Coffees
Terminology
Guidelines
WORLD COFFEES
Africa
Kenya RA
Top grade Kenya beans, very fine coffee. Full bodied, smooth with a generous touch of acidity, flavor and fragrance
$12.95/lb
Tanzania, Peaberry - Zanzibar
As good as those of Kenya, Tanzania coffee has complex composition of body, acidity and winelike qualities, excellent fragrance and mellow flavor.
$8.95/lb
Ethopia, Sidano
Thin body, fair acidity with a delicate aroma
 
$7.99/lb
Asia
Banmethuat, Vietnam
From the coffee center of Vietnam, the hill country of Banmethuat. This coffee has good body, medium acidity and nutty flavor with no after taste. Vietnam is the third largest coffee producer in the world.
$8.45/lb
Mocha Java
Good quality Java coffee with spicy aroma, full body and low acidity
$8.79/lb
Indonesia Sumatra
A scarse but good-quality aribica bean that makes a rich, mellow, full-bodied cup with low acidity
 
$8.79/lb
Central America  
Panama
The production of coffee in Panama is limited, but the beans have mild flavor, ful bodied with light acidity. Very comparable with Costa Rican coffee.
$7.79
Guatamala
Guatamala high-mountain coffee has high acidity, almost sweet, compliments a ful bodied and fragrant cup of coffee.
$7.79
Costa Rica
Central America's strongest coffees, it has sharp acidity and heavy flavor and body.
$7.79
Nicaragua
Good acidity, good fragrance with light acidity
 
$7.79
North America  
Mexico - Altura Roma
Good acidity, medium body with soft fair aroma
$7.79
Guatemala
Almost sweet, citric acidity, it complements a full bodied and fragrant cup of tea.
 
$7.79
South America  
Brazil-Cerrado Natural
Natural blending coffee, mild. Marries well with Central America coffees, toning down acidity.
$7.79
Columbia - Supremo
Sweet coffee with delicate aromatic taste and light body
$8.79
Peru
Good acidity, excellent body makes a good cup of coffee.
$7.79

HOUSE BLENDS
 
Triumph Sunset
Soft natural cup of coffee, nice aroma
$7.79
Triumph 50/50
Half caffeinated, half decaffeinated blend
$7.79
Glorious Morning
Our famous Vietnamese coffee blend. Full body, aromatic taste with an arousing fragrance.
$8.45
French Roast - Bonmethuat, Vietnam
From the coffee center of Vietnam, the hill country of Barnethuat. This coffee is characterized by its high acidity, excellent fragrance and full body.
$8.45

FLAVORED BLENDS
Chocolate Swiss Almond $7.99
Vanilla Nut Cream
Half canneinated, half decaffeinated, 50/50
$7.99
French Vanilla Decaf $7.99
Hazelnut Cream $7.99
Southern Pecan $7.99

 
TERMINOLOGY
Acidity
This easily misunderstood term refers to the lively palate-cleansing property characteristic of all high-grown coffee, which is experienced primarily on the sides of the tongue.  Acidity is not the same as bitterness.

Body
The tactile impression of brewed coffee in your mouth can be described as light, medium or full.  Some coffees naturally have more body than others.  The brewing method also affects the perception of body.  Coffees made in a French press or an espresso machine seem fuller in body.

Flavor
The most important lasting term describes the total impression of aroma, acidity and body.  It can be said generally, "This coffee is flavorful" or with specific attributes in mind, "This coffee has a flavor reminiscent of chocolate."

Fragrance
Related to a coffee's aroma, discerned by sniffing the brew, fragrance is described in various terms ranging from floral to fruity, nutty or spicy.

Aroma
Scent emanating from hot, just-brewed coffee.

Delicate
A subtle aspect of flavor detected by the tip of the tongue.

Exotic
Applied to coffees with an unusual aroma or flavor, suggestive of flowers, berries or sweet spices.

Mellow
Smooth and well-rounded in flavor, without much acidity.

Mild
Denotes coffee with harmonious flavors, such as high-grown Latin American coffees.

Nutty
Having an aroma or taste reminiscent of roasted nuts. It is a positive charactistic if the coffee has good distinctive aroma, flavor or body, a negative one if the latter qualities are lacking.

Soft
Low-acid coffees such as Indonesians, which may also be called mellow or sweet.

Spicy
Attractive liveliness of aroma or flavor, reminiscent of sweet or savory spices.

Rich
A coffee with intense, full aroma, flavor or aftertaste.

Wild
Used to describe a coffee that has distinctively unusual characteristics of aroma or flavor, whether pleasant or unpleasant.  More specifically, it is a coffee that tastes gamey or spoiled.

 
 
BASIC GUIDELINES FOR BREWING PERFECT COFFEE
Use fresh cold water
Remember that a cup of coffee contains more water than it does coffee!  That water's quality will be reflected in the final cup.  If your area has good drinkable water, use it, letting the tap run a few seconds before filling the kettle or coffee maker.  If you wouldn't dream of drinking water from your tap, don't subject your coffee to it.  In that case, brew with filtered or bottled water.

Use good-quality, freshly roasted coffee beans
See the preceeding material for a guide to selecting the right coffee for you.

Grind the coffee properly, just before brewing.
Coarse Grind: For percolators, or for making cold-water coffee concentrate. Generally achieved in five to seven seconds in a blade-type grinder.
Medium Grind:  For jugs, pluger pots or drip coffee makers using flat-bottomed filters.  Equivalent to ten seconds in a blade-type grinder.
Fine Grind:  For vacuum pots, Neopolitan pots, Turkish coffee, and cone-shaped drip filters.  Achieved in fifteen to tweenty seconds with a blade grinder.
Extra-Fine Grind:  For use in espresso machines.  Achieved in twenty-five to thirty seconds with a blade grinder.
Never brew a second batch with already-used grounds!

Use the right amount of coffee.
In general, brew with two tablespoons of ground coffee for every six ounces of water (one cup of coffee.  Adjust these proportions to taste, if necessary.

Use clean equipment.
Wash your brewing equipment after each use with warm soapy water, and rinse well.  The volatile oils in coffee can coat utinsels and eventually turn rancid, giving your coffee an unpleasant flavor.

Don't use boiling water.
Water at the boiling point will harm or dissipate some of the volatile oils in coffee, preventing their flavors from ever reaching you. Once your kettle boils, remove from the heat and let it rest a minute before pouring into drip filters.  Regulate heat carefully when using other coffee makers.

Beware of reheating coffee.
If you must reheat coffee, warm very, very gently over the lowest heat possible. Coffee ca be kept warm on a hot plate or other warmer, including those built into some electric makers.  Give it no more than about twenty minutes before its flavor turns. Instead, try transferring just-brewed coffee to one of the modern vacuum-insulated pots expressed designed to keep it drinkable for hours.

Store your coffee in an airtight jar and keep them somewhere cool, the refrigerator - or if there's room - the freezer.