About Books and Java's Coffee

A coffee cannot be considered high quality without a guarantee of freshness, and Books and Java is able to promise freshness because it is roasted only at the time an order is placed.

 Books and Java can truly call its coffee a gourmet specialty because it is among the few businesses who use the top 10% of coffee in the world, which is what defines a coffee
 as gourmet.

Specialty coffees are what set Books and Java apart from other sellers and roasters. Books and Java sells coffees that are certified by the Rainforest Alliance and the Fair Trade Organization, which  represent the commitment and support to the protection of the ecosystem, the “well being of workers,” and the environment and wildlife in which the coffee is grown.We provide coffee from specific crops that have been awarded the Cup of Excellence.The Cup of Excellence is only awarded to the finest coffees produced by a country in a specific year. Specialty gourmet coffee beans have outstanding flavor and come only from the Arabica species of coffee plant. Arabica coffee is found in special microclimates ideal for growing coffee (59 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit year round and 1500 to 2500 mm of yearly rainfall) and at altitudes exceeding 3000 ft. Specialty coffees tend to feature distinctive flavors, which are shaped by unique characteristics of the soil that produces them. To be a specialty coffee, the best conditions for planting, harvesting, processing, and grading have to be met.

To add to the natural quality of the bean, our roasters ensure that each roast yields beans that have uniform color and size and have a strong aroma. These characteristics make for the highest quality of coffee. To further guarantee
freshness your order isn't roasted until it is ordered. Freshness and quality are what we look for in our coffee, from the crop all the way to the coffeemaker. When seeking the perfect cup of coffee, insist on freshness. So, we invite you to try our coffee. We are sure you’ll find that our beans support our story.

Please browse our selections of coffee and try some of our fantastic coffee in your cup!






Coffee Facts and Information

Brief Coffee History

It is estimated that coffee originated in an Ethiopian province called Kaffa. But, there is controversy about where it originated. Coffee first became trendy in Arabia during the 13th century. Coffee trees were grown in India sometime after 1600, and some around 1650 coffee was imported in to England and coffee houses opened in London and Oxford.

Coffee was popular by the 18th century in Europe and European colonists introduced the crop to other tropical countries to help them supply a healthy domestic demand. The demand for coffee was so strong in the 19th century that when authentic coffee beans were limited, people developed substitutes from vegetables like, chicory root, acorns and figs.

The history of coffee can be traced to at least as early as the 9th century, when it appeared in the highlands of Ethiopia. According to legend, shepherds were the first to observe the influence of the caffeine in coffee beans when, after their goats consumed some wild coffee berries in the pasture, the goats appeared to "dance" and have an increased level of energy. From Ethiopia, coffee spread to Egypt and Yemen, and by the fifteenth century had reached Persia, Turkey, and northern Africa.

In 1583, Leonhard Rauwolf, a German physician, after returning from a ten-year trip to the Near East, gave this description of coffee:

“ A beverage as black as ink, useful against numerous illnesses, particularly those of the stomach. Its consumers take it in the morning, quite frankly, in a porcelain cup that is passed around and from which each one drinks a cupful. It is composed of water and the fruit from a bush called bunnu. ”

From the Muslim world, coffee spread to Italy. The thriving trade between Venice and the Muslims of North Africa, Egypt, and the Middle East brought many African goods, including coffee, to this port. Merchants introduced coffee to the wealthy in Venice, charging them heavily for it, and introducing it to Europe. Coffee became more widely accepted after it was deemed an acceptable Christian beverage by Pope Clement VIII in 1600, despite appeals to ban the "Muslim drink".

The first European coffee house opened in Italy in the year 1645. The Dutch were the first to import coffee and coffee beans on a large scale, and they eventually smuggled coffee seedlings into Europe in 1690, defying the Arab prohibition on the exportation of coffee plants or unroasted coffee seeds.

Through the efforts of the British East India Company, coffee became popular in England as well.  It was introduced in France in 1657, and in Austria and Poland following the 1683 Battle of Vienna, when coffee was captured from supplies of the defeated Turks. When coffee reached the Thirteen Colonies, it was initially not as successful as it had been in Europe. However, during the Revolutionary War, the demand for coffee increased so much that dealers had to hoard their scarce supplies and raise prices dramatically; this was partly due to the reduced availability of tea from British merchants. After the War of 1812, during which Britain had temporarily cut off access to tea imports, the Americans' taste for coffee grew, and high demand during the American Civil War together with advances in brewing technology secured the position of coffee as an everyday commodity in the United States. The major coffee-producing regions today are South America, Vietnam, Cote d'Ivore and Kenya.

Coffee Economics

Coffee ingestion on average is about a third that of tap water in most of North America and Europe. In total, 6.7 million metric tons of coffee were produced annually in 1998–2000, and the forecast is a rise to 7 million metric tons annually by 2010.

Brazil remains the largest coffee exporting nation, but in recent years Vietnam has become a major producer of robusta beans. Robusta coffees, traded in London at much lower prices than New York's arabica, are preferred by large industrial clients, such as multinational roasters and instant coffee producers, because of the lower cost. Four single roaster companies buy more than 50% of all of the annual production: Kraft, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, and Sara Lee. The preference of the "Big Four" coffee companies for cheap robusta is believed by many to have been a major contributing factor to the crash in coffee prices, and the demand for high-quality arabica beans is only slowly recovering. Many experts believe the giant influx of cheap green coffee after the collapse of the International Coffee Agreement of 1975–1989 led to the prolonged price crisis from 1989 to 2004. In 1997 the price of coffee in New York broke US$3.00/lb, but by late 2001 it had fallen to US$0.43/lb.

The Dutch certification system "Max Havelaar" started the concept of fair trade labeling, which guarantees coffee growers a negotiated pre-harvest price. In 2005, 39,756 metric tons out of 8,457,000 produced worldwide were fair trade; in 2007, 62,382 metric tons out of 9,183,000 were fair trade, an increase from 0.34% to 0.51%. A number of studies have shown that fair trade coffee has a positive impact on the communities which grow it. A study in 2002 found that fair trade strengthened producer organizations, improved returns to small producers, and positively affected their quality of life and the health of the organizations that represent. A 2005 study concluded that fair trade has "greatly improved the well-being of small-scale coffee farmers and their families" by providing access to credit and external development funding and greater access to training, giving them the ability to improve the quality of their coffee. The families of fair trade producers were also more stable than those who were not involved in fair trade, and their children had better access to education. A 2006 study of Bolivian coffee producers concluded that Fair-trade certification has had a positive impact on local coffee prices, economically benefiting all coffee producers, Fair-trade certified or not. Fair trade also strengthened producer organizations and increased their political influence.

Coffee Plant

The Coffea plant belongs to a genus of ten species of flowering plants of the family Rubiaceae. It is an evergreen shrub or small tree that may grow 5 meters (16.40 ft) tall when unpruned. The leaves are dark green and glossy, usually 10–15 centimeters (3.9–1.9 in) long and 6.0 centimeters (2.4 in) wide. It produces clusters of fragrant, white flowers that bloom simultaneously. The fruit berry is oval, about 1.5 centimeters (0.6 in) long, and green when immature, but ripens to yellow, then crimson, becoming black on drying. Each berry usually contains two seeds, but in 5–10 per cent of the berries, there is only one; these are peaberries. Berries ripen in 7–9 months. The coffee plant is native to subtropical Africa and southern Asia. There are two main species of coffee that are cultivated today, they both come from the Rubiaceae family. Coffea arabica, which is also known as Arabica coffee, makes up 75-80% of the world's production. Coffea canephora, also known Robusta coffee, is not as popular because of its substandard taste.

Coffee Cultivation

Coffee is usually propagated by seed. The traditional method of planting coffee is to put 20 seeds in each hole at the beginning of the rainy season; half are eliminated naturally. Coffee is often intercropped with food crops, such as corn, beans, or rice, during the first few years.

There are two main cultivated species of the coffee plant, Coffea canephora and Coffea arabica.  Arabica coffee (from C. arabica) is considered more suitable for drinking than robusta (from C. canephora), which, compared to arabica, tends to be bitter and have less flavor. For this reason, about three fourths of coffee cultivated worldwide is C. arabica. However, C. canephora is less susceptible to disease than C. arabica and can be cultivated in environments where C. arabica will not thrive. Robusta coffee also contains about 40–50% more caffeine than arabica. For this reason it is used as an inexpensive substitute for arabica in many commercial coffee blends. Good quality robustas are used in some espresso blends to provide a better foam head and to lower the ingredient cost. Other species include Coffea liberica and Coffea esliaca, believed to be indigenous to Liberia and southern Sudan respectively.

Most Arabica coffee beans originate from either Latin America, East Africa/Arabia, or Asia/Pacific. Robusta coffee beans are grown in West and Central Africa, throughout Southeast Asia and to some extent in Brazil. Beans from different countries or regions usually have distinctive characteristics such as flavor, aroma, body, and acidity. These taste characteristics are dependent not only on the coffee's growing region, but also on genetic subspecies (varietals) and processing.

Some are concerned about perceived ecological issues with coffee cultivation. Originally, coffee farming was done in the shade of trees, which provided habitat for many animals and insects. Sun cultivation requires the clearing of trees and increased use of fertilizer and pesticides. Opponents of sun cultivation say environmental problems such as deforestation, pesticide pollution, habitat destruction, and soil and water degradation are the side effects of these practices. The American Birding Association has led a campaign for "shade-grown" and organic coffees, which is says are sustainably harvested. While certain types of shaded coffee cultivation systems show greater biodiversity than full-sun systems, they still compare poorly to native forest in terms of habitat value, and some researchers are concerned that the push for "shade grown" coffee may actually be encouraging deforestation in ecologically sensitive regions.

Coffee Roasting

Coffee berries and their seeds undergo multi-step processing before they become the roasted coffee with which most Western consumers are familiar. First, coffee berries are picked, generally by hand. Then, the flesh of the berry is removed, usually by machine, and the seeds are fermented to remove the slimy layer of mucilage still present on the bean. When the fermentation is finished the beans are washed with large quantities of fresh water to remove the fermentation residue, generating massive amounts of highly polluted coffee wastewater. Finally the seeds are dried and sorted. The seeds are then labeled green coffee beans.

The next step in the process is the roasting of the green coffee. Coffee is usually sold in a roasted state, and all coffee is roasted before being consumed. Coffee can be sold roasted by the supplier or it can be home roasted. The roasting process has a considerable degree of influence on the taste of the final product, creating the distinctive flavor of coffee from a bland bean, by changing the coffee bean both physically and chemically.

Physically, the bean decreases in weight as moisture is lost, but increases in volume, causing the bean to become less dense. When bean temperature reaches 200°C (392°F), the actual roasting begins. Different varieties and ages of beans differ in density and moisture content, causing them to roast at different rates. The density of the bean is important because it influences the strength of the coffee and requirements for packaging it.

During roasting, caramelization occurs as the intense heat breaks down starches in the bean, changing them to to simple sugars which begin to brown, adding color to the bean. Sucrose is lost rapidly during the roasting process; in darker roasts, it may disappear entirely. As the bean roasts, aromatic oils, acids and caffeine weaken, changing the flavor. When the internal temperature of the bean reaches 205°C (400°F), other oils will start to develop. One of these oils is caffeol, created at about 200°C (392°F), which is largely responsible for coffee's aroma and flavor.

Grades of coffee roasting are unroasted (or "green"), light, cinnamon, medium, high, city, full city, French and Italian. Depending on the color of the roasted beans, they will be labeled as light, cinnamon, medium, high, city, full city, French or Italian roast. Darker roasts are generally smoother, because they have less fiber content and a more sugary flavor. Lighter roasts have more caffeine, resulting in a slight bitterness, and a stronger flavor from aromatic oils and acids which are destroyed by longer roasting times.

A small amount of chaff is produced during roasting from the skin left on the bean after processing. Chaff is usually removed from the beans by air movement, though a small amount is added to dark roast coffees to soak up oils on the beans. Decaffeination may also be part of the processing that coffee seeds undergo. Decaffeination is often done by processing companies, and the extracted caffeine is usually sold to the pharmaceutical industry.

Coffee Preparation – Making The Perfect Cup of Coffee

Here's how to make the perfect cup of coffee...

Coffee Tip #1- Make sure your coffee pot is clean.

A clean coffee pot is essential and will make a world of difference in how your coffee ultimately tastes. An unclean coffee pot has residual coffee oils that remain from the previous batches of coffee. There are also other coffee chemicals and materials such as pieces of coffee grounds which can decompose and cause some bad flavors. It's not likely such small amounts will make you sick, but there's a good chance your coffee will taste "a little off".

Be careful about using a whole lot of soap unless you're sure to remove any remaining residue, following a good wash and rinse with some baking soda and water to neutralize any remaining acids and coffee oil.

Coffee Tip #2 - Clean Filtered Water

Remember that coffee is really 99% water, so you want o make sure that 99% is the best that you can make it. While using tap water isn't a bad thing, the numerous chemicals added to tap water by your local water company can dramatically change the taste of your coffee. Using bottled water is great since it's free of chlorine, however if that seems a little on the extravagant side for you then getting one of those filters that attach to your kitchen faucet works well. Since you'll likely use it mainly for making your coffee, the filter will last much longer then normal.

Another recommendation to ensure a clean, fresh, pure coffee taste is to use either a stainless steel or gold mesh filter instead of the usual paper filters. Paper filters are OK, however there are some that can release dyes, chlorine and bleach and any of these will effect coffee taste. If you prefer using paper coffee filters then it's best to use the brown (unbleached) paper coffee filters since they are a more natural product.

Coffee Tip #3 - Use Fresh Quality Coffee

Quality coffee costs more but will consistently produce much better tasting coffee. Coffee beans are the best choice over pre ground coffee. Coffee begins to degrade shortly after it's roasted, this is regardless if the coffee is packaged immediately. Surface area is a large part of the degradation, so ground coffee degrades considerably faster than whole-bean coffee because of the considerably larger surface area of all those individual pieces of coffee beans. You might think it's an inconvenience using coffee beans compared to using ground coffee, but once you taste the delicious difference you'll never go back to ground coffee again! If you still want to use ground coffee, make sure you use a good, drip grind coffee.

Use 2 level tablespoons of quality coffee for each six ounces of water. This can be adjusted for individual taste preference depending on whether you like your coffee weak, average or bug out your eyes strong. Make sure and spread the grounds evenly in the coffee filter so that full brewing is achieved

Drink your fresh coffee right away for the best flavor. Coffee will break down quickly if left on a heat source and coffee should never be reheated or micro waved since both of these break down the coffee flavor. If you want to keep your coffee hot without effecting the flavor very much, it's best to use either an air pot or a stainless steel thermos. Both of these methods will keep your coffee hot for about an hour or so.

If you follow these 3 simple coffee preparation tips, you're sure to make a perfect cup of coffee for yourself, your friends of your family each and every time.