South FLorida's MicroRoastery and CoffeeBar

Coffee taste is as much the result of culture and tradition as it is of the coffee's origin.
Understanding the subtle differences in coffee preparation of different traditions is not always so easy, and often requires a thorough knowledge of the language and habits of the country. Sometimes misunderstandings create a wonderful new tradition in drinks - other times they can stand in the way. The following examples may be of interest. The myth about European-style coffee Ever noticed that "dark roast" drip coffee is generally labeled as "European style" coffee? Nothing is less true. First of all: drip coffee is rarely used in Southern Europe -- the brew method of choice in homes in Italy and Spain is using a $15 stovetop espresso maker (as is throughout South America - we sell a lot of these espresso makers at our stores). They do use drip-style coffee in the middle and north of Europe and their coffee is indeed significantly stronger than our coffee in the US. That it tastes so much stronger has nothing to do with the roast, however, but everything with the fineness of the grind! Just grind your coffees fine, instead of "auto-drip" (and use the same amount), and you'll notice a totally different taste profile. Tip. If you want to try North-European style coffee, select "fine (European drip)" in the grind specification when you order your coffees with us. The myth about Espresso roast Espresso has to be a dark roast, right? Not necessarily so. Espresso indicates the use of high pressure to brew concentrated coffee and can be done with beans of different roast profiles. It is true that the brew-method of choice for dark roasts is using the high pressure of an espresso machine: dark roasted coffee can rely less on the natural acidity of the coffee to transfer the flavors to the water. But the opposite premise, that you therefore need a dark roast to brew espresso, is not true. As a matter of fact: Italian espresso is of a much lighter roast than we generally use in the US. At the Roasted Bean we adopted the Caribbean style Espresso roast, which is in between the lighter Italian style Espresso, and the darker "Seattle" roast. Tip. Espresso coffee in the US and Latin America is traditionally a blend of mild, high-quality Arabica's from South America with or without a small percentage of Robusta (our standard house-blend uses Brazil, Guatemala and Colombia -- no Robusta). But several roasters in Europe swear by the combination of African and South American coffees. If you like to try that, or any other blend, just email us the specification of your blend and roast at , and we'll get it off to you!!! The melting pot of cultures in South Florida The Roasted Bean includes traditions from Sweden, Holland, Cuba, Peru, Argentina, Australia, Canada, South Africa, Italy, Spain and all Four Corners of the continental US. Our customers represent many more countries and traditions. If there is such a thing as an eclectic coffee culture, combining the good from all these different coffee cultures, then you can find it at The Bean! More on company history

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