How Is Coffee Made (from Seeds To Cup)? - HomeGrounds

HOW IS COFFEE MADE? COFFEE PRODUCTION FROM SEED TO CUP

Have you ever considered what it would take to make a cup of coffee from scratch, starting from a seed?

Coffee has become such a regular part of our lives that it’s easy to take it for granted. But in fact, it takes several years, dozens of people, and thousands of travel miles traveled to create your delicious morning cup of joe.

In this article, I’m going to take you along on the journey of coffee right from the farm to your favorite mug. Understanding the effort that went into producing your coffee drink will make it taste that much better!

How Is Coffee Made, Step By Step?

What does it take to make a cup of coffee? Probably a lot more than you expect!

You need to grow a coffee plant to a level of maturity where it produces fruit, harvest and process the fruit to get the coffee beans, and then roast the beans – all before you even start brewing. Let’s take a look at each of those steps in more detail. I bet by the end, you’ll be thinking that even those expensive specialty coffee beans are pretty incredible value.

Growing Coffee: From Seed to Plant

Coffee comes from the Coffea plant, a species of shrubs or small trees native to tropical Asia and Africa. Today, coffee is grown around the world, but it thrives in certain climates found near the equator. The regions where coffee beans come from are collectively known as the coffee belt.

The key conditions for a successful coffee plantation are ample sunshine, no frost, plenty of rain, and well-draining soil. Other factors, like mineral-rich soils, high elevation, and steady day-to-night temperatures, contribute to growing high-end coffee.

The Main Types Of Coffee Plant

The two main types of coffee are Arabica and Robusta.

Specialty coffee is exclusively Arabica coffee beans, which are considered superior thanks to sweeter and more complex flavors. Unfortunately, they are more expensive and challenging to grow. They tend to have smaller yields and are more susceptible to pests, diseases, and poor weather. Robusta is a hardier plant that thrives in rougher conditions, making it a more reliable income source for farmers. It has a reputation for harsher flavors, which has long led to its use primarily in cheaper coffee blends and instant coffee (1).

However, it is possible to produce high-quality Robusta with flavors that rival Arabica, which may be crucial for maintaining the coffee industry in a changing climate.

Ultimately, both coffee bean types have a place in the coffee world, and there are many examples of fine Arabica-Robusta hybrids.

How Long Does It Take A Coffee Tree To Produce Beans?

It takes three to four years for a newly planted coffee tree to start bearing fruit. So becoming a coffee farmer is an exercise in patience.

The fruits of the coffee plant are known as coffee cherries. Coffee beans form inside the cherries, and the coffee is harvested when the cherries are ripe.

The heart of each coffee cherry typically contains two coffee beans. Occasionally, only a single bean will form. This rare mutation is known as a peaberry, and it produces some very prized coffees.

Processing Coffee: From Plant to Green Coffee Bean

Coffee processing is the step of removing the coffee beans from the coffee cherry and drying them. This results in green beans that can be stored until roasting.

There are two main methods of processing coffee: wet and dry.

Dry processing, also called natural processing, is the oldest method, requiring few resources and no special technology. It remains popular in regions with ample sunshine and a limited water supply.

In dry processing, the coffee cherries are left in the sun to ferment before the fruity pulp is removed. The beans absorb sugars from the fruit during the process, so naturally processed coffees are often sweeter. It is a challenging method to control because the cherries can rot in the sun if not tended carefully.

Wet processing, also known as washed processing, is a newer method that has grown in popularity because it is easier to control, particularly in regions without reliable sunshine. In this method, the pulp from the coffee cherry is removed from the beans prior to fermentation in tanks of water.

The coffee is much more consistent and has a cleaner taste that appeals to many coffee lovers (2).

What I love about washed coffees is that they can have pure intrinsic flavours from the bean, if the washing is done properly.

The downside of wet processing is that it is more resource-intensive. It requires a lot of water, and wastewater management can present environmental problems.

Other Processing Methods

Honey processing is essentially a mix of wet and dry. The cherry pulp is only partially removed before fermentation and drying. The resulting coffee is both sweet and clean-tasting. It is common in Brazil and Costa Rica.

Wet-hulling is used in regions with humid climates, primarily Indonesia and Sumatra – where it is known as giling basah. The coffee is processed with an additional layer of parchment removed from the beans to speed up the drying process. Wet-hulled coffee tends to have a full body, low acidity, and earthy flavors.

Modern coffee farmers are increasingly turning to experimental processing methods to create unique flavor profiles and add value to their beans. These include things like anaerobic fermentation, carbonic maceration, and lactic fermentation.

Selling And Shipping

After processing, coffee is sold to a roaster, either directly or through a middleman. The price varies considerably depending on the quality of the coffee and whether it is organic or Fair Trade coffee. It is then shipped to a roastery, often thousands of miles away.

Roasting Coffee: From Green to Brown Coffee Bean

Coffee roasting serves two main purposes. It adds flavor by caramelizing the sugars in the coffee beans, and it makes the beans more porous, so it is easier to extract those flavors when you make coffee. Roasting the coffee also imparts the rich brown color you recognize from the local coffee shop or grocery store.

The flavor roasted coffee beans depends on the time and temperature of roasting. Light roasted beans still taste mainly of the origin, with bright fruit and floral flavors. Medium roast coffees take on some flavors of caramelization from the roast. Dark roast coffees get much of their character from the roasting process, with toasted flavor notes and a full body.

White coffee is a unique style of coffee in which the beans are roasted only about halfway to a light roast. It has a pale beige color, a distinct nutty flavor profile, and a tea-like body.

Brewing and Extraction: From Coffee Beans to a Coffee Drink

There are many brewing methods for coffee, and new ones are popping up all the time! But at their core, they all do the same thing. Brewing extracts the soluble flavor compounds from the coffee beans into water. I would have said hot water, but let’s not forget cold brew coffee.

Coffee is ground to facilitate this extraction by increasing its surface area. If you’ve ever tried soaking whole beans in hot water, you’ll know why it’s so important to grind the coffee.

Finer ground coffee beans have more surface area and can be extracted faster. That’s why you need finely ground coffee to pull a quick shot of espresso. A medium grind is used for a pour-over or drip machine, and a coarse grind is better for a slow method like French press or cold brew.

Final Thoughts

I hope that having a greater understanding of the immense resources – human, financial, and environmental – required to brew your cup of coffee makes that first sip taste even better. Coffee might seem commonplace, but it’s a luxury we are privileged to enjoy and should not take for granted. So make sure you savor every second of your next specialty brew!

FAQs

How is instant coffee made?

Instant coffee is made from coffee that has been brewed, concentrated, and then dehydrated to a powder – either through freeze-drying or spray-drying. Compared with ground coffee, instant coffee is much faster to brew, and because the coffee granules are soluble, there are no used grounds to clean up.

What are coffee beans technically?

A coffee bean is actually a seed, not a bean. It’s the seed of the ripe coffee fruit, which is called the coffee cherry or, sometimes, the coffee berry. The term coffee bean arose simply because the coffee seeds look like little beans.

What is global coffee production?

As of 2022, world coffee production was 168.5 million 60-kg bags (21,846 million pounds), of which about two-thirds were Arabica beans. The largest producer is Brazil, followed by Vietnam (3).

References

1. Rinaldo, M. (2023, November 22). “If It’s Hidden, It’s We Who Hide”— On Discovering the Potential of Robusta Through Roasting. Retrieved from https://freshcup.com/if-it-stays-hidden-its-we-who-hide-on-discovering-the-potential-of-robusta-through-roasting/
2. Ospina, A.K.M. (2018, December 18). Processing 101: What Is Washed Coffee & Why Is It So Popular? Retrieved from https://perfectdailygrind.com/2018/12/processing-101-what-is-washed-coffee-why-is-it-so-popular/
3. Shahbandeh, M. (2024, May 24). Coffee market: worldwide production 2003/04-2021/22. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/263311/worldwide-production-of-coffee/