The steps to making coffee are:
- Growing the coffee trees
- Harvesting the coffee cherries
- Processing the cherries via dry or wet processing
- Shipping the coffee by air or sea
- Roasting the coffee
- Brewing the coffee by various methods
Do you want to learn more about how your coffee makes it from farm to table? Read on to learn the ins and outs of the life of a coffee bean!
How does coffee grow?
Coffee beans develop inside a “cherry” that grows on woody evergreens that can grow up to 30 feet in the wild.
Coffee beans are actually seeds. Each cherry contains about two of these seeds.
Coffee trees start to flower between 3-5 years old. Small white flowers grow where the branches meet the leaves.
According to The Roasterie Coffee Company, about two months after the flowers are pollinated, the coffee cherry begins to grow. They turn pink, yellow, orange, or red depending on the variety.
Coffee trees usually live for around 3 or 4 decades, although some are known to live for as long as 8 decades!
How is coffee harvested?
Coffee is traditionally harvested by hand either by selective picking or strip picking.
Selective picking is when you only pick the ripe cherries, returning to the coffee trees consistently for about a month to pick individual cherries as they ripen. Arabica coffee is harvested through selective picking.
Strip picking is when all the cherries on a tree are harvested at the same time, both ripe and unripe cherries. Strip picking is generally reserved for Robusta coffee.
There are also machines that shake the coffee trees and make all the cherries fall out at once instead of strip picking by hand.
What is dry processing?
Dry processing is when the cherries get laid out in the sun on a drying patio.
The goal is to dry the beans and remove the fruit of the cherry.
After about a month, the dried up cherry is mechanically removed.
Dry processed coffee is also known as “unwashed.” It is believed to be the most ancient method of processing coffee cherries.
What is wet processing?
When coffee cherries are wet processed, the fruit is removed before the beans are dried. This method is also known as “washed coffee.”
Wet processing needs specific equipment and a large amount of water.
First, the cherries are sorted by being immersed in water. The unripe or bad fruit floats to the top and the good, ripe fruit sinks.
Next, the cherry’s skin is removed by water and a screen. Lastly, the pulp is removed by the ferment-and-wash method or newer technology.
How is coffee shipped?
Transporting the coffee from the farm to the roastery to the consumer is a vital part of the coffee making process.
Green coffee beans need to arrive in good condition with a lot of time to roast and package them, whereas roasted coffee must stay fresh and not get damaged on its way to the customer.
The two most common ways of shipping coffee are by air or sea. Shipping coffee by sea is much cheaper because you can move more at once, but it can take anywhere from weeks to months to reach its destination.
Meanwhile, air freight takes less time but must be carefully planned to account for the effects of cabin pressure.
How does roasting work?
According to the National Coffee Association, roasting causes chemical changes within the beans as they are quickly brought to high temperatures.
When they reach the perfect roast, they are swiftly cooled so that they don’t keep changing.
Roasted beans weigh less since most of the moisture gets heated out during the roasting process.
It takes many years of training to become an expert roaster because the beans can go from perfect to ruined within seconds and you need to be able to make a quick decision.
How is decaffeinated coffee made?
Decaffeination is a very extensive process that requires a specialized facility.
Some large companies own their own decaf plants, but besides that, coffee companies work with decaffeination companies or contract the work through importers.
To decaffeinate coffee, the beans get water-logged while they’re green. This makes the caffeine soluble and causes it to dissolve into the water.
How do you make coffee using a French Press?
The last step to making coffee is brewing it. One brewing method is a French Press.
French Presses create strong, flavorful coffee because the grounds are steeped and fully saturated without the use of a filter.
To make French Press coffee:
- Take the plunger off of the French Press.
- Add 7-8 grams of coffee to your French Press per 200ml of water.
- Pour 200 degrees F water into the pot and give it a gentle stir.
- Put the plunger back on the French Press but don’t plunge down.
- Let it steep for 3-4 minutes.
- Slowly press down the plunger.
- Serve!
How do you make coffee using a Chemex?
Pour over coffee is a favorite among coffee enthusiasts because every step of the process can be tightly dialed in. There is a steep learning curve, but using a Chemex can bring out the true flavor profile of your coffee.
To make coffee in a Chemex:
- Heat your water to 205 degrees F.
- Weigh 36 grams of coffee and grind it to a medium grind.
- Put the filter in your Chemex with the layered side facing the spout.
- Wet your filter thoroughly with the hot water and then pour the water out without removing the filter.
- Add your coffee to the Chemex and reset your scale.
- Start a timer. For the first 30 seconds, soak all of your grinds with 72 grams of water (a 2:1 ratio of water to coffee.)
- Each 30 seconds add about 110 grams of water until you reach 500 grams, pouring in a circular motion.
- After reaching 500 grams, wait for all of the water to drain through the coffee.
- Serve!
How do you make cold brew?
Cold brew is a slow infusion process that pulls the flavor out of the beans and leaves behind the compounds that make coffee bitter or sour. Because of this, cold brew is incredibly smooth.
Use 113 grams of coffee for every 907 grams of water, or a 1:4 ratio of coffee to water. This ratio can be adjusted based on how strong you like your cold brew to be.
Soak coarsely ground coffee in the water overnight for 12 hours.
The next morning, drain your coffee. You can cut it with water or milk until it’s to your liking, and then serve!
Hi, I’m Jen Williams, chief editor and writer for ThirstPerk.com.
I’ve been drinking coffee and tea for most of my life, but it wasn’t until I started working at Thirstperk.com that I became an expert on the subject. I’m a total caffeine addict who has spent hours upon hours reading about and experimenting with the different types of coffees out there in my search to find the perfect cup of joe.
I’ve been a tea lover for as long as I can remember as well. I grew up in a house with a mom who loved to drink herbal tea, and I think that’s where my love for tea first began. These days, I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting teas to try, and I love experimenting with different brewing methods and flavoring combinations.
