News RSS

Arabica, or coffea arabica, is the most widely grown species of the coffee plant, and generally considered to be superior to other common varieties such as robusta. Produced in dozens of countries between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer, Arabica now represents around 60% of global production. It is usually grown at elevations of around 1,300-1,500m, sometimes higher, and predominantly grows in subtropical climates with high altitudes, such as in Brazil, Colombia and Central America. The range of characteristics that are revealed in Arabica coffees is vast, complex and exciting, offering a great diversity of flavour profiles,...

The term “strength” gets used often when talking about the wonderful world of coffee, but for such a regularly used reference to the coffee drinking experience, the term can actually be a bit unclear. It is perfectly understandable, and very common, to think of a strong coffee as being high in caffeine content, but this is rarely correct; many coffee sellers instead define coffee strength in terms of flavours and aroma. At Coffee Direct, we place a coffee bean variety in our “strong coffee” range, based on the perceived strength of a brewed cup of coffee. If one of our...

If you’ve been looking to reduce your caffeine intake but are worried that this will mean resorting to bland, flavourless decaffeinated coffees, you couldn’t be more wrong! Decaffeinated coffees have come a long way, with processes now in place that remove caffeine from beans so efficiently, that even the most experienced coffee aficionado would have a hard time telling the difference between a regular bean and a decaf bean. Our range of delicious decaffeinated coffee beans bring you all of the full flavours and rich aromas of our freshly roasted coffees, but can be enjoyed all through the day without...

With the warm weather set to continue in the UK, you may be thinking of ways to get your caffeine fix while staying cool and refreshed. If you haven’t had the pleasure of enjoying a delicious, homemade iced coffee or a cold brew coffee until now, why not treat yourself to these perfect summer coffees using our handy guide? Iced Coffee or Cold Brew?While there are the obvious similarities between iced coffees and cold brew coffees, there is an important difference between the two: iced coffee involves brewing coffee in the usual way, using hot water before cooling it and...

There are numerous ways that we can get the most out of our coffee, whether that is by choosing the right bean roasts and flavour profiles to suit our taste, opting for a preferred brewing method and experimenting with different varieties or blends, but perhaps the most important part in the coffee making process is in ensuring that the coffee beans are fresh and full of those incredible flavours. Beans that have not been freshly roasted, or not kept fresh in suitable packaging after roasting, can have a very noticeable, unpleasant effect on the taste and aromas of your coffee....