Exploring the world's different coffees is a hobby for many, including us! It brings people together and helps to create memorable moments, while enjoying a great hand-crafted roast.
Coffee roasting dates back centuries, and has become an art, and a science. Elevation, temperature, soil, trees, and many other environmental factors facilitate the health and type of coffee bean that is grown.
Coffee farmers in high altitudes across the world grow and nurture the best-tasting beans from their region, picking them at the optimal time and preparing them to be distributed worldwide. What them becomes of the beans then is truly amazing.
The best Roastmasters are coffee geniuses and deliver the fabulous-tasting coffees in local coffee shops around the world, on retail shelves, and online. We've learned a lot about the art and science of coffee roasting from Cambio's 5th Generation Roastmaster, who has extensive knowledge and experience in combining tastes and features of beans from different countries to create the absolute best taste.
Cambio founders Kevin and Ann have also visited coffee farms in South and Central America to learn about the coffee farmers, their beans and the beautiful coffee-growing world they live in.
Let's talk about some of the most common words when it comes to coffee, and how that impacts the taste in familiar roasts.
The coffee beans you choose refers to the actual coffee roast you buy. The roast can be a "single-origin," meaning the beans come from one origin, like Colombia. Or it can be a blend, which is often used to create the best balance of taste, like Cambio's "French Roast," which comes from Central America and Africa.
Roasting the bean involves exposing them to a carefully-managed cooking process. One of the keys to roasting is to manage the temperature and roasting time to ensure that the Agtron measurements are constant throughout the batch. Roasting too fast results in a higher PH, or acid level, and great measures are taken to manage the amount of PH in coffee.
Acidity, or PH, has a lot to do with the origin as well as the coffee roast. Many people prefer lower acidity in their coffee while for others, it doesn't affect them at all. Typically, when coffee is grown at higher altitudes over 6,000 feet, like in South America, the molecules in the bean "tighten" and in the roasting process, the sugars don’t develop as much. When coffee is grown in lower elevations, the molecules in the beans aren’t as tight and they make sugars, resulting in less of a "bite."
Cambio has different levels of PH in their coffees. Our lowest-acid coffees are Special Dark, French Roast and our House Blend.
This bean is from South America, typically Colombia or Brazil. It's a light-roasted blend with the perfect mellow flavor and a crisp, clean aftertaste. Our Donut Blend is a mild, easy-to-drink roast with low acidity -- a great morning wake-up brew.
Our decaf is actually a medium-light roast also from South America, using Colombian or Brazilian blends. For the decaf process, our Roastmaster selects the coffees at origin and uses a non-chemical decaffeination process, very similar to Swiss Water, where the beans are soaked to remove the caffeine without the use of chemicals. Using this process, 99.8% of the caffeine is removed.
Our House Blend is a two-bean blend -- 70% is from high-altitude South American coffee beans and 30% from Kenya (Africa), to add the flowery and ripe fruit notes. This blend is totally refreshing and really “bright."
Sumatran is a dark, origin coffee. These beans are grown in a low altitude on the island of Sumatra with constant ocean and Pacific Trade winds. It tends to be more decadent, or a dessert-type flavor, with higher sugar and more caramel and chocolate notes at the end. Its flavor comes from the volcanic minerals in the soil, combined with the winds, rain and sunshine.
Lighter roasts like our Hazelnut enjoy a creamy texture. Cambio's Hazelnut is actually is a "Hazelnut cream" blend with South American beans, primarily from Colombia and Brazil, to take advantage of their coffee notes. It has a lovely, silky nuance that makes it popular.
Our Colombian is another single-origin roast and is "triple hand-picked," which means that each coffee plant is picked three separate times when the beans are perfectly ripe. Beans from Colombia have the traditional flavor that bring many Americans to say, "Now that's coffee." Higher-quality coffees are in countries that have more hand labor picking – the labor is making a better cup of coffee in the end.
This dark roast is roasted to a perfect dark brown bean and has delicious burnt undertones. Cambio's French Roast is made from South American and African Arabican beans that can’t be roasted any darker. It's a wonderful bold cup that's flavorful, shiny with oil and has a diminished acidity.
This popular blend was created for those who prefer a bold, dark cup of coffee -- a "go to" for those who like a dark, bold roast. This Sumatran and Central American roast has more peppery notes, with tremendous body from the beautiful South American beans.
There are thousands of different-tasting coffees and everyone's pallet is different. If you don't know exactly what type of roast you like, we suggest starting with a medium roast, like our House Blend.
If you'd like a free sampler 3-pack of Cambio's light, medium and dark roast coffees, please contact us.
Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world. It’s also among the oldest beverages ever to be consumed by humans, dating back nearly 1,000 years. Coffee has grown to become not just a beverage, but an experience. People love the energy boost, but equally the opportunity to sip and socialize with others in casual settings.
Research is now revealing many health benefits related to drinking coffee as well, including a metabolic boost, helping to reduce cancer risk, and even increased longevity. Here’s a snapshot of five benefits of drinking coffee:
Studies have shown that caffeinated beverages can increase alertness and mental acuity, and also decrease physical fatigue. How? After a cup of coffee, caffeine rapidly travels through the bloodstream and reaches the brain.
The effects of caffeine on the brain's neurotransmitters are similar to those of sleeping; they can increase alertness and mental acuity. In addition, coffee can also stimulate the release of other chemicals known as norepinephrine and dopamine.
Pro Tip: Instead of using sugar, try using a low-calorie sweetener such as Stevia. It can also be used as a flavor additive for coffee.
Staying healthy and avoiding chronic diseases are things we all think about. Studies have shown that drinking moderate amounts of coffee can help reduce the risk of various chronic diseases.
Another study revealed that being a regular coffee drinker lowered the risk of stroke by 25 percent in women. Another major finding is that drinking coffee can help prevent certain cancers, such as colon cancer and liver cancer.
Caffeine activates the nervous system's ability to tell the fat cells to break down. This action is carried out by increasing the levels of the hormone epinephrine. Epinephrine travels through the blood to the fat cells, and it releases them into the body. Caffeine helps to achieve what is known as a Negative Energy Balance. According to Kauvery Hospital, a Negative Energy Balance indicates that more energy is being expended by the person through activity than energy consumed through food.
On the other hand, releasing fatty acids into the blood does not help people lose weight.
The resting metabolic rate, also known as RMR, is the rate at which you burn calories. It helps keep your body burning calories and helps you lose weight. It's believed that an increase in fat burning helps maintain a healthy metabolism. This effect is less pronounced in obese individuals.
Let’s wrap this up by saying that caffeine increases your resting metabolic rate, so it increases the number of calories you expend at rest. (And who doesn’t want to burn calories while sleeping?!)
Drinking coffee regularly can help improve concentration and alertness, a study suggests. It can also stimulate activity in the brain's regions that control motor functions. Along with improving concentration, coffee can also help improve the brain's activity.
Coffee finds its way into our routine, and it is how most people start their day. A survey conducted in March by the National Coffee Association revealed that 64 percent of Americans consume at least one cup of coffee a day.
Drinking three to four cups a day can reduce your risk of developing liver cancer and other alcoholic liver diseases, according to a recent study conducted by Journal BMC Public Health.
The guidelines for daily coffee consumption vary depending on the country. Generally, it's safe to consume up to 400 mg of caffeine a day for most healthy adults. That's roughly the amount of caffeine in four cups of brewed coffee.
Many studies have been conducted on the various health benefits of coffee. According to researchers, its consumption can improve a person's energy levels and help prevent chronic diseases, along with many other studied health benefits.
However, it's important to note that coffee should be limited for certain individuals, like pregnant or breastfeeding women, children and those with health conditions.
Although coffee is considered safe for most adults, consuming up to four cups a day has shown many potential benefits.
So there you have it. Science is showing us that relaxing with a cup of coffee may just make your life a bit easier. That works for us!
Cambio Roasters® has eight gourmet roasts, along with a Variety Pack, delivered in recyclable K-Cups® to meet every taste pallet. And for those who are sensitive to caffeine, our delicious light roast Decaf is very popular too.
