coffees to achieve results in coffee flavor that is more complex than most single origin coffees.

Understanding coffee is like understanding fine wines. In fact, much of coffee terminology has been borrowed from wine tasting. To help you better understand and appreciate coffee, we have compiled a glossary of coffee terms that will help you describe coffees and assist your search for the Hurley Coffee Company Coffees you'll enjoy most.

Acidity – This is the lively, sparkling, palate-cleansing quality present in all high-grown coffee – not a negative term when referred to coffee. Coffees range in acidity from high (e.g. Kenya) to low (e.g. Sumatra). This coffee taste acidity isn't the same as pH factors. All coffees are very low in the pH kind of acidity.

Body – This is the sensation of fullness, richness and heaviness that you experience when you “swish” coffee around in your mouth. A coffee's body ranges from light to full and varies between coffees. Latin American coffees are generally light-to-medium bodied, while Indonesians such as Sumatra are typically fullest in body.

Flavor - This is the most ambiguous term of all, as it incorporates all the other terms. Coffees have a world of flavors that can often be described by specific characteristics such as chocolate, fruity earthy, etc. Most importantly – do you like the flavor? [Alakef]

Buy it fresh each week and in whole bean form.

Buy a week's worth of Hurley Coffee Company coffee at a time. Store the beans in an airtight container on your counter or in your cupboard at room temperature. Coffee should never be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. Coffee absorbs odors very easily and refrigerators and freezers are full of odors!

Whole beans keep better than ground coffee. Therefore, we recommend grinding your beans directly before brewing them. Use an appropriate grind for each coffee maker. For a French Press, use a coarse grind, a medium to fine grind for a drip coffee maker, and a very fine grind for espresso. The shorter the brewing time, the finer the grind. (If coffee is too coarsely ground, it will be short on flavor; too fine, it will be somewhat harsh.)

Always use fresh, cold water. If your tap water does not taste good to you, try filtered or spring water.

Use oxygen-bleached filters. Chemically bleached paper filters will add a disagreeable taste to your coffee. Natural brown filters will impart a woody taste.

When brewing, use enough ground coffee. Start with 2 tablespoons per 6 ounces of water and adjust to suit your taste.

Make sure your coffee maker is clean and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Coffee oil and residue will interfere with good flavor.

After brewing, take your coffee off the burner and transfer it to an insulated carafe. Leaving it on the burner will cause it to become sour and bitter. Never boil or reheat coffee. [Alakef]