Where Does Coffee Come From? – The History Of Coffee Beans
Where does coffee come from? Does it grow on trees or come from plants? From bean to cup: how does it happen? Discover the inner workings of our cherished bean by following Centralparkwestcafe through this post.
Where Does Coffee Come From in the world?
Ethiopia is the place where coffee first appeared on the African continent.
Over time, coffee beans moved from there to South America, Central America, and South East Asia.
Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia, and Ethiopia are the top 5 coffee-producing countries today, accounting for the majority of the global coffee supply. Brazil has been the world’s top producer of coffee for more than 150 years, producing about 5 billion pounds of coffee annually.
All five of those nations are situated in the so-called “bean belt.” Between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn is a region known as the “Bean Belt” that offers the best growth conditions for coffee.
Are There Different Kinds Of Coffee Plants?
Arabica and Robusta are the two primary varieties of coffee plants. Although the coffee bean varieties Excelsa and Liberica are also known, they are far more difficult to locate in stores.
Arabica
Approximately 3/4 of the coffee produced worldwide is Arabica. The top coffee-producing nations in the world – Ethiopia, India, Guatemala, Colombia, and Brazil – all cultivate arabica coffee.
Most specialty coffee companies, especially those who make blonde roasts, employ some type of arabica bean in their roasts.
Because it grows at higher altitudes, beginning at 2,000 feet above sea level, the arabica coffee plant is more susceptible to pests than the robusta plant. Because of this, arabica is more difficult to grow and costs more to produce.
For many coffee lovers, arabica coffee is the beverage of choice due to its flavor.
Compared to robusta, arabica plants produce softer beans. If you prefer black coffee (or Starbucks), you’re probably drinking arabica beans because they have a smoother flavor.
One drawback of arabica coffee is that it has less caffeine, however, the roasting process makes up for this. Caffeine content is higher in lighter roasts like gold coffee than it is in deeper roasts.
Robusta
Robusta beans are produced by the Coffea canephora plant. Robusta coffee is mostly produced in Vietnam, but Brazil is eager to catch up and is also growing robusta today.
Robusta is substantially less expensive to produce than arabica but is utilized in less coffee across the world. The plant develops faster than arabica, is more disease-resistant and hardy, and is simpler to grow.
Robusta coffee trees thrive in lowland valleys and tropical rainforests, making coffee cultivation often easier.
Having said that, finding a robusta coffee of the highest caliber might be challenging. Although robusta plants appear to be simple to cultivate, they actually like a specific temperature range of 75 to 80 degrees and need fairly moist circumstances.
Outside of certain circumstances, the flavor may become repulsive and even more bitter than it already is. Because of this, some individuals who dislike bitter coffee prefer arabica beans.
Robusta is a preferred option in several preparations due to its increased caffeine concentration. Espresso and instant coffee both exhibit it.
The majority of coffee shops that utilize robusta in their espresso mix it with arabica coffee beans to give it a caffeine boost while maintaining smoother tastes. Additionally, it’s common in flavored coffee.
Where Does Coffee Grow?
Coffee cherry is the name given to the coffee bean, which is really thought of as a seed. For a coffee tree to produce beans that are ready for harvest, it typically takes two to four years after it is established.
Do coffee cherries thus grow on trees or on plants?
A mature, healthy coffee plant may often reach a height of 30 to 40 feet. A coffee plant definitely begins as a plant but subsequently qualifies as a tree is defined as anything taller than 20 feet tall and having a trunk larger than 3 inches in diameter.
The berries – often referred to as cascara or coffee cherries – are plucked as they become a matured red hue.
The Growing Process
The coffee cherries will be examined by the harvesters for maturity once the newly planted coffee bushes have developed.
After the crops are ready for harvesting, the arduous and labor-intensive process of hand-picking the crops begins. The procedure has been mechanized in locations like Brazil, where the terrain is largely flat and the coffee plantations are enormous.
One of two treatments is applied to the beans after they are harvested. either the dry or wet method.
The Dry Method
In nations with few water resources, the dry technique is frequently employed.
Before drying in the sun, newly harvested cherries are first spread out over a broad area.
The cherries will then be turned and raked throughout the day by the harvesters in an effort to keep them from rotting. Finally, to keep them dry at night or during rain, they will be covered.
The Wet Method
In the wet method, the coffee cherry’s pulp is removed after harvesting so that only the parchment skin remains on the coffee bean after drying.
The bean continues on its path to us after completing one of the two aforementioned procedures.
The Way To Get Coffee Beans
Before being delivered to us, the consumers, coffee beans are subjected to a mulling process.
This involves hulling, a process that removes the parchment coating from coffee that has undergone a wet processing method. It may then go through a polishing procedure to remove any extra skin.
The beans are next sorted and graded based on their size and weight.
The coffee bean bags are sent to the nations where they will be purchased once any damaged beans have been removed.
Coffee tasters, also known as cuppers, will examine the beans when they arrive to make sure they have a good flavor.
A skilled copper may taste hundreds of coffee samples in one day and yet detect the minute variations between them.
The Final Step
The final step is the test. To ensure the beans appear excellent, one of these checks includes a visual inspection. In order for the cupper to assess the scent the coffee emits, the coffee beans are then instantly roasted, ground, and placed into a temperature-controlled boiling cup of water.
The cupper will swiftly gulp a teaspoon of coffee when it has had a chance to rest before spitting it out. In order to cover the cupper’s taste receptors with coffee as uniformly as possible, this is done. As a result, the coffee may be measured on the cupper’s tongue.
They do this to assess the qualities and defects of the coffee as well as the possibility of combining various beans or the capacity to produce the right roast.
The beans are then roasted following extensive testing. Due to the urgency with which roasted coffee must go to its consumers, this is often done in the nation of import.
The green coffee beans are often processed through a roasting machine to produce the brown beans that we buy from our preferred coffee shops or businesses.
Where Does Starbucks Coffee Come From?
Do you believe Starbucks makes its renowned coffees with robusta or arabica coffee?
You were right to guess about arabica beans! Starbucks utilizes only arabica coffee because it has a more sophisticated flavor (Coffea arabica).
Three important coffee-growing regions, Latin America, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific, provide Starbucks with its arabica coffee. However, the majority of their distinctive coffee blends come from the Asia-Pacific area.
Starbucks has a long history of obtaining coffee beans for its beverages in Guatemala, Rwanda, and Timor, according to the company’s website.
Starbucks Reserve, a brand-new hybrid Starbucks location, has blends from Brazil, Colombia, Uganda, Kenya, and Vietnam.
FAQs
Who invented coffee drink?
Arabs were the first people to begin roasting and grinding coffee beans in order to brew them with hot water, some 1000 years after Ethiopians or Italians.
When did humans start drinking coffee?
In the middle of the 15th century, Ahmed al-records Ghaffar’s from Yemen provides the oldest reliable documentation of coffee use or knowledge of the coffee tree. The first roasting and brewing of coffee beans in a manner akin to how it is done now occurred here in Arabia.
What was coffee originally used for?
It was highly treasured by Sufis in Yemen who drank the beverage as a spiritual intoxication and to assist in concentration. Additionally, they utilized it to stay awake during their nightly devotions.
Do coffee beans come from cherries?
Yes, coffee cherry produces the seed known as coffee beans. Depending on the type, the color of this small, fleshy fruit can vary, but when ripe, it is typically yellow or red. The cherry alone is rich in antioxidants and contains caffeine (the source of caffeine in coffee).
Sum Up
Ladies and gentlemen, that is how coffee travels from the coffee trees to your home-brewed cups. You will be able to fully appreciate the work of love that went into each bean, bag, or cup of coffee the next time you visit your neighborhood coffee shop to purchase your favorite brew.
Centralparkwestcafe thank you for your time visiting our website.
Johnathan Hicks has a background in coffee roasting and brewing. His early years are connected to coffee.Additionally, his family owns a coffee shop. His mission is to dedicate himself to coffee due to this. He never stops learning in order to improve his understanding of coffee.He has participated in several workshops and courses to learn from professionals in the area.The began writing about coffee on his blog around five years ago.He will provide readers of Centralparkwestcafe with numerous engaging articles thanks to his extensive understanding of coffee and other beverages.
