Furthermore, coffee beans are a bit of a mystery to a lot people, since they only grow in specific regions, due to their finicky nature and need for specific weather patterns. Here’s a break-down of some of the most popular beans, and why they make such great coffee.

Kenya AA People around the world know Kenya AA as a type of coffee, but there’s actually more of a distinction to be made. Rather than a specific bean, this is a classification given depending on the size of the bean. So really, Kenya AA is letting customers know that they’re getting the highest grade of Kenyan coffee beans, which are grown on the high plateaus on Mount Kenya, where the perfect mixture of great soil and suitable weather lead to a bean known for intense flavor as well as a lovely aroma.

Kape Barako One of the types of coffee grown in The Philippines, not many people are familiar with Kape Barako, because of an infestation of Coffee Rust in the 1990s that almost wiped out the plants forever. A type of Liberica species, the coffee, when available, is popular with gourmets, who enjoy a blend where it’s mixed with Arabica to get the best tasting coffee with a distinct aroma.

Costa Rican coffee Not as well known as Columbian coffee by any means, Costa Rica has long been a country where coffee was a hugely important cash crop. The most popular varieties of beans are West Valley, Tres Rios, and Tarrazu, which are known worldwide for their very good body and aroma, as well as a level of acidity that’s rather manageable. These coffee beans are used in blends frequently.

Lavazza Espresso pods Some companies are so well-known for their coffee that they manage to employ their own growers around the world to create the product for them. A look at once such enterprise is world-famous providers of Italian coffee, Lavazza, whose different varieties are sold worldwide. Since the early 1900s, the company has imported beans specially grown for them from countries around the world, including Vietnam, Columbia, Costa Rica, and Indonesia. A delicate mixture of these different varieties, as well as the blending of different types of coffee beans that come from different soils and weather patterns, leads to a complex and delicious tasting coffee.

It’s important to realize how popular blends are within the world of coffee, too. Sometimes, one of these beans tastes even better if it’s offset with another, perhaps one that compliments that aroma or allows for more complex undertones of flavor. Mixing beans to produce the perfect cup of coffee is nothing new, and if you’re looking to really get into the intricate world of coffee beans and their distinctive flavors, go ahead and get a bean grinder, and start the experimentation process at home.

Regardless of how or where you’re shopping for your coffee, please take a moment to consider whether or not it is fair-trade. The world of coffee harvesting is tough stuff, and most of the people who do it never receive proper financial credit for the amount of time and effort they put in. With different fair-trade companies around the world, many of which are easy to buy (just walk into Whole Foods or Trader Joes and ask), it makes giving credit where credit is due a whole lot easier of a task.

For a sizable Saturday BBQ, Damian Papworth’s 8 cup coffee maker comes in real handy. On any other standard day though, one cup coffee makers are more appropriate.