The origin of coffee beans: From origin to coffee cup, tracing the journey of aroma

introduction

Coffee, one of the most popular beverages in the world, has a fascinating and complex story behind it. From its origin to the cup, each coffee bean goes through a long and delicate journey. This article will take you back on the journey of coffee beans, revealing the entire process of coffee beans from planting, picking, processing to roasting and brewing.

Planting: nourishment from sunlight and soil

Coffee beans first need to grow in suitable climatic conditions. Most high-quality coffee is produced in high-altitude areas near the equator, such as Colombia, Brazil, and Ethiopia. These places have abundant sunshine and fertile soil, which provide the necessary nutrients for coffee trees.

Farmers usually choose to build farms on hillsides to grow coffee trees. There are two main reasons for this: first, hillsides can provide better drainage, preventing rainwater from accumulating and causing root rot; second, the soil on the hillside is more fertile, which is conducive to the growth of coffee trees.

Picking: Carefully select each fruit

When the berries of the coffee trees are ripe, growers pick them. This process requires patience and skill, because only the berries that are moderately ripe can produce high-quality coffee beans.

In the traditional way, pickers will hand-pick each fruit. They usually wear special baskets or backpacks, shuttle between trees and carefully check whether there are ripe coffee cherries on each branch. Only when the fruit is bright and deep red can it be considered ripe.

Processing: Freeing the beans from their husks

Once the coffee beans are harvested, they are processed, a process designed to separate the beans from the skin, mucilage and inner layers, retaining the best qualities.

Dry processing is one of the oldest and most traditional methods. In this method, picked coffee cherries are left in the sun until they are completely dry. Then, workers use machines to remove the skin and mucilage from the beans.

Wet processing is a more modern method. In this process, the coffee cherries are first washed to remove the skin and mucilage. The beans are then placed in fermentation tanks for fermentation and finally washed and dried to obtain high-quality coffee beans.

Roasting: Unleashing aroma and flavor

After processing, coffee beans need to be roasted to show their true aroma and flavor. Different degrees of roasting will produce coffee with different taste characteristics.

Light roasting is often used to produce coffee with bright acidity and floral flavors. In this way, the beans retain most of their original flavor and are lighter in color.

Medium to dark roasts are one of the most common and popular methods. These methods produce coffee with a balanced acidity and bitterness, while also showing rich chocolate and nutty flavors.

Specialty roasts such as Italian or French roasts are darker, producing a strong bitter and cocoa flavor. These coffees are often used to make espresso.

Brewing: Enjoy the journey of mellow aroma

The final step is to brew the carefully processed and roasted coffee beans into a delicious cup of coffee. Whether it is drip, French press or espresso, each brewing method has its own special features.

The drip brewing method is simple and easy to use, and can extract a refreshing and balanced coffee. The French press, on the other hand, uses high-temperature water to contact the beans for a longer time to extract more flavor substances, making coffee with a rich taste and aroma.

Espresso, on the other hand, requires specialized equipment to make, in which water is forced under high pressure through finely ground and tightly packed coffee powder, producing a rich, full-bodied cup of coffee.

Conclusion

From planting to brewing, each step has an important impact on the final coffee quality. By tracing the journey of aroma, we can better understand and appreciate the effort and passion behind each cup of coffee.