I recently discovered what, I think, is the most remarkable fun fact about how coffee is made. Coffee plants take three to four years to reach maturity, where they begin to produce the “coffee cherries” or “fruit” that contains the coffee beans we know and love. After years of drinking coffee, knowing this fun fact makes me appreciate the journey from growing to roasting even more.
Even after the lengthy growing and harvesting stage, coffee beans still have many other steps until they can be enjoyed. Coffee beans go through various stages, such as processing, drying, and roasting, before they are even packaged for coffee drinkers. Below, learn more about how coffee is made through a step-by-step breakdown of each stage.
Growing and harvesting
As described by Interesting Engineering, the process of how coffee is made “starts all the way at the plantation”. The coffee bean we know and love comes from the seed of a coffee tree. About 70% of the world’s coffee comes from the seed of the coffee arabica plant, which produces the Arabica coffee bean. The other 30% of the world’s coffee comes from the seed of the coffee canephora plant, which produces Robusta coffee beans.
You can’t just grow coffee beans anywhere. To thrive, coffee beans are planted in areas of the world with the right altitude and temperatures, such as countries within the coffee bean belt. Coffee beans are planted in large beds in shaded areas and typically grown during the wet season to allow the plant roots to thrive. As previously mentioned, the process from here is lengthy, taking about three to four years until the coffee tree grows coffee cherries. As per the National Coffee Association, most countries that produce coffee, such as Colombia, will harvest once or twice a year through either a hand-picked or mechanized process.
Coffee cherries are removed from trees in one of two ways. Strip picking removes all coffee fruit from the tree, including those that are not yet mature. Alternatively, selective picking requires picking only the ripened cherries by hand.
Processing, separation, hulling & sorting
Once the coffee beans are picked, the processing stage must take place fast to avoid spoiling. At this point, either a wet or dry processing method takes place. A wet separation method causes ripe coffee beans to sink, whereas underdeveloped coffee cherries will float to the top. The wet method removes the pulp from the coffee cherry, leaving a dried bean with only the parchment skin left on. Beans go through a machine known as a pulping machine to separate the skin and pulp from the coffee bean and are also sorted by size.
Alternatively, the dry processing method uses a large sieve to separate ripened coffee cherries from underripe coffee cherries. This method isn’t as popular as the wet method, but it is still used in areas with limited water access. Some coffee farmers use a semidry hybrid, a newer coffee-making method.
Next, coffee beans undergo a hulling process to remove any part of the fruit that remains on the beans. Hulling removes the parchment layer, known as the endocarp, from wet-processed coffee, whereas it will remove the exocarp, mesocarp, and endocarp of dry-processed coffee. Either way, beans may undergo an optional polishing step next to remove any remaining silver skin from the beans. This process is done to improve the appearance of the remaining green coffee beans. Lastly, beans go through various machinery to be sorted by size and weight, and defective beans will be removed in this stage. From here, green coffee beans are exported throughout the world.
Coffee roasting
The roasting stage is where the coffee beans truly start to take their form as we know them. The roasting process includes various temperatures and roasting times that give each roast of coffee a unique flavor — from light roast to dark roast. Beans are roasted in large commercial roasters consisting of metal cylinders that release steam and keep beans moving to avoid burning.
The temperature used for roasting depends on the desired roast. For example, lighter roast coffees may be roasted at around 380 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas very dark roast coffees can be roasted at upwards of 440 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the magic of the coffee roasting process, as every coffee roast starts with the same green coffee bean. The variations in roasting temperature make for different coffee notes, ranging from the light and acidic taste of light roast coffees to the rich, bold flavor of espresso roast coffees.
Once coffee beans are done roasting, the hot beans can be cooled by air or water. The roasting process is usually done in the importing countries to allow for optimal freshness. Coffee beans can be packaged as whole bean coffee to be ground by consumers or may undergo a grinding process in the case of pre-ground bagged coffee. Once the coffee ends up in your kitchen, the last and final step is to brew it. Regardless of your brewing method, the same coffee beans that were once a cherry have now been brewed into a delicious cup of joe. Now, you’ll appreciate your coffee even more as you understand the time-consuming process of how coffee is made.
