From a coffee bean to coffee, there are many complicated steps. From planting, harvesting, screening, processing, transportation until it is made into a cup of coffee, every link is concentrated with the hard work of countless people.

Harvesting & Processing

It takes three years for a coffee seed to grow into a tree and produce white flowers. The fruits produced by coffee trees are very similar to cherries. They are harvested and manually selected after they are ripe.

A coffee seed is wrapped in cherry red pulp; removing this layer of pulp heralds the first transformation of the coffee bean.

The methods of removing the skin can generally be divided into two methods: dry processing and wet processing. The peeling process is called "refining". The refining methods are further divided into:

· Water washing

· Semi-water washing

· Honey treatment

· Sumatra wet planing method

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· Sun-drying

1. Washing:

The skin and pulp have been removed, and the outer layer of the coffee beans still has pectin, after fermentation for at least 12 hours Pour into a water channel; coffee workers use tools to stir the coffee beans flowing through the water channel to wash away the pectin on the surface of the coffee beans. Washed coffee beans have a more pronounced acidity and a refreshing taste. ?

2. Semi-washing:

After removing the skin and pulp of the coffee beans, a special machine is used to directly grind off the pectin layer. ?Semi-washed coffee beans also have a refreshing taste, but the acidity is not as high as that of washed coffee beans. ?

3. Honey processing:

Dry the coffee beans directly after removing the peel and pulp and still containing pectin. The more pectin is retained during this process, the sweeter and more complex the coffee will be. ?Honey-processed coffee beans generally have a fruity aroma. ?

4. Sumatra wet planing method:

After harvesting coffee beans, farmers will first remove the peel and pulp, then ferment overnight and remove the pectin, and send them in a humid state. To the treatment plant. Coffee beans continue to ferment during transportation. ?The processing plant will remove the entire outer skin of the coffee beans and dry them quickly in the sun. ?The acidity of coffee beans processed in this way is low, and some people think it has a "Chinese medicinal flavor".

5. Sun-drying:

As the name suggests, it is sun-dried directly after the coffee cherries are harvested. It sounds like the easiest way, but it's not. ?

Since fresh fruits are sun-dried directly, there is no screening process, and mature and unripe fruits are mixed together. If the coffee beans themselves are of poor quality, the flavor of the finished product will be greatly affected.

Sun-dried coffee beans have low acidity and have the aroma of chocolate and red wine.

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Roasting

When it comes to coffee, many people’s first reaction is “bitter”.

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Coffee does have a pleasant bitter taste. Just like dark chocolate, beer, and grapefruit, which are bitter but delicious foods, moderate bitterness contributes to coffee's layered texture and long-lasting flavor on the tongue.

In addition to bitterness, the flavor of coffee also includes sourness (fruit acid) and origin flavor (differences in taste caused by the place of origin and production methods). ?

The flavor of coffee mainly comes from the Maillard reaction and caramelization reaction during the roasting process of coffee beans.

The Maillard reaction is a phenomenon widely found in the food processing industry. For example, the aroma that appears when we grill steak or bake bread comes from the Maillard reaction. ?

Coffee beans begin to produce the Maillard reaction at around 150 degrees Celsius. Coffee that has undergone the Maillard reaction will emit aromas such as spices, butter, nuts, toast, etc. ?

When the temperature reaches 180 degrees Celsius, the sugars in the coffee beans begin to caramelize. The coffee beans darken in color and take on aromas of caramel and vanilla. If the temperature continues to rise, the oil in the coffee beans will be roasted and float to the surface; and the flavor of the coffee's place of origin will gradually weaken until it disappears, leaving only a burnt and bitter taste. So, the darker the roast, the lighter the origin flavor of the coffee. As mentioned earlier, the origin and flavor of coffee beans depends on the place of origin and production method. In other words, whether the coffee beans are of high quality. ?

Therefore, low-quality coffee beans are often darkly roasted to cover up defects in the flavor of the place of origin. This is also the reason why we have a strong burnt taste in the coffee from some chain coffee shops. .

If you want to taste the flavor of the place where the coffee is produced, you must choose carefully. Avoid the shiny brown-black dark roasted coffee, but choose the light roasted coffee with light color and oil visible on the surface. Beans.

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Grinding and Extraction

Thickness and oil make up the taste of coffee, allowing the coffee flavor to be released slowly and long in the mouth, and remain in the mouth after sipping. Leaves a lingering fragrance. Grinding and extraction determine the final flavor and taste of coffee, and are the final steps in the journey from seed to cup.

Generally, the grinding disc-type coffee grinder grinds more uniform and neat particles, and the coffee tastes more suitable. The finer the coffee grounds, the larger the contact area with water and the higher the extraction speed.

The so-called extraction refers to a series of chemical and physical changes caused by the contact between coffee powder and hot water:?

When the coffee powder is moistened, the gas and active gas compounds escape first, and the possible contents inside the coffee are released. Dissolved organic molecules simultaneously penetrate into the water and then dissolve. ?

Generally extracted ingredients contain a variety of aroma compounds. If the extraction is insufficient, the coffee will be sour and not fragrant.

Of course, the higher the extraction degree, the better. Regardless of the type of coffee, the ideal extraction temperature is 85°C-93°C. Too low a temperature will result in insufficient extraction, sourness and tastelessness; too high a temperature and excessive extraction will result in a bitter taste. ?

Generally speaking, since fine powder is the easiest to extract, you can use an espresso machine or Moka pot to quickly rinse it with 90 degrees Celsius water and extract it immediately.

Medium-ground coffee powder is the most common. Generally, a hand-pour pot or a siphon pot is used, and the water temperature is controlled at 85 to 90 degrees Celsius; the coffee cup and coffee pot must be preheated before extraction to ensure that the coffee is The aroma is more prominent. ?

To extract coarse powder, you need to use a French press, which requires the longest extraction time, and the water temperature is also controlled between 85 and 90 degrees Celsius.

From refining, roasting, grinding to final extraction, coffee beans have gone through the inevitable journey from seed to cup.

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