I meet a lot of people who do not know that raw coffee beans are actually green before they are roasted brown.
Coffee “beans” are actually seeds that start their life inside the fruit, referred to as the “cherry,” grown on an evergreen bush.
Depending on the variety, this fruit will be either red or yellow when ripe and yields about two coffee beans.
While there are a number of different species of coffee plants, only two are used for brewing coffee – robusta and Arabica.
The robusta varieties are considered inferior in taste and are used as filler for blending. The Arabica varieties are the more sought after coffees and are the only type that can be considered specialty.
Because they’re grown at higher altitudes, Arabicas tend to be heartier due to the thinner atmosphere and cooler temperatures.
Many coffee farms are located in more mountainous regions in the temperate, equatorial belt such as Columbia, Guatemala, Ethiopia or the island of Sumatra.
Small farmers and larger co-operatives will tend their plants until harvest time, at which point specially trained pickers will hand pick ripe cherries. The cherries are then bagged for transport to either a mill or a washing station.
Then the coffee is combined with others of like variety and put through one of two basic types of processing.
Wet processing
During wet processing, the coffee is soaked in a tank of water to loosen the peel and mucilage, which is a gummy substance found on the beans.
A certain acceptable amount of fermentation will occur during this process.
Then they are run through a special mill that pushes the beans out of the peel and mucilage. At this point the beans are now in “parchment,” which is a thick skin that remains around the beans.
The coffee is then laid out on a drying patio until it reaches a certain moisture level.
When this level is achieved, the coffee is returned to the milling machine to remove the parchment.
The beans are then returned to the drying patio for a final drying stage.
Dry processing
With dry, or natural, processing the beans skip the initial soak and milling process and are taken directly to the drying patio with the fruit attached.
During this drying time, the fruit will ferment, changing the chemistry of the beans. This requires careful monitoring because if the fermentation is taken too far the coffee will produce a soured taint.
If done correctly, however, the coffees will produce strong fruity notes of cherry, blueberry, plum and apricot.
After the processing is complete, the coffees are shipped to ports where they are sorted and graded for quality.
Samples are roasted and then tasted to decide market price. Buyers will do additional tastings, or “cuppings,” and then make offers for purchasing.
Then the coffee is resold to wholesale or retail buyers who will roast the coffee that finds its way to your cup.
All in all, it’s a journey that can take several months to complete, but well worth it when you get to taste that finer, specialty roast in your cup. |
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