It’s an indisputable fact that coffee makes the world go round, with the coffee industry generating billions of dollars in revenue each year. But just what goes into making a cup of coffee? This article will break down the entire process of how coffee goes from a seed to a cup of black nectar.
Planting and harvesting
Coffee beans are seeds used to grow coffee plants. Harvesters nurture these plants with loving attention, growing them in large shaded beds that are well-irrigated cradles for the coffee to grow into trees.
Within three or four years, the coffee trees will bear fruits that look like a cross between pomegranate seeds, grapes, and cherries – and the latter fruit gives them their name, coffee cherries.
Harvesters reap the cherries from their boughs when they’re bright red and fully ripe. Often, there’s a secondary process to select the ripest cherries of this bunch.
Bean processing
From here, coffee manufacturers launch into drying the coffee cherries. Sometimes, they use the traditional method of drying the cherries in the sun (which takes several weeks). Other times, beans can be processed on a large scale by being pulped, fermented, and rinsed in machines.
At this point, the dried beans – called parchment coffee – go through machines or manual processes to remove them from their hulls (much like rice grains are hulled to make white rice).
Testing coffee beans
Once they emerge from the processing phase, the beans (now called “green coffee”) go through a rigorous quality assurance process to remove any insect-ridden specimens and the last pieces of hull. The beans also experience further scrutiny in taste tests to guarantee their quality.
Roasting
When testers determine green coffee to be fit for consumption, manufacturers will roast the coffee on a large scale.
The beans roast around 550 degrees for 10 or 20 minutes and are kept on the move to prevent burning. In some cases, depending on the roast level of the intended product, the coffee may roast for more or less time.
Regardless, once the beans reach a sufficient temperature, they begin to turn brown and take on the beloved toasty aroma. Some companies and producers have unique coffee roasting processes, such as the catholic coffee production done by monks.
Grinding
After cooling off from its time in the oven, a coffee bean enters the next phase of its life in a grinder. In some cases, coffee beans are ground in coffee shops or at home; in other cases, manufacturers pre-grind the coffee.
Regardless, grinding the coffee reduces it to a form compatible with the various brewing methods – more coarse for drip brewing and more acceptable for French press brewing or instant coffee. At long last, the coffee completes its journey by entering a cup and being enjoyed.
Final thoughts
The coffee growing process is one of the most effective manufacturing operations in the modern world, with the rigorous process producing one of the planet’s most valuable commodities. If the industry’s 100 billion dollar profits indicate, that process is well worth the time.