Do you know what it takes for a coffee bean to turn into that smooth cup of joe? Let’s find out
Whether you like your coffee black, with cream or filled to the brim with sugar and flavourings, the primary ingredient you need is high-quality coffee beans–and where they come from is a fascinating tale, starting with cultivation.
Cultivation
There are several types of coffee seeds, but the two most popular are Arabica and Robusta beans. For a traditional cup of coffee Arabica, you need to plant a Coffea arabica plant. Similarly, for a cup of Robusta coffee, you need the Coffea canephora plant.
The process of seeing a seed through to a mature coffee plant takes between three and four years, with meticulous care given to it at every step. However, farmers cherish the hard work.
What (our job) gives us is a treasure
As farmer Aiddé Pérez of Finca Alta Luz puts it
Once the plant produces fruit, it’s time to harvest.
Harvesting
The coffee fruit is also called the cherry, and it has a soft, sweet flesh. The cherry starts green and gradually turns red or dark brown as it ripens.
When coffee picking season begins, many people rely on manual labour for this task. However, there’s been a trend towards mechanical harvesting. Machines make the process easier instead of relying on people to pick up several thousand kilograms of coffee fruit by hand.
Processing
The coffee seed has a hard coating that is resistant to water penetration, so it needs to soak in hot water for a while. Soaking helps remove the husk and the parchment layers surrounding the seed.
The seed is then placed in a device called a huller, which removes the hard outer shell of the seed to reveal the green bean. The bean is not ready to go into your cup just yet. First, it needs a good roasting.
Roasting
The flavour profile of the beans changes dramatically as they roast, and so does the colour. The beans turn from yellowish-green to lighter or darker shades of brown.
Chemical reactions between the sugars and various types of acids produce the characteristic coffee aroma. The roasting process also breaks down proteins and develops oils on the bean.
Brewing
Now it’s time to make your coffee. The seed has made its long journey to this point; it’s up to you to make the best of what you’ll be drinking.
And there you have it: a quick guide to the journey your morning coffee makes from seed to cup. This process is much more complex than described, but it still underscores how much hard work goes into it.
