From the plant to the cup
The coffee plant
FAMILY
Rubiacee (Jasmin, Chinaroot, gardenia, etc.)
IDEAL HABITAT
Tropical and equatorial regions
Warm climate and humidity
Temperature ranging from 15 to 30 °C (59 to 86 °F)
Volcanic soils rich in nitrogen
PLANT HEIGHT
The plant can grow to a height of 12 meters (40 feet), but cultivated plants are pruned when they reach 6.5/9.5 ft to make harvesting easier
PLANT LIFE
20 - 30 years
ANNUAL YIELD PER PLANT
Approx. 900g (1.9 lb) of green coffee
FRUIT (SIMILAR TO A CHERRY)
It turns from green to red or yellow when fully ripe
Harvesting
Coffee ripening depends on the rains, so flowers, ripe and unripe berries can all be found at the same time on any one plant.
PICKING
Selective picking involves workers passing from plant to plant, hand-picking only the bright red ripe cherries, one by one. This method is expensive, but the quality of green coffee is excellent. It is the best method, but also the most labour-intensive and time consuming.
STRIPPING
The entire crop is harvested in one go. This can be done either by machine or by hand. In both cases, all of the cherries are stripped off of the branch in one go.
Roasting
Each coffee blend has its own roasting cycle which produces a roasted coffee with a special colour and a unique flavour.
TEMPERATURE
410 - 466 °F (210 - 230°C)
COOLING
Cold air or water
TIME
12-20 minutes
ROASTING METHOD
Contact (Hot air) convection
Green coffee loses moisture and its colour changes from green to yellow.
Chemical and physical changes in coffee, turning it from yellow to brown.
Production of aromas and achievement of the required roasting level.
Finally, coffee is ready for you to enjoy!