What does Java Bob's offer?
Java Bob's is a full-service coffee roaster, which means we provide fresh roasted coffee, equipment, services, and supplies to cafes, restaurants, hotels and grocery stores. We offer the finest coffees from around the world, including proprietary recipes and blends, certified organic, decaffeinated, and flavored varieties. Our commitment to full-service ensures that customers always get fast and responsive personal attention, from prompt telephone callbacks to fulfillment of special orders to rush deliveries.
What is the key to great coffee?
Start with fresh roasted Arabica coffee. Store coffee properly and grind it just prior to brewing. Coffee is perishable and it begins to change as soon as it comes out of the roaster. As coffee ages, the complex flavors that make a great brew are gradually lost and it becomes flat and lifeless. Buy coffee weekly from a specialty roaster that guarantees quality and consistency.
How should coffee be stored?
Store coffee beans in an airtight container, in a cool, dark place. Air is the enemy of coffee, as the oxygen in air will oxidize the flavor compounds present in fresh coffee. Do not store coffee in a refrigerator because moisture will condense on the beans, accelerating aging. If coffee must be stored for over a week or two, store it in the freezer in an airtight container. Do not return coffee to the freezer once it has been removed.
What grind should I use?
That depends on the type of coffee you are brewing. Medium drip grind should be used with automatic coffee makers with basket filters, fine drip grind with automatic coffee makers with cone filters, and extra-fine drip grind with Espresso machines.
How is coffee actually roasted?
Coffee roasting is the art and skill that is the key to great coffee. Roasting the beans at the appropriate temperature for very specific time periods caramelizes sugars and carbohydrates, creating the coffee oils that give the coffee its flavor and aroma. All Java Bob's coffee is roasted in small batches, on fluid bed roasters. Fluid bed roasting utilizes a column of forced hot air to simultaneously agitate and roast green coffee beans, allowing precise roasting at the optimum temperature for each coffee variety. Fluid bed roasting is superior to drum roasting, which can burn the chaff, or skin of the bean, forming a deposit that may alter the flavor of the coffee.
What makes Java Bob's Espresso so great?
Espresso means "fast" in Italian. A good Espresso is the hallmark of the skilled barista as well as the skilled roaster. Espresso is a brewing method of brewing where water is forced through finely ground coffee at high pressure. Espresso is extremely flavorful and aromatic, and topped with crema it is very smooth and sweet. While the blend, freshness, grind, tamp, timing, and temperature are all crucial to a fine Espresso, it is the blend that is at the heart of great espresso. Java Bob's espresso blends are selected and roasted according to methods refined over 20 years, and are legendary among coffee aficionados in Santa Cruz County.
What is the difference between Arabica coffee and Robusta coffee?
Arabica is the superior grade of coffee that is considered gourmet coffee. Arabica beans, from the Coffea arabica tree, were the earliest cultivated species of coffee, and to this day produce superior quality coffee compared to the other coffee species, such as Coffea robusta. Arabica beans have more desirable flavors and aromatic properties, and contain only about half of the caffeine of robusta. Robusta trees are easier to grow and maintain, and produce a higher yield, but have a more astringent flavor. Robusta coffee is a generally lower grade, lower price coffee.
How does Java Bob's support the coffee community?
Java Bob's works to maintain long-term partnerships with growers, and we actively support Coffee Kids, an international non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of the families and children living in coffee growing communities worldwide.
What is the story behind Java Bob's?
Java Bob's Coffee Roasting was founded in 1985 in Santa Cruz, not so much as a profit-making venture but because we really love good coffee. Since that time we've developed a loyal following in the local area, particularly for our espresso blends. We're expanding our market throughout the United States and Asia.
