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| 1. Planting |
| Coffee Plants grow best in a temperate climate. High altitude plantations situated at between 3000 and 6000 feet have proven to produce a more flavoured crop. Another important flavour factor is the soil, with volcanic and well-drained types providing the most optimum conditions. A coffee tree can grow upto 30 feet but is pruned to keep it between 5-12 feet. It would take almost 5 years before we finally get the coffee beans. The coffee plant starts to produce flowers after 3-4 years, and these flowers then give birth to cherries that take almost 9 months to ripen. It is from these cherries that we get the coffee beans. |
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| 2. Harvesting |
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| There is mainly one harvest period except in countries such as Kenya and Colombia where there are two cycles. The period differs from region to region. Most major producers harvest their crops between October and February, except in Brazil and Indonesia where they harvest mainly between May and September. There are two main types of beans: Robusta and Arabica. Robustas are less-expensive beans, which is mainly because it is grown in simpler conditions. Most harvests are handpicked but in relatively large and flat fields the practice has been mechanised. Less expensive crops are usually harvested all at once either by machine or hand. Selective picking involves the harvest of ripened cherries and since this is labour intensive, it is more costly and is usually employed to pick the finer Arabica crop. |
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| 3. Drying and Husking |
| There are a couple of methods to do this; the Dry method and the Wet method. The traditional dry method is labour intensive and is done by distributing the beans in the sun. When they are dried to 1/10th, the husks become weak and are hulled either by hand or machine. Using the wet method, the hull is removed first by letting the beans ferment in the tank. The beans are then washed and dried in hot air and put into machine stirrers called Hullers, where the last covering gets separated easily. |
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| 4. Sorting and Grading |
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| In this process, the beans are sorted by their density and size, whilst being monitored to remove any remaining sticks, rocks and other particles. After that, they are sorted by colour. Most high quality coffees are sorted twice or even three times by hand. Machines can also be used but its relative high-cost hinders its wide usage. Then the beans are graded according to its origins, method of picking and cup quality. |
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| 5. Roasting |
| The beans are roasted in various ways depending on the producer. The traditional method, Singeing, consists of rotating a bean filled metal cylinder over a heater. The more common method employs the practice of blowing hot air in the cylinder instead. The high temperature of the cylinders (between 200-230ºC) causes the beans to swell, increases their volume, colours the beans, provides crumbly appearance and instils the more recognisable scent. The beans are then cooled in a vat and eliminated if either too light or too dark. |
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| 6. Packaging |
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| After the coffee is roasted, its lifespan starts to gradually decrease, especially when exposed to air. This is why the roasting must be as close to consumption as possible, and why packaging the coffee as quickly as possible is essential. Whole bean coffee (which has a lesser tendency to lose flavour and scent) is foil lined packed with pressure relief valves. Instant coffee, on the other hand, is packed in a tight vacuumed can or glass jar. |
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