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Choosing a Coffee  The three major coffee producing regions are Africa & the Arabian Peninsula, Latin America, and Indonesia. Coffees from a particular country or region are referred to as “single origins”.
1 African/Yemen beans are often described as medium to full bodied, aggressive, earthy, with a wine-like or fruity acidity. 2 Latin American coffees are light to medium bodied, lively, sweet (especially if a darker roast) and are more aromatic. 3 Indonesians are traditionally rich, smooth, full-bodied, low in acidity. 
A premium single origin coffee can be enjoyed for its own qualities; however, blending different origins together can create new and interesting flavour experiences. Blending is based on creating contrasts, such as taking the acidity of a Latin American coffee and blending it with the smoothness and richness of an Indonesian. The oldest traditional blend is the Mocha Java. The two coffees complement one another, the acidity and aroma of the Mocha balances the softer, full-bodied Java. Or you can use Kenyan and a Sumatran coffee to create this blend.  Start with a single origin coffee that you know well and enjoy. Then add a second coffee to create a contrast. Use equal measures to start with and remember to keep notes. In addition to blending two or more origins, varying roast levels will bring out different qualities, even in the same bean! Altering the proportions in the blend will change the final character as well.
 These are generalized principles of successful coffee blending and are techniques anyone can play around with. Why not experiment for yourself? Impress your family and friends by offering them your own personal blend!
Keeping Your Coffee Fresh 
Buy the freshest coffee possible, ideally not more than you will consume in a few weeks, and store your beans in an airtight, preferably lightproof container. If you can, use a container that allows you to squeeze out as much air as possible before sealing. A bean is a natural flavour capsule. We recommend you buy your roasted coffee in whole bean form and only grind what you will use immediately. Air (oxygen) is very damaging to coffee flavour and aroma, so the more you limit the surface area by not grinding the beans all at once, the longer you will retain the delicate flavour and aroma of your coffee. There are differing minds on whether to keep your coffee supply at room temperature, in the refrigerator, or in the freezer. Though, everyone agrees that the cooler the coffee is kept the slower it loses its fresh flavour. Most of the debate centres around the condensation created when you take your coffee in and out of the cold, as this will also have a detrimental effect on your coffee beans. We recommend you store your beans in the freezer, in an airtight container, preferably wrapped in a few layers of plastic cling film. Take out and grind only what you will brew immediately. You do not need to thaw the beans – frozen beans will grind up just as well as those at room temperature. We believe the flavour advantages of keeping your beans cold (protecting the delicate coffee oils) outweigh any potential damage caused by condensation, especially since you will leave the main supply in the freezer, thus limiting any formation. Properly storing and freezing a small two-week supply of coffee beans in the above manner is unlikely to cause much in the way of noticeable damage by condensation, but will offer the advantage of prolonging the fresh flavour and aroma of your coffee a little longer.
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Choosing a Coffee 
