Coffee Basics
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What is Coffee?
Coffee is a beverage prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It has the highest sales in the world market for hot drinks.
A coffee bean is a seed, yellow or red cherry when ripe, that grows on a flowering plant or small tree. There are two beans per coffee cherry growing flat side to flat side.
Coffee trees are pruned short to conserve their energy and aid in harvesting but can grow to more than 30 feet high. Each tree is covered with green, waxy leaves with coffee cherries growing along the branches. Because it grows in a continuous cycle, it is not unusual to see flowers, green fruit, and ripe fruit simultaneously on a single tree.
It takes nearly a year for a coffee cherry to mature after first flowering, and about 5 years of growth to reach full fruit production. While coffee plants can live up to 100 years, they are the most productive between the ages of 7 and 20. Proper care can maintain and even increase their output over the years, depending on the variety. The average coffee tree produces 10 pounds of coffee cherries per year, or 2 pounds of green beans.
Coffee Species
In the commercial coffee industry, there are two important coffee species — Arabica and Robusta.
Coffea Arabica — C. Arabica
Varieties: Bourbon, Typica, Caturra, Mundo Novo, Tico, San Ramon, Jamaican Blue Mountain
Coffea Arabica is descended from the original coffee trees discovered in Ethiopia. These trees produce a fine, mild, aromatic coffee and represent approximately 70% of the world's coffee production. The beans are flatter and more elongated than Robusta and lower in caffeine.
On the world market, Arabica coffees bring the highest prices. The better Arabicas are high grown coffees — generally grown between 2,000 to 6,000 feet (610 to 1830 meters) above sea level — though optimal altitude varies with proximity to the equator.
The most principal factor is that temperatures must remain mild, ideally between 59 - 75 degrees Fahrenheit, with about sixty inches of rainfall a year. The trees are hearty, but a heavy frost will kill them.
Arabica trees are costly to cultivate because the ideal terrain tends to be steep, and access is difficult. Also, because the trees are more disease-prone than Robusta, they require additional care and attention.
Coffea canephora — C. canephora var. Robusta
Variety: Robusta
Most of the world's Robusta is grown in Central and Western Africa, parts of Southeast Asia, including Indonesia and Vietnam, and in Brazil. Production of Robusta is increasing, though it accounts for only about 30% of the world market.
Robusta is primarily used in blends and for instant coffees. The Robusta bean itself tends to be slightly rounder and smaller than an Arabica bean. The Robusta tree is heartier and more resistant to disease and parasites, which makes it easier and cheaper to cultivate. It also has the advantage of being able to withstand warmer climates, preferring constant temperatures between 75- and 85-degrees Fahrenheit, which enables it to grow at far lower altitudes than Arabica.
It requires about 60 inches of rainfall a year and cannot withstand frost. Compared with Arabica, Robusta beans produce a coffee which has a distinctive taste and about 50-60% more caffeine.
The Coffee Life Cycle
Coffee has a life cycle which is consistent and predictable.
1. Harvesting
Coffee berries are picked by hand or machine when ripe.
Harvesting is done by hand carefully selecting the coffee cherries.
2. Processing
Coffee seeds are separated from the pulp and dried.
After the coffee cherries are picked and cleaned, they can be dried in the sun. The black, brown, discolored, and insect-damaged beans are removed from the green beans.
3. Roasting
Coffee seeds are roasted at high temperatures to develop flavor and aroma.
Roasting transforms both the chemical and physical properties of green or raw coffee. During the process, the beans absorb heat which leads to changes in color, density, taste, and smell.
4. Grinding
Roasted coffee seeds are ground to different degrees of fineness.
Grind level can affect taste and appearance. Grind sizes are measured in a scale of levels 1-10, 1 being the finest most powder-like grind, and 10 being the coarsest grind. The finer the grind, the more flavor will be extracted in the time the coffee is brewed. Espresso is brewed with the finest grind, French press takes longer because the grind is coarse.
5. Consumption
Brewed coffee can be enjoyed in various ways and on various occasions.
Brewed coffee can be served hot or cold, straight up or with milk, flavors, etc. There are so many options of how to serve it.
6. Recycling
Used coffee grounds can be reused for various purposes.
Used coffee grounds are great for gardens and plants – they provide nutrients helpful to good plant health.
Source: NCUSA website.
