Coffee is one of the most popular and well-known drinks in the world. It is enjoyed by people from all around the world and has been around for centuries.
There are many ways to produce organic coffee, but one of the most common methods is growing it using beans. But how do we really grow organic coffee beans?
Planting
Coffee production starts in a coffee plantation. To produce coffee beans, the coffee plants need moisture and sun. When properly grown, coffee beans will have a rich flavour and a slightly deviled appearance.
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- Cut the coffee plants in half from top to bottom with sharp scissors to plant coffee beans. Ensure that each half’s centre has been cut so that a seam connects the two halves.
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- Ensure not to cut into the ground coffee, as this will cause it to rot.
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- Spread enough water where you plan to plant your beans, and then put your light green leaves above the water.
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- Once they grow new leaves, darken them, so they’re nearly black by taking at least 2-3 tablespoons of soil per cup of water used for watering plants.
Harvesting The Cherries
The time it takes for the newly planted coffee trees in the coffee farm to bear fruit will vary depending on the variety and will be between 3 and 4 years. When the coffee crop is mature and prepared for harvest, it turns a vivid, deep red.
The coffee cherries harvested during the dormant season are some of the most delicious and valuable products you can harvest. There are a few things that you need to do to harvest these coffee crop cherries correctly.
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- First, ensure your cherry tree is healthy and in good condition.
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- Second, use a sharp knife to cut off the stem of the cherry tree. After cutting off the stem, remove the fruit from the Cherry tree.
A coffee harvest can be done either manually or mechanically:
Striped Picked
When cherries are “strip picked,” they are all removed from the branch at once, either mechanically or manually.
Selectively Picked
Only the ripe cherries are collected, each hand-picked one at a time. Cherry pickers alternate between trees every eight to ten days, picking the ripest cherries.
Processing The Cherries
When harvesting coffee cherries, it is important to clean them properly. You can do this by washing the cherries with cold water and then rinsing them with iced water. Coffee cherries that have not been cleaned and rinsed will likely go bad and require further processing than those that have been picked while still wet.
Drying The Beans
The next step is drying the beans. There are a few things that one needs to do to dry green coffee beans properly. First and foremost, cleaning the beans to remove any excess oils and flavours is important. Secondly, placing the beans in a clean, dry place is best. Finally, the beans should be dried for a specific time, which can vary depending on the climate in which the beans were grown.
Milling The Beans
Coffee cherries are used to produce green coffee beans at the mill. Cherry seeds are first dried between 10 and 12% moisture content. Thus, milling plays a crucial role in the production of coffee and can significantly influence its flavour and quality.
In addition to dry/natural, wet/washed, honey (and all its variations), and natural pulped pulp, there are numerous ways to mill coffee. There are many more experimental techniques available. All of them are multi-step, intricate processes.
Exporting The Beans
The milled beans, also known as green coffee, are either bulk-shipped inside plastic-lined containers or put aboard ships in jute or sisal bags loaded in shipping containers.
Tasting The Coffee
The taste and quality of coffee are continually evaluated. This procedure, known as cupping, typically occurs in a chamber created especially for the purpose.
The cupper, who serves as the taster, begins by rating the beans’ overall aesthetic appeal. The beans are then roasted in a tiny lab roaster, promptly ground, precisely temperature-controlled infused in hot water. The cupper smells the coffee to assess its scent, which is crucial in determining its quality.
The cupper quickly inhales a spoonful of coffee to taste it. The idea is to distribute the coffee uniformly through the cupper’s taste buds, weigh it on the tongue, and then spit it out.
Roasting The Coffee
The next step is roasting. Roasting coffee is a process that begins with adding water to a coffee bean and then pressing the beans. Green coffee is transformed during roasting into the flavorful brown beans we can buy in our favourite shops or coffee shops. The majority of roasting equipment keeps its temperature at 550 degrees Fahrenheit. To prevent scorching, the beans are continuously moved throughout the process.
The roasted beans are then placed in an oven for a specific time. The goal of roast ability is to create a coffee with the flavour, aroma, and complexity you desire. There are many different roast methods, but the most common is to roast them at 190 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grinding Coffee
A perfect grind is necessary to maximize the flavour of a cup of coffee. The fineness or coarseness of the coffee ground depends on the brewing method.
The appropriate grind size depends on how long the grounds will be in contact with water. Typically, the finer the grind, the quicker the coffee should be made. Because of this, coffee for an espresso machine is ground significantly finer than coffee for a drip system.
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- The first step is to get the size of the burr that you need. There are different sizes of burrs for different types of coffee.
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- Get the one right for your type of coffee and your desired grind level. Next, place the beans in the grinder and turn it on.
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- The first time you Grind, it will take a little bit to get going. After about 90 seconds, it will be grinding at high speed.
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- Keep turning it until the beans leave the grinder completely (usually after about 10 minutes). The second time you Grind, just keep turning it until your desired level of grind is achieved.
Brewing Coffee
The last and final step is brewing the coffee. To brew coffee effectively, use the proper water temperature, grind the beans correctly, and add enough brewing time. Brewing coffee can be improved with a little bit of practice. The best way to improve your brewing experience is to read the coffee maker manual and follow the directions carefully.
Once you have done this, you can improve your brewing methods using a grinder for more consistent results. Additionally, using a good amount of beans when Brewing Coffee is important, as this helps create a smooth taste and aroma.
Lastly, keep an eye on the brewing time. It can vary depending on how strong the coffee has been brewed.
Conclusion
Coffee is grown and produced in many ways. The most common way is by planting the coffee and harvesting its cherries. Coffee beans are then dried and then roasted. The final step before brewing coffee is to filter out the grounds. The coffee beans that are ground and prepared for drinking are sometimes roasted with additional heat. This increases their bitterness, colour, and aroma.
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FAQS
Where did coffee originate?
The history of coffee cultivation dates back many millennia to the old coffee forests on the Ethiopian plateau. According to folklore, goat herder Kaldi initially discovered the treasured beans.
How long does coffee take to grow?
The time it takes for the newly planted coffee trees to bear fruit will vary depending on the variety and will be between 3 and 4 years. When the coffee cherry is mature and prepared for harvest, it turns a vivid, deep red. Typically, there is only one large harvest every year.
How many types of coffee beans are there?
Coffee beans come in 4 different varieties. Robusta beans, Excelsa beans, Liberica beans, and Arabica beans. All four have wildly diverse flavour characteristics.
