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Pondering your request...
The Coffee Process
An essential summary of the coffee process from Seed to Cup is
- Seed Planted - forming seedling
- Cherry cultivated / grown
- When red - cherry harvested
- Chosen depuling process performed
- Gren bean packaged and transported
- Bean roasted
- Grinding method and coarseness selected
- Coffee Brewed, using desired method
- Enjoyed
Each part of this process is briefly discussed below:
Coffee Seed - Planting
Pure Arabica based coffee is the seed of a berry from a small tree / bush, which grows in a narrow
sub-tropical belt, between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. It requires
very specific environmental conditions:
- to grow 1500m above sea level,
- in moderate temperature,
- moderate rainfall,
- rich soils with good drainage and strong mineral content,
- shade is preferred, especially that of a rainforest.
For this reason it has been found that the best Arabica coffee beans are mountain grown, in rain
forests since they are exposed to the optimal conditions naturally
Depending on the approach some areas cultivation of coffee trees begins with planting
the seeds in soil and keeping them in green houses for 9 to 18 months, until they reach
a height up to half a metre. After that young plants are transplanted to permanent groves.
It takes a year for the plant to reach just 30 centimetres tall. After four years they
reach maturity.
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Cultivation
Coffee plants bear fruit in lines along their branches. The fruit turns cherry-red when it is time
to be harvested. In here lies the contradiction since natural Arabica 'typica' will fall off the
plant when it is mature. Since the Arabica 'typica' coffee bean matures differently per tree and
part of the tree this would normal mean harvesting by hand is manageable.
This has given rise to the most extra ordinary type of coffee bean the kopi luwak which originally
referenced the animal who enjoyed the fruit, and passed the seed after enjoying the fruit. The animal
is the Asian Palm Civet which originally
discovered this fruit when man planted the plants in Java and Sumatra. The process is quite similar
to a wet process (discussed below), although there are some who believe it a special tasting coffee.
We only source the finest coffee, this means that the trees are allowed to mature naturally, and are in some cases
grown inside a rain forest at least 15 metres apart so that the natural habitat is not affected, but rather compliments
the growth of the tree. A pure coffee tree that is planted to match Arabica 'typica's specific requirements produces
high quality coffees, and this is the type of coffee Quaffee sources
Note: There are about 40 major species within the coffea genus and
with the Arabica 'typica' fruit maturing over a 9 month period
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Cherry Harvested
This is probably the one step that is most neglected in the pursuit of fine coffee. As noted pure
Arabica 'typica' or real coffee (the type Quaffee sells) takes 6 - 9 month to mature, the only way to
truly harvest coffee is by hand normally within a day of the cherry falling from the tree. As you can
see by the picture the cherry goes through a number of stages over its maturation period and hence must
be harvested at the correct time. The only way to ensure this is done is by hand.
Most commercial coffees are machine or strip harvested and this means that with the
ripe cherry comes the unripe and overripe (especially for Robusta, since Robusta beans do
not drop from the tree when overripe, and so to the Arabica derivative that have been created
using a variety of methods to mix the Robusta properties with Arabica). Strip or mechanically harvested
coffee leads to a mixed green bean, giving unbalanced taste since the green beans are not uniformly ripe
Cherries that are picked by hand are only picked when they are ripe or have fallen to the ground
(they are easier to pick then). The same ripeness is reflected in the green bean since the beans are all the
same tone. With bulk coffees the green beans need to be sorted and graded since their ripeness varies.
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Coffee Lifecycle
From the blosom to the berry to the cherry to ripe and then burnt (these are rejected at picking when coffee is hand picked).
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De-pulping
After the ripe cherries have been harvested, the next task is to get at the seeds, or coffee beans,
inside. To separate the beans from their cherries, a total of four layers must be removed: the tough,
shiny outer skin; the sticky, mucilaginous pulp of the fruit; a stiff parchment casing; and the
thin, delicate "silverskin" that clings to each bean.
There are two popular methods used to isolate the beans:
the washed or wet process and the dry process. The method used depends largely on the availability
of fresh water and is one of the most important determinants of coffee flavour.
| Dry process |
This is the oldest method of separating the fruit from the treasured coffee seed or
bean. After the fruit is picked using a rake it is spread out in the sun to dry. The fruits are regularly
raked making sure the fruit at the bottom is brought to the top. Drying takes from 10 days to 3 weeks. The
commercial dry process uses heaters and mechanical driers. Once the husk is dried it is hard and shrivelled
it is removed by hand (or mechanically for commercial farms). Our most popular dry processed coffee is
Harrar, the original Mocha coffee. |
| Wet process |
WWet processed coffee is divided into two types the classic process ferment and wash, and
a modern aquapulping or mechanical demucilaging. Most of the coffees we source use the classic method.
Essentially the fruit is soaked so that layer after layer of fruit is removed gingerly. Starting with
the outer skin being pulped, then the sticky fruit is removed by the natural enzymes and bacteria
(fermentation) |
There are many opinions about which process produces the best coffee (we have not included the digestional track coffee here), but
dry processing adds more complexity and fruitiness. While wet processed coffees tend to be brighter.
Note that if the processing
is not carefully done it can taint the taste of the coffee especially for dry processed coffees
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Cleaning and Grading
It can be argued that this part of the process is part of the de-pulping process. After de-pulping the
bean are cleaned of the silver skin and dried fruit residue, normally this is done using a process of
milling. After that the coffee is sorted using removing any debris that may be mixed into the coffee
after processing, like stones and nails. Then it is graded using the following
characteristics:
Typically for the high quality coffees this is doing by eye and hand, with teams of workers
The pure hand picked highland and shade grown coffees are then tasted or cupped. Those coffees that consistently (i.e. 5
out of 5 cuppings) score at least 86 out of a maximum of 100 are classed as speciality coffees, the rest enter
the commercially traded coffee market.
For more information go to Certifications and Catergorizations
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Packing, Warehousing & Transport
Pure green bean coffees can be packed in normal Hessian sacks. Once the green coffee is packed they
are normally warehoused. Where the coffee is warehoused is important. Coffee warehouse near other crop will
absorb that crops taste, and coffee warehoused near the sea, like say at a dock can become musky and fungus can affect the green bean.
It is best if coffee is warehouse close to the source it comes from, as that affected the coffee the least
If you are going to transport coffee then it should be only green bean, since roasted coffee is
only fresh for a short time. Most of the coffees we source are traded using a
central dealer in a particular country well know for its mountain grown green bean. We have
established relationships with these dealers, and we use the most reputable dealers in a country that
represent fair trade and only the highest quality green bean ("AAA" and "AAA+" rated). Our established
dealers secure the highest quality crop and then transport the green coffee bean normally using air freight.
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Roasting
Since our method of roasting is specialized most of the detail is under Coffee Roasting.
However to summarize, roasting is a delicate balance between roasting the bean without exposing it to
carcinogenics and ensuring that the optimal roast level is attained. A coffee bean should
essentially roast in it own 'juices' and not be exposed to any external chemicals, the best tasted are exposed
if the coffee bean is gently roasted and the oils are retained in the bean, rather than exposed.
Grinding
Grinding is a whole discussion on its own so it is covered in more detail under
Grinding. But in summary only fresh
coffee beans should be used and coffee beans should only be ground when the coffee is to be brewed. A burr
or if you can afford it a conical burr grinder has been found to be the best type, since it does not
damage the coffee or destroy the flavour, has a consistent grind. It is also important that fineness of
the coffee grind should match the brewing method.
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Brewing
There are many ways of brewing coffee. Stove top, semi automatic and automatic methods for espresso,
drip methods, filter methods, soaking methods (like French press or Turkish). Here are our
rules for the perfect brew:
Rule 1:
Fresh Roasted Only |
Always use fresh roasted coffee. Coffee is best 6-8 hours after roasting and will retain its
aroma for up to 2 weeks, and flavour for about 2 and a half. Our tests on freezing our coffees
found that aroma is preserved for up to 2 months, while flavour just under three months.
See FAQ for more details about this |
Rule 2:
Fresh Ground |
Always grind coffee as you are about to brew it. Typically ground coffee looses half its aroma
every 3 hours and half its flavour every 6 hours. The newer the grind the more life it has
in your mouth |
Rule 3:
Delectable Water |
Use fresh, clean water that you enjoy drinking. Technically this normally means that it
has a hardness less than 10° (dH), and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) parts per million of
more than 50, less than 250 |
Rule 4:
Prepare Brewer |
Always prepare the coffee brewing equipment as you are about to brew. Make sure it is clean,
ready and at the correct temperature so that the equipment is eased into the brew, and
at no more or no less than 5°C of the temperature you are going to brew the coffee at |
Rule 5:
Perfect Temperature 93°C |
Coffee brewing water should be just below boiling point (as measured at sea level), between
93 and 95°C is best. If the water temperature is too high, your coffee will taste bitter
(and for espresso brew have a reduced amount of crema) – if it is too low, the coffee will
taste acidic, flavourless and watery. |
Rule 6:
Match Extraction to Method |
Your brewing time must match the method you use to expose the grinds to the water. For pressure
based espresso 17 to 25 seconds is optimal to expose the flavours, and reducing the bitter after
taste |
Rule 7:
Clean your Brewer |
After brewing dispose the grinds and rinse the filter completely at least. This helps with
Rule 4 |
Rule 8:
Drink Immediately |
Coffee is most enjoyable in the first five minutes after being brewed. These are the magic
moments to enjoy your brew. Ever tried reheating coffee - yuk! (i.e. like instant) |
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Drinking
There are a variety of methods used (see below for some of them). The most important thing about
drinking coffee is that whatever float your boat, and makes you happy is the correct way. Most of
the time however addinglarge amount of sugar is not a very healthy way to enjoy it, and suppresses the
unique characteristic. Try get any additives out of the coffee like sugar, sweetener and even milk.
Coffee when drunk black is a healthy drink and can be
enjoyed at a level that suits you. Some can drink tens of cups a day, others just one. It is worth noting
that you need to be genetically disposed to drink it. If you have never liked the tasted then genetically
you may just not be compatible. For those who enjoy it, the sooner you drink fine fresh coffee the sooner
you discover a great taste of coffee.
Coffee Specialities
There are a number of methods used to enjoy your coffee; here is a summary of the most common:
| Speciality |
Description |
Typical Method of Preparation |
| Espresso |
Pure form of coffee |
Typically 7g of fine ground coffee is used. No more than 60ml of water is
forced through the coffee either by steam pressure or pump pressure. |
| Long Espresso |
A slightly less intense version of espresso |
The typical method is to prepare an espresso then add around 30-40 ml of boiling or
steaming water. Often prepared incorrectly by allowing the espresso machine to over
extract the 7g of beans. This is sometimes called an Americano |
| Double Espresso |
Brewed under Pressure. Pure form of coffee double strength and volume. |
A true double espresso is prepared using 14g of coffee instead of the 7g for espresso,
and pumping no more than 120ml of water through the coffee. Using semi automatic machines
this is normally done by using a double spout head and instead of placing two espresso
cups under the head only one slightly larger cup is used. |
| Ristretto |
Short espresso |
A short espresso or Italian, between 25 and 35ml, essentially a short extraction so that only the purest
coffee flavour is intact. A double is no more than 60ml. |
| Cappuccino |
Purist form of coffee with frothed milk |
The Italian method is to uses around 75ml of milk, froth the milk, let the milk stand,
then prepare an espresso a double espresso cup or similar and then added the settled froth
and milk into the espresso. This is the type of drink that has attracted a lot of press with
the latté art movement. American method (as it has been called) is to prepare
1/3 milk
1/3 froth and
1/3 espresso,
a particularly perverse thing to then do is to sprinkle either cinnamon, cocoa or hot chocolate
powder over the frothed milk for effect. YUK! |
| Caffe latté |
This is an American take on the Cappuccino |
In the cup place milk to a third of the cup then either add the espresso on top of the
milk then scoop the milk froth on top, or scoop froth onto the milk and then add the
espresso by pouring it slowly through the milk, and adding a little froth on top
of “hole” caused by the espresso while it was poured. Also often comes with cinnamon or
hot chocolate powder over the frothed milk (sometime to cover the “hole”) |
| Macchiato |
Espresso with froth |
Froth some milk, prepare an espresso then add the milk froth only on top of the espresso. |
| Café au lait |
Essentially coffee with milk |
Either espresso or long espresso used in equal portions of milk. |
| Black / Filter Coffee |
Typically served in a mug of coffee |
This is essentially it is a over extracted long espresso. Known for its increase in bitterness
(often called “strong” because of bitterness) and often served with hot milk. Became popular
when the filter machine method became popular where essentially an estimated 7g of coffee per
cup is added to a drip filter or French press and served. Although enjoyed by many this is not
considered by the coffee snob (sorry specialist) to be a pure coffee form. This is the type of
coffee that was common at the turn of the 19th century when coffee
was brewed in a pot over the fire. In those days however the coffee beans where normally freshly roasted and
the taste was far fresher. |
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