The Coffee Story : From Bean to Cup
How coffee is made from bean to cup. It’s a long story and might be too much for people who aren’t excited.
When I first realized how good coffee tastes, I then also realized that I talk too much about it. I don’t know why but I think it’s because of too much caffeine. Lol
It might be the excitement too, that I want everybody to enjoy coffee like I do.
So, this is the basic information that I often mention to everybody on how coffee can finally taste good in our own cup.
Plantation
Is this the beginning of the long story and too much information? I guarantee you, I will try not to do that.
As for the introduction, coffee plants thrive in cool but tropical environments. That’s why most coffee plantations are always in higher places such as mountains. Especially Arabica species which contributes to 70% of coffee supply.
The other species, Coffea Canephora or often called Robusta, can grow in lower places. If the Arabica is susceptible to pests, Robusta is more resilient to it.
When the fruit plant is ripened, the coffee cherry (as it is often called) is ready to be harvested. Then it continues to the next step.
Extraction
Why does it have to be extracted? Because the essential part for the drink is the bean. The plant produces fruit and it is extracted to produce beans.
There are dry and wet or a mix of the two methods of coffee bean processing before extraction. The method that is chosen is usually based on how it will enhance the flavor for the bean. Or it might be subjective from the producer.
After the process is finished, the pulp and the bean will be separated as the extraction. Then the beans are delivered to the roastery.
Roasting
So, how can the bean be enjoyed? By roasting it first. Even if there are some producers that introduce green beans for the drink, coffee is always roasted from the beginning of its invention.
The roasting process has been developed from time to time. Dark roast, I think, is the first and the oldest. Then coffee drinkers begin to notice that there is taste more than just the body.
Nowadays, coffee roasters put much more thought into the roasting process to present coffee flavor. It results in variations of temperature for roasting. So there are light, dark and then medium roasting profiles.
Brewing
If beans are the result of coffee cherry extraction, then a cup of coffee is the extraction of roasted beans in the form of a drink. There are several brewing methods to finally serve one of the best cups of the morning that we usually enjoy.
For the most pure taste, you might wanna try manual brewing such as V60 and Aeropress . But, this method needs a bit of skill. Same case as a machine brewing method for a cup of espresso.
There are always instant choices everywhere, such as buying coffee from a coffee shop. Or if you want to try brewing yourself the simpler way, you can try kopi tubruk.
Whatever floats your boat!
