Clearly Coffee

QUESTION: I just got my Aeropress and am learning how to use it. Do I need to grind coffee for my Aeropress? — Janine T.

ANSWER: Yes, you’ll need to use ground coffee in your Aeropress. However, you can either grind the beans yourself or use pre-ground coffee. That said, we always recommend grinding your coffee beans fresh if you can. You cannot just put unground coffee beans into your Aeropress. That won’t work. We’ll explain more about why, how to grind your beans, and how to use pre-ground coffee in this article.

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QUESTION: I’ve heard some people talking about coffee crema and how it’s their favorite part of the espresso. I’m just not sure what it is. What is coffee crema? — Michael V.

ANSWER: Crema is a substance that’s a natural result of the process of making espresso—or at least of making espresso well. However, not all coffee drinkers agree that it contributes to the taste of a good espresso. 

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QUESTION: What kind of coffee is Ethiopian? It’s where coffee originated, right? So is it a certain type? – Brad D. 

ANSWER: It is pretty much impossible to describe Ethiopian coffee characteristically, as the types of coffee that are grown (and growing wildly) across Ethiopia vary widely. Ethiopia is widely believed to be the birthplace of coffee cultivation, and it is also one of the few countries where coffee grows naturally in the wild. With a large number of coffee farms spread out across the different regions of Ethiopia, as well as all of the coffee that grows in the wild, there are well over 1,000 different varieties of coffee grown within the country’s borders. 

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by Matt Gibson

What climatic conditions make a location ideal for growing the highest quality of coffee beans? Well, high elevations, rich volcanic soil, a tropical to temperate climate, and plenty of shade is needed to grow the most flavorful and aromatic beans possible. Two coffee producing countries that are blessed with all of these environmental conditions are Costa Rica and Colombia. 

Costa Rica is a small country, and they are only responsible for about one percent of the entire world’s coffee production. So, instead of churning out massive amounts of coffee, Costa Rica prefers to focus on overall quality instead of quantity. They even outlawed the production of robusta whole bean coffee within their borders, making it illegal to grow anything other than the high-quality arabica beans in Costa Rica. Talk about dedication. 

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