Coffee - from bean to cup

Tommy Winberg

The origin of coffee

The history of coffee stretches far back in time and has a fascinating journey from its origins in Ethiopia to becoming a globally appreciated beverage. It is said that coffee was first discovered by nomadic goats who, curiously enough, exhibited immersive energy after eating from coffee bushes. This caught people's attention, and soon the local population in Ethiopia began using the coffee beans to brew an invigorating drink. Over time, coffee culture spread across the world, and coffee became one of the most loved and consumed beverages globally. The history of coffee is a story of discovery, trade, and passion for this aromatic drink that has united people across cultures and generations.

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The coffee tree

The coffee tree grows in a subtropical climate, has dark green glossy leaves, and is covered in white flowers when it blooms. The scent of these flowers is reminiscent of jasmine. After just a few days, the flowers are replaced by green cherry-like fruits. The fruits sit in clusters and change their color through various shades of green, through golden brown, to red or yellow. When the fruits have reached their final color, i.e., some form of red mixed with yellow, they are ripe.

Where does the coffee tree come from?

The coffee tree comes from Ethiopia and Sudan on the African continent. It is from there that the coffee tree, of the species Coffea, spread to other parts of the world. There are more than 70 species of the genus Coffea; the two most common are Arabica (Coffea arabica) and Robusta (Coffea canephora). Arabica is by far the most common species because it makes up about three-quarters of total coffee production. Coffea arabica is a typical tropical highland plant and is significantly more difficult to grow than Robusta. Together, the two account for about 98 percent of all coffee production. The size of coffee trees varies from small dwarf bushes to trees around twelve meters tall.

Coffee – from bean to cup

Growing coffee requires a lot of careful work. Producing coffee from bean to cup goes through the various stages of planting, cultivation, harvesting, processing, classification, blending, roasting, grinding, and last but not least, preparation.

Coffee production is a fascinating process that includes several steps from bean to cup. Through careful work and expertise, raw coffee beans are transformed into the beloved drink that many of us cannot start the day without. Learn more about coffee production in our article!

Cultivation and planting

Before planting the seeds, they must first be selected and germinated. They are raised in nurseries where they receive just the right amount of sun and shade. About six months later, it is time to plant them out in the fields. There, the soil has been prepared with fertilizers and mineral substances. The plants are placed in rows that follow the contour lines of the slopes, with plenty of space between the rows to facilitate the care of the trees. Care is required all year round, and it takes at least two years before the plants yield any harvest.

Harvesting

When the coffee bush's fruits shift to their characteristic red hue, they are ready to be harvested. This happens about once a year. The fruits are picked carefully by hand, where they are gently scraped off their branches. This is an expensive and time-consuming process, but it results in coffee of exceptional quality.

There are different ways to harvest coffee. You can hand-pick only the ripe berries on each cluster, you can strip all the berries off a branch by hand, regardless of the stage of ripeness they are in, and you can use a pneumatic device that shakes the branches so that the ripe berries fall to the ground. Inside each berry are two beans. Almost 150 million bags of 60kg coffee beans are produced per year.

When hand-picking only the ripe berries, they are processed according to what is usually called the wet method. This means that the berries are put into a peeling machine, a pulper, which removes most of the fruit pulp. Then the berries are left in a tank for 1-3 days. In the tank, naturally occurring enzymes work to dissolve the remaining fruit pulp. After that, the beans are washed and then dried, and when they have dried, the two skins, the silver skin and the parchment skin, are peeled off with the help of a machine.

With the other harvesting methods, the beans are collected in sixty-liter baskets. Any twigs, leaves, and similar are sorted out, and the berries are washed. In the washing, the ripe berries are separated from old, dry berries that have started to rot. Then they must be dried. This is done on large concrete terraces where the berries are left to dry in the sun for 15-20 days. During that time, they are turned about every twenty minutes so that the drying is as even as possible. The ideal moisture content for coffee beans is 11-12 percent, and when the beans have reached that, the skins are peeled off in a machine. The coffee beans are packed and sent on to be classified.

Processing

After the coffee beans have been harvested by hand, the fruit pulp is removed, usually by washing or drying. In the dry processing, the berries are left out in the sun for about a week. This natural sun-drying breaks down the skin that protects the beans and makes it easier to remove. This gives the coffee a unique flavor profile. With the wet method, the berries' skin and pulp are washed away with the help of machines within a day of harvesting. Thereafter, the beans are dried, either naturally in the sun or mechanically. This method is faster and provides more control over the coffee's taste.

Classification

Classification is done with the help of spot checks. Each bag is poked with a long pointed tool that takes a small sample from each bag. These samples are then collected into units of 300 grams and classified according to the number of defects. Defects include, for example, broken beans, green beans, skins, twigs, and small stones. This classification determines the price the grower can get for their coffee. At the same time, the beans are sorted by size and weight to be filled into sixty-kilogram bags where all beans have a uniform size and quality. They are then ready to be sold on.

A taster also tastes the coffee at this stage. Beans from the sampling are lightly roasted, ground, and distributed in small amounts in a number of glasses, after which boiling water is poured on. The taster inhales the aroma from each glass, then the samples are allowed to cool. When the grounds have sunk to the bottom, the taster takes a sample with a spoon, sucks it into their mouth, and quickly spits it out again. At a rapid pace, they go through all the glasses in the same way. When finished, they classify the coffee according to a scale ranging from mild to hard.

Blending and roasting coffee beans

Blending is usually done with green coffee, and the goal is to reach a combination of different coffee varieties with characteristics that complement each other, so that the end result is a balanced product with good taste, aroma, and body. Roasting coffee beans, which comes next, can be light, medium, or dark. It is in the roasting that the aroma that is so special to coffee is released. The last step is grinding. The coarseness of the grounds is determined depending on whether it is intended to be brewed, boiled, or if it is for espresso, Turkish coffee, or some other variant.

Roasting coffee beans is the crucial process where raw coffee beans are transformed into the aromatic, flavorful beans we use to brew our coffee. Read more about that here: Roasting coffee beans