Most of us find it impossible to start the day without a cup of our favourite coffee. No wonder the humble bean now makes its way into half a trillion cups of coffee a year.
The scent of a bean
It is believed that the first time coffee was consumed was by an Ethiopian shepherd who noticed that his goats and sheep had a little more bounce than usual. The animals stumbled upon what would become known as “coffee” when they were browsing the small red fruit from the indigenous shrub, Coffea. Intrigued, the herder decided to have a go himself. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Today, half a trillion cups of coffee are consumed a year and this small red berried shrub is grown globally, between the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer from Vietnam to Colombia, and has become one of the largest industries in the world.
Bean about
Commercialised coffee trees grow to a maximum of three metres for control purposes, but left to their own devices, they could grow to 10 metres or more. The white flowers of the tree smell a lot like jasmine and the fruit or red cherries of the tree contain the coffee berry or bean. There are usually two oval shaped beans in each fruit, but occasionally due to climate adversity, one bean is found. This is known as a peaberry. The coffee produced from peaberries is known for being smooth in body and taste.
Two types of coffee species are commercially grown – Robusta and Arabica. Robusta is used to produce instant coffee and is grown in Vietnam. Arabica and Robusta are grown under different conditions and the trees are slightly different. Robusta coffee beans are more rounded in shape and tend to be more acidic. Arabica coffee beans are elongated, blue/green in colour and grow at high altitudes. Robusta has a higher caffeine content.
Instant coffee
Coffee is one of the most labour intensive industries in the world and despite its name, instant coffee probably takes the longest to produce. Each tree can produce up to 50 cups of coffee.
Coffee harvesting takes place annually in the dry season. Robusta has a faster yield to Arabica and can grow anywhere. Three methods of harvesting are utilised:
After harvesting processing should take place in no less than six hours.
All processing is completed on the farms and when complete, the green beans are shipped off to be further processed to become what we know of as a dark and delicious natural stimulant found in almost every home, restaurant or office around the world.
