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Coffee culture is huge, and it shows no signs of ever slowing down. It is, after all, the beverage of choice among workaholics, creatives, and romantics meeting for a first date. For some, coffee is the perfect end to a meal, while for others, it marks the start of a productive morning.
Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of coffee culture is the fact that the average bean has probably traveled more than you have. It takes several processes to turn red coffee cherries into espresso. Let’s take a look at the four main steps:
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Drying The Beans
Once the coffee cherries have been processed, the beans (the seeds inside the cherry) are dried. They’re either sundried by being turned regularly or machine-dried and spun. In order to prepare them for their destiny at the coffee roastery, they must lose about 90% of their moisture content. Once they’re dry, the beans are referred to as parchment coffee, and this is the state in which they’re exported around the world.
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Milling The Beans
After being measured out into jute bags and exported, the parchment coffee is ready to be milled. This process is done in three different stages. First comes the hulling – a process that removes the outer casing of the beans when they are wet. Dry hulling is a process to remove the entire dry husk.
Polishing is the next step (although it isn’t always done), and it involves using a machine to remove any tiny fragments of leftover skin. Finally, there is the grading and sorting process. Beans of a similar size and color are sorted together. Beans that have insect damage, are over-fermented, or are flawed in any way are discarded.
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Roasting The Coffee
The coffee seeds have, up until this point, been raw, green, and far from the aromatic beans we are used to grinding up for our morning cup of java. To take them a step closer to the coffee beans we all know and love, the seeds are roasted at 550 degrees Fahrenheit. They must be kept moving throughout the process, so they don’t burn.
Pyrolysis is the name given to the process in which the heat starts to bring out the aromatic fragrances from inside the bean. This is the result of certain oils becoming activated when the beans hit around 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Grinding The Coffee
After roasting, the beans are immediately cooled and packaged as quickly as possible. Coffee is ground according to the brewing method – the quicker the brew, the finer the ground has to be. For example, espresso is brewed really quickly, so it needs a fine grind. Meanwhile, drip coffee is a slower process, so the beans must be ground coarsely to get the perfect cup.
The ideal grind for a certain brew will get the best possible flavor for that cup of coffee. The scent of coffee is one of a kind, and research has indicated that it actually has an energizing effect on the brain too.
Brewing The Perfect Cup Of Coffee
Coffee should be ground at the last possible minute before the coffee is brewed – that’s why buying beans is better than buying ground coffee. The best grinders are burr grinders or mill grinders as opposed to blade grinders, which might grind the coffee too finely. Coffee brewed with filtered water is preferable to tap water as the chlorine in tap water can affect the flavor and taste of your coffee. Heat the water to between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit, and you’re in for a flavorsome cup!
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