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Many of us drink coffee and if you’re on this page I’m positive you drink that "black gold" every morning. Although it can be a part of your daily routine, you may not know the story behind that cup you are holding.

All coffee starts off growing as fruit on a plant. This fruit can vary in color from green to red, yellow, or orange in color. There are several layers on each fruit, the skin, pulp, parchment, silverskin, and seed. Each plant usually only has one harvest season with an occasional exception based on location and climate. Once harvested, they are sorted to remove unripe or defective berries, and then they are ready to be processed.

Drying fruit at a farm in Africa.

Pulp being removed.

There are a few different ways to process the fruit. Processing removes the outer layers of the fruit from the inner bean. Some of the most common ways are natural, washed, semi-washed, and honey. Processing can have a significant impact on the outcome of the cup. Typically, a honey processed coffee has more of an earthy flavor to it whereas a washed beans produce a cleaner cup.

Once processed they are left to sit while they age appropriately which is usually one to two months. They are then dry hulled and sorted right before they are sold and shipped.

As long as the green beans have not been sitting for several years in a warehouse and have been stored properly, they do not degrade significantly in quality. It’s from the time the beans have been roasted to your brewed cup that make the difference. If you have never had FRESH coffee (less than a month old), you likely have never noticed the difference. Big roasteries roast their coffee in huge batches, 50 to 100lbs, and then distribute them accordingly. After reaching their destination the coffee can be several months old, losing a significant amount of quality to each cup.

Sources:

• 1.Adobe Stock/kamonrat-adobe.stock.com
• 2.Adobe Stock/supamas-adobe.stock.com
• 3.Adobe Stock/freedom_naruk-adobe.stock.com
• 4.Adobe Stock/streetflash-adobe.stock.com