| Coffees are shipped from around the world and | | | | When they reach the peak of perfection, they are |
| arrive vacuum-packed at the recipient's door. Choose | | | | quickly cooled to stop the process. Roasted beans |
| from 1 bag to 3 bags per month and choose your | | | | smell like coffee, and weigh less because the |
| roast: French roast, Colombian, hazelnut, and other | | | | moisture has been roasted out. They are crunchy to |
| delicious blends. You can join for 1 to 12 months | | | | the bite, ready to be ground and brewed. |
| Great for corporate gifts, friends, coffee lovers, and | | | | Within the four color categories, you are likely to find |
| that picky, hard to please cousin. Sounds like an | | | | common roasts as listed below. But it is a good idea |
| awesome gift. | | | | to ask before you buy. There can be a world of |
| And it is a wonderful gift, but there are a lot of | | | | difference between roast types, But there are four |
| decisions. First off - do you make it a social pleasing | | | | main roast types: Light, mild, medium and dark roast. |
| gourmet coffee? Do you go Fait Trade or not Fair | | | | The longer it roast the darker the color, the darker |
| Trade? Do you go Song Bird or not? Do you go | | | | the color the more flavor but also as it gets too |
| Organic or Not? And now a few gourmet coffees | | | | dark, bitterness starts showing up too. Summary: |
| even support this charity or that - some even help | | | | Light Roasts -- light brown in color. This roast is |
| homeless children. So where do you start? It seems | | | | generally preferred for milder coffee varieties. There |
| like it's a great gift and why not help someone too. | | | | will be no oil on the surface of these beans, because |
| So let's start with Fair Trade. I highly recommend Fair | | | | they are not roasted long enough for the oils to |
| Trade but let's be very careful and choose the right | | | | break through the surface. Other names of Light are |
| Fair Trade. To be Fair Trade all a company has to do | | | | Half; Half Light or Light City the Mild/ Medium Roasts |
| is pay over $1.50 per pound for the coffee. Amazing | | | | -- medium brown in color with a stronger flavor, and |
| how many US companies are Fair Trade but actually | | | | a non-oily surface. This roast is often referred to as |
| only pay a higher price for bad coffee and then use | | | | the American roast because it is generally preferred |
| the Fair Trade Logo to charge consumers a higher | | | | in the USA. Another common name is Breakfast |
| price. So please check out the Fair Trade Company - | | | | Blend. |
| over 85% are bogus. Look at their web site and find | | | | The Medium Roasts -- rich, darker color with some oil |
| their Fair Trade program. Most won't have one | | | | on the surface and with a slight bittersweet |
| documented so don't buy from them. They should | | | | aftertaste. Sometimes they are also called a House |
| have direct documentation of helping a single farmer. | | | | roast or a Signature Roast. Dark Roasts -- shiny black |
| And if you don't feel good that it is a true Fair Trade | | | | beans with an oily surface and a pronounced |
| then go to the "charity supported" coffee. They in | | | | bitterness. The darker the roast, the less acidity will |
| general will be doing a lot more for a lot more people | | | | be found in the coffee beverage. Dark roast coffees |
| and are much more trust worthy. | | | | run from slightly dark to char and the names are |
| The Song Bird or Tree Shade Certification is even | | | | often used interchangeably which can be very |
| more bogus. Look at the companies that have this | | | | confusing. Be sure to check your beans before you |
| certification. The thing is most are importers and not | | | | buy them! Varieties of the dark are called Italian, |
| the coffee farmer so they have no control over if a | | | | Espresso, New Orleans, Continental, High, European, |
| tree is cut down or not. Even worse there is no | | | | Vienna, Viennese, French, or Dark Negro. These are |
| administration or watch dog. So you could be Song | | | | full bodied full flavor coffee. |
| Bird certified today and cut all your trees down | | | | Now all you have to do is choose which country of |
| tomorrow for lumber and still have your Song Bird | | | | coffee you want. And since this is a gift I |
| certification intact. Again it's just a bad marketing ploy | | | | recommend you go with a consistent and flavorful |
| to help people feel good about their coffee | | | | but smooth coffee. I urge you to choose either a |
| So you picked the charity coffee helping homeless | | | | Columbian or Costa Rican or Brazilian gourmet coffee. |
| children now what? It's time to pick the roast i.e. | | | | All are very rich with no aftertaste or bitterness. Any |
| picks the flavor you think will appeal most to your | | | | other country will work but you never know which |
| gift recipient. Roasting brings out the aroma and | | | | flavor you are getting and the consistency is less |
| flavor that is locked inside the green coffee beans. A | | | | than desired. |
| green bean has none of the characteristics of a | | | | So the monthly delivery or coffee club is an |
| roasted bean. It is soft and spongy to the bite and | | | | outstanding gift and gives you many options to |
| smells green, almost 'grassy.' Roasting causes | | | | choose from. Hopefully you can use these choices to |
| numerous chemical changes to take place as the | | | | make a nice gift and to help mankind too. |
| beans are rapidly brought to very high temperatures. | | | | |