What Exactly is Coffee?

We all know that our coffees, in all their forms, are created using coffee beans. Those beans have been dried, roasted and then ground before brewing.

But coffee brewing is only the end of the story. How does that lengthy tale begin?

Cherry picking

Coffee has become an increasingly valuable commodity and one that really does grow on trees!

Did you know that coffee beans aren’t beans at all, they are seeds? And that’s where our story really begins.

Coffee seeds (beans) are planted in shaded nursery beds and they sprout after 6 – 8 weeks into "matchstick" or "chapola" stages of growth.  A Colombian colloquial term meaning “butterfly”, chapola refers to the two open embryonic leaves of a seedling, which resemble a butterfly.

Seedlings are nurtured under shade nets for 5 to 6 months until they develop sturdy root systems and leaf pairs. They are then permanently planted in the field, often during the rainy season.

Coffee trees mature after 3 to 4 years and then produce their first fragrant, white jasmine-like blossoms. Once these have been pollinated, small green cherries appear. They take almost a year to ripen, at which point they turn a deep red, yellow, orange, or purple colour depending on the variety concerned.

Cherries are harvested either by hand or by machine and their seeds (beans) are extracted.

About coffee trees

Coffee trees grow in more than 40 countries around the world. They vary dramatically in size but if not pruned, they can reach 30 feet in height. The trees boast waxy leaves, and their cherries grow along their branches.

The average coffee tree will produce around 5kg of cherries each year and those cherries will deliver 1kg of unprocessed beans.

Coffee trees reach fully cherry production after 5 years and are most productive between 7 and 20 years of age. But the trees can live for up to 100 years.

Coffee cherry structure

Coffee trees vary widely and cherries boast diverse colours but their structures are similar:

• Outer skin (exocarp) - this is generally thin and smooth. As a cherry ripens, it transitions from green to yellow to red or purple.
• Pulp (mesocarp) - the pulp surrounds the coffee beans, it is intensely sweet and tastes like melon.  
• Mucilage - a sticky, gelatinous layer that is rich in natural sugars and pectins. This layer drives the crucial fermentation processes that shape a coffee's ultimate flavour profile
• Parchment (endocarp) – is a thin layer that covers and protects the coffee beans as they develop within each cherry.
• Silver skin (testa, epidermis) - this is the outer layer of the bean that supports the bean’s early development.
• Bean (endosperm) - the core of the coffee bean, it contains carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids. These all influence the flavour and aroma of the coffee beans when they are brewed.

To minimise agricultural waste, the discarded skins and pulp are often dried to produce Cascara—a fruity, sweet, herbal tea enjoyed hot or cold around the world.

Peaberry Coffee

Most coffee cherries develop two seeds (beans). These have flattened sides facing each other. However, 5% to 10% of cherries feature a single bean and this is known as a peaberry.

Peaberries occur naturally when only one seed is fertilised inside the cherry. They don’t flatten courtesy of the extra space and so grow into rounded beans. Due to this rounded shape, peaberries roll and roast more easily.

Many coffee lovers believe that peaberries produce sweeter and more concentrated coffee because a single bean will absorb the sugars and other nutrients that nature intended for two beans.

Some farms separate out peaberries to sell them as a premium product.

Bean extraction

Following the cherry harvest, the seeds must be separated from the fruits. The processing method used will determine the extent to which the cherries’ sugars interact with the beans:

• Washed process - skin and pulp are completely removed before the beans are dried. This process results in clean, bright, and acidic coffee and can reveal the bean's true origin.
• Natural process - whole cherries are dried intact under the sun before the seeds are removed. More sugars are absorbed to produce fruity, intensely sweet, and full-bodied coffee.
• Honey process – the skins of the cherries are removed, but the sticky mucilage is left on while the cherries dry. This method creates balanced and rounded sweetness.

You reap what you sow

As you can see, coffee is years in the making or should we say the growing, proving that age-old pearl of wisdom that good things come to those who wait!