It's disputed as to where the best coffee in the world is grown, but many believe that the best premium gourmet coffee is grown in South America because in order to create the best coffee beans are needed for the process as well as the clearest water, etc.
In 2005 Brazil was the leader in production of coffee beans, and the soils here allow for some of the best conditions to grow coffee. It's also disputed that some of the best coffee is grown in Columbia, and in the 1990's a particular coffee company bearing the namesake became extremely popular from using Columbian coffee beans. The gourmet quality of coffee also comes from the way in which coffee is prepared, stored and roasted.
Storage is a key factor in determining premium gourmet coffee, is how it is stored. Most coffee is stored in an air tight container, and not allowing this air to enter preserves the essential oils. Also the beans need to be stored in a cool place, but not frozen. Freezing beans can damage them and make their taste poor.
Preparing of the coffee also determines whether or not it is gourmet coffee. For example, preparing coffee as an espresso is a more common gourmet use of Coffee beans and makes an excellent Premium gourmet coffee.
Espresso making requires a special machine, one that uses cream as well as other ingredients to make a particularly strong type of coffee. Espresso is known for its rich flavor as well as high caffeine content, making or one of the more well known Premium gourmet coffees
How the beans are roasted also determines whether or not the beans will turn into premium gourmet coffees. For example the beans need to be roasted in a particular way or they will be burned or damaged giving off poor flavor.
The variety of roasting methods also give off different colors as well as different flavors. It is left up to personal interpretation at this point on how the beans will be judged as satisfactory or not. Some people prefer light roast, some people prefer dark roast. Much of this depends on personal gourmet taste.
Presentation of coffee is another factor that makes it premium gourmet coffee. A pleasing presentation will make the coffee experience that much more gourmet with a beautiful design. For example lattes, coffee drinks made with hot milk, are the best in which to draw designs on the thin layer of milk that sits on top of the latte.
Individual creativity comes into play here, and many coffeehouses will either drizzle a topping such as caramel or create the designs mentioned before giving a rich gourmet experience. Mostly in these coffee houses premium gourmet coffee is served as well as the various gourmet concoctions.
Premium gourmet coffees are determined in how the coffee is prepared, where the bean came from, and how the bean was stored and roasted. Mostly the roasting as well as the origin of the beans play the most important party in determining what is the best gourmet coffee. Also personal taste must also play a part when dealing with a diverse gourmet such as coffee.
