clearlycoffee

QUESTION: What Is Hawaiian coffee called? What makes it different than regular coffee? – Kitty M

ANSWER: You’re probably thinking about the name Kona coffee, which is an area on the big island of Hawaii where coffee is grown. Have you ever had Californian coffee? It is highly unlikely, because there is no coffee that is grown in California, or any other state in the U.S. for that matter, other than the island state of Hawaii. This is because the best coffee is grown in high altitudes in highly volcanic soil and the only place well suited to coffee growing in the U.S. is Hawaii.

There are coffee farms all over the state, but the most farms, and the best farms, are from a very small area on the largest island of Hawaii, Kona. The area is called the Kona Island Coffee Belt, and it’s a very exclusive region for coffee growers. Not only does the coffee have to be grown within the borders of the Kona Island Belt to be considered Kona coffee, it also has to be graded by their strict system of coffee bean judging in order to be called Kona coffee. 

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by Matt Gibson

There are many differences between a standard cup of coffee and a shot of espresso. But what is the difference between coffee beans and espresso beans? The difference is not just in the way that the beans are roasted, but also how they are ground, and of course, the process in which they are transformed into coffee via brewing. 

The origin of the coffee beans that are used for brewing espresso and the coffee beans that are used to make regular coffee are the same. They are either Robusta or Arabica beans. Coffee beans that are produced specifically for espresso brewing are simply roasted more, ground into a finer grind, and brewed in an espresso machine or aeropress instead of a regular coffee maker. 

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by Erin Marissa Russell

There is more to determining how much caffeine is in your cup of coffee than simply the brewing preparation you use. This is why you usually see caffeine content for certain preparation methods described as an average or a range instead of a particular number that applies to every cup. In addition to the preparation method you use to make your coffee, the caffeine content is set by variables like the coffee beans you choose to make your coffee with, the ratio between water and coffee grounds that you use when you prepare coffee, the water temperature, your grind size, and more. But here’s a general breakdown of the caffeine content you can expect from various preparation methods.

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by Erin Marissa Russell

No doubt you’re here because you love the taste of coffee, but you don’t love the acidity that can sometimes go along with this favorite beverage. Certain types of coffee are more acidic than others—and we’ll explain that ranking so you know what it is. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to reduce the acidity of the coffee you make or the coffee you drink.

You don’t need to suffer from acid reflux just because you enjoyed some freshly brewed coffee to start off your day. Let’s take a look at the ways you can make your coffee less acidic, then we’ll explain why coffee is acidic in the first place and the factors that go into how acidic your drink will be.

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QUESTION: What’s the difference between #2 and #4 coffee filters? I was looking at some Bonavita pour over drippers, and one of them says #2 and one says #4. — Jerry F

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QUESTION: What is honey process coffee? I saw an ad for it on Facebook, but I don’t really understand what it is. — Lina T

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by Erin Marissa Russell

What’s the best grind for coffee? It depends on the machine and the type of coffee you want to make. You will find standard recommendations for most types of coffee makers in the section below.

When you’re getting ready to make coffee in a new setup or you’re using a grinder for the first time, you need to know how finely or coarsely to grind the coffee beans you will use. However, there’s no answer to this question that applies to every possible way of making coffee. Instead, each preparation method has a grind size that is recommended. Within those categories, there is sometimes variation from one type of coffee maker to another. 

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by Matt Gibson

Two fancy coffee making methods — pour over and French press. If you are a coffee drinker who has only had experience drinking coffee made from the standard electric drip coffee machines, it’s about time you graduated to one of these hands on, easy to learn brewing system that will produce a more flavorful cup of coffee. But what’s the difference between pour over and French press? Both pour over systems and French presses are excellent devices for brewing small batches of strong, flavorful coffee that will easily put your old electric drip coffee maker to shame. But they are a little bit different as far as how you make the coffee, and how it tastes.

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