LESSON 1 Coffee

Introduction To Coffee „ Pre-Roasted coffee „ What is coffee?

beans „ Coffee is the seed of
a fruit that comes
from the rubiaceae
family. The plant can
grow to a height of
ten metres if not
pruned.

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Types of coffee Arabica coffee

„ There are two types of coffee that are
commercially grown and cultivated
throughout the world.
„ Arabica coffee, this accounts for around
75% of world coffee production
„ Robusta coffee, this accounts for around
25% of world production
„ Arabica coffee plants grow best at high
altitude, preferring a consistent
temperature of around 24oc.
„ Arabica beans are slightly elongated and
are blue to green in colour.
„ Arabica beans have a brighter ‘acidic’
quality and a wide flavour range.

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Arabica coffee Robusta Beans

„ Arabica beans are grown in central and
South America, Africa and southeast Asia.
„ Arabica beans are used to create
espresso coffee.
„ Arabica is a premium style of coffee bean.
„ Robusta coffee plants flourish at lower
altitudes in sub-tropical regions.
„ Robusta coffee beans are rounded in
shape and yellow to brown in colour.
„ Robusta beans tend to have a stronger,
flatter flavour and are low in acidity.

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Robusta Beans
„ Robusta beans are mainly grown in
southeast Asia, Africa and India.
„ Robusta beans are blended with arabica
beans to create some espresso blends.
„ Robusta is also used to create instant and
perculator coffee.
Growing conditions
„ There are three main growing climates
for coffee:
1. Subtropical regions, at altitudes of
around 1800-3600 feet with well defined
rainy and dry seasons. These conditions
occur in Australia and Brazil.

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Growing Conditions Growing conditions

„ Equatorial regions, at higher altitudes-
above 3600 feet and below 6300 feet.
These regions have frequent rainfall,
resulting in almost continuous flowering of
the plant and one ripening period for the
„ Lower altitudes, from sea level to 3000
feet. These regions are characterised by
warmer, humid weather. Robusta beans
grow well in these climates.
„ Soil, needs to be rich in nitrogen, well

bean. These conditions occur in kenya drained, with temperatures between 15oc
and 20oc, no frost, plenty of sunshine and
and colombia. high rainfall.

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Coffee Producing Regions Harvesting

„ The process begins
with the coffee plant
flowering. After three
days the flower dies
and the coffee cherry
begins to form.

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Harvesting Harvesting
„ Over a six-nine month „ Coffee is harvested annually during the dry
period, the coffee period when the cherries are dark red.
cherry develops from „ There are three methods for harvesting the
green to red and then cherries.
to dark red. This is 1. Mechanical, a large machine drives over the
the time to harvest crop shaking the bushes as it passes. The ripe
the cherry. fruit falls and the unripe fruit stays on the plant.

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Mechanical Harvester Harvesting

2. Hand picking, cherries are hand picked
and only ripe berries are selected.
Pickers return later to remove unripened
cherries.
3. Stripping, all cherries, ripe or unripe are
stripped from the bushes at the optimum
time.

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Processing Processing
„ Processing of the coffee cherries is
highly dependent on the culture and
geography of the region where the coffee
is grown.
„ The following stages apply:
1. The fruit is harvested

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3
Processing Cross-section of coffee cherry

2. Transported to the processing plant

where the fruit and mucilage can be
removed from the seed, asap. Any delay
in this process and the fruit starts to
ferment which spoils the bean.
3. See next slide for cross section of the
coffee cherry

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Processing Methods for processing coffee

4. Sorting, the easiest way to separate the 1. Wet processing, where

ripe from the unripe cherries is to place water is used to
them in water. The unripe cherries will remove the skin from
the fruit. The beans are
float and the ripe cherries will sink. then fermented for 36-
72 hours to remove the
mucilage from the
bean. The beans are
then dried either
mechanically or in the
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Methods for processing coffee Methods for processing coffee

2. Dry processing, the coffee cherry is 3. Drying, usually begins

with the coffee cherry
harvested and spread out in the sun to being dried in the sun
dry. This usually takes 2-3 weeks. When for a few days and then
the coffee is dry, the outside is removed transferred to a
mechanical drier to
leaving the bean inside. complete the process.
Some producers now
bypass the sun drying
and go straight to
mechanical drying.

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Roasting
„ Roasting is the process of turning the
green coffee bean into the product that we
know as coffee beans.
„ Coffee beans are roasted for between 2
and 20 minutes depending on the type of
roast and the equipment being used.
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Roasting
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Blending
„ Most espresso blends will have 3 to 15
single origin beans in the mix to achieve
the desired flavour.
„ Some espresso blends use 100% arabica
beans and some are a blend of arabica
and robusta. These blends will effect the
coffee flavour.
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Roasting
„ The roasting process must keep the beans
moving otherwise the roast will be uneven.
„ Once roasted, the beans must be cooled
quickly.
„ The roasting process changes the colour,
flavour and size of the bean as sugars in
the bean caramelise and expand.
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Blending
„ Blending is essential to help produce the
perfect cup of espresso coffee. Coffee
needs to have good balance, body, aroma
and flavour.
„ It is very rare for a single origin coffee to
have all of these qualities, hence the need
to blend beans to create the perfect
coffee.
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Blending
„ Typical italian espresso will be a mix of the
following:
„ Sixty percent brazil, this coffee is inexpensive,
has a strong body and it serves as the base for a
blend
„ 20-30% robusta, this rounds out the flavour and
gives good crema when extracted.
„ 10-20% high quality arabica, provides unique
flavour or ‘signature’.
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Blending Packaging and storage
„ Coffee is a food product. Therefore, the
flavour and aroma will deteriorate if
exposed to oxygen.
„ Coffee must be packaged quickly after
roasting to maintain freshness and quality
of the product.

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Packaging and storage Packaging and storage

„ Whilst in the package, coffee produces
carbon dioxide (co2), which needs to
escape. Packaging must have a one-way
valve to allow the gases to escape but not
allow oxygen in.

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Packaging and storage Class Activity

Correct storage procedures:
1. Coffee must be stored away from moisture and
kept at room temperature.
2. It should be stored in an airtight container
away from light.
3. Should be used quickly as it will go stale.
4. Coffee absorbs odours, so keep it away from
strong smelling foods.
„ In preparation for tomorrow’s class,
students are to find the name of one type
of espresso coffee that is available within
your city of study.
„ Students must then find the source of the
beans and type of roast.

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