Journey from seed to delicious coffee
The coffee you enjoy every day has been through a long journey before it arrives in the cup of coffee in your hand.
During this time they are grown, picked and purchased, the beans go through a typical series of stages to reach their full potential.
A 10-step journey from seed to delicious coffee.
1. Growing coffee
A coffee bean is actually a seed. When dried, roasted and ground, it is used to make coffee. If the seed is left untreated, it can be planted and developed into a coffee plant.
Coffee beans are usually sown in clusters (beds) or in specialized soil trays in nurseries. Seedlings will be watered regularly in the shade of the sun until they are strong enough to be planted. Planting usually takes place during the rainy season, so that the soil remains moist while the roots become firm.
2. Harvesting coffee berries
Depending on the variety, it will take about 3 to 4 years for the newly planted coffee trees to bear fruit. The coffee cherries turn bright red then berry red when ready to be harvested.
Usually there is a big harvest a year. In countries like Colombia, where there are two annual flower crops, there is a primary and secondary crop.
In most countries, crops are hand-picked in a laborious and difficult process, although in places like Brazil where the landscape is relatively flat and the coffee fields vast, the process This has been mechanized. Whether by hand or by machine, all coffee is harvested in one of two ways:
+ Strip Picked: All coffee cherries are stripped from the branch at once, by machine or by hand.
Selectively Picked: Only ripe coffee cherries are harvested, and they are hand-picked. Collectors rotate between trees after 8 to 10 days, choosing only ripe coffee cherries. Because this harvesting method is more laborious and expensive, it is used mainly to harvest quality Arabica beans.
The average good harvester, reaching about 100 to 200 pounds (45-90kg) of coffee beans per day, will produce 20 to 40 pounds (9-18kg) of green beans. The worker's harvest weight is carefully weighed and each picker is paid based on their work performance. The harvested output per day is transported to the processing plant.
3. Processing coffee berries
Once the coffee has been harvested, processing must begin as quickly as possible to avoid damage to the fruit. Depending on location and local resources, coffee is processed in one of two ways:
The dry method is an old coffee processing method and is still used in many countries where water resources are limited. Freshly picked cherries are simply spread out on large surfaces to dry in the sun. To prevent the cherries from spoiling, they are raked and stirred all day, then covered at night or in the rain to prevent them from getting wet. Depending on the weather, this process can go on for a few weeks per batch until the moisture content of the cherries drops to 11%.
+ Wet method removes the skin and flesh from the harvested coffee fruit so that the kernels are dried when only the husk remains. First, the freshly harvested coffee cherries are passed through a mill to separate the skin and flesh from the kernel.
The nuclei are then separated by weight as they pass through the water channels. The lighter kernels float to the top, while the heavier ripe ones sink to the bottom. The kernels are passed through a series of rotating drums and separate them by size.
After separation, the kernels are transported to large fermentation tanks, filled with water. Depending on a combination of factors – such as the condition of the nucleus pulposus, climate and altitude – they will stay in these tanks for between 12 and 48 hours to remove the mucus layer (called the parenchyma). ) is still attached to the husk. While resting in the tank, naturally occurring enzymes will cause this layer to dissolve.
When fermentation is complete, the kernels have a rough feel to the touch and are washed by passing through water channels and ready to be dried.
4. Bean drying
If kernels have been wet-processed, they must be dried to a moisture content of about 11% for storage.
These kernels, still inside the endocarp, can be sun-dried by spreading them on a table or drying floor, where they are turned frequently, or they can be machine-dried. The dried beans are called parchment coffee and are stored in sacks until they are ready for export.
5. Grind off the outer skin
Before being exported, coffee husks are processed in the following way:
The machine peels the husk (endocarp) from the wet-processed coffee beans. The dry processing coffee berry grinder will remove all the pods and husks of the coffee.
Polishing is an optional process where any husks left on the kernels after shelling are removed with this machine. Although polished kernels are considered superior to unpolished, in practice there is little difference between the two.
Sorting and sorting is done by size and weight, and kernels are also checked for chromatic aberrations or other defects.
Usually, kernel size is expressed on a scale of 10 to 20. The meaning of the aforementioned metric is its ratio per 64 parts of 1 inch. Floor 18 means 18/64 inches, the unit of measurement in mm is 7.1mm. Similarly for 16 floor is 16/64 inch, converted to mm is 6.3mm.
Finally, the defective kernel is removed manually or mechanically. Unsatisfactory seeds due to deficiencies (unacceptable size or color, over-fermented beans, insect damage, untreated) are discarded. In many countries, this process is carried out both by machine and by hand, ensuring that only the best quality coffee beans are exported.
6. Exporting coffee beans
The ground coffee beans, known as green coffee, are loaded onto ships in sacks placed in shipping containers, or shipped in bulk in plastic containers.
Fortunately for us, Vietnam is the world's leading coffee producer, so there is a source of coffee available without having to worry about importing to have coffee to enjoy.
7. Try to taste coffee
Coffee is repeatedly tested for quality and taste. This process is called cupping and usually takes place in a specially designed room to facilitate the process.
+ First, the taster – commonly known as the cupper – assesses the overall quality of the kernel. The seeds are then roasted in a small laboratory, immediately finely ground and soaked in carefully controlled temperature boiling water. Cuppers use their noses to experience its aroma, an essential step in judging the quality of the coffee.
After letting the coffee rest for a few minutes, the cupper once again enjoys the coffee before tasting it.
+ To taste coffee, coffee drinkers suck on a spoon by sucking quickly. The goal is to spray the coffee evenly onto the cupper's taste buds, and then weigh it onto the tongue before spitting it out.
Samples from various varieties and kernels are tasted daily. Coffees are not only analyzed to determine their characteristics and flaws, but also for the purpose of blending different beans or creating the right roasts. A cupper expert can taste hundreds of coffee samples a day and still taste the subtle differences between them
8. The process of roasting coffee beans
Roasting turns the green beans into the fragrant brown beans we buy in our favorite stores or cafes. Most roasters maintain a temperature of about 550 degrees F (287 degrees C). The nuclei are moved continuously throughout the process to keep them from burning.
When they reach an internal temperature of about 400 degrees Fahrenheit (204 degrees Celsius), they begin to turn brown and caffeol, a fragrant oil locked inside the seeds, begins to emerge. This process, called pyrolysis, is at the heart of roasting – it creates the flavor and aroma of the coffee we drink.
Roasting time ranges from 12-18 minutes, depending on the moisture content of the seeds and the type of beans. The roasting temperature of processed coffee varies from 100 degrees Celsius to 240 degrees Celsius. The following is a description of coffee beans by temperature and time:
+ 100 degrees Celsius: This is the temperature to start roasting green coffee. At this stage, the coffee beans will gradually heat up and shrink compared to their original size due to transpiration taking place.
+ 150 degrees Celsius: Coffee beans gradually turn pale yellow, at this stage the coffee continues to evaporate and shrink further and begins to smell.
+ 180 degrees C: When the seeds begin to turn dark yellow, increase to 180 degrees C, at this time the transpiration process ends, on the grain surface begins to appear cracks and has a stronger aroma.
+ 200 degrees C: When the seeds turn light brown, increase the temperature to 200 degrees C. At this time, the volume of seeds expands very quickly, the aroma is also stronger and sweeter. However, at this point, because the chemical reactions inside the seeds have not occurred yet, the flavor has not yet reached the most delicate level.
+ 210 degrees Celsius: When the beans turn brown, roast the coffee at a temperature of 210 degrees Celsius. At this stage, the coffee beans will start to crack and smoke, creating a passionate aroma.
+ 215 degrees Celsius: When you hear the coffee stops exploding, you continue to increase the temperature to 215 degrees Celsius. The coffee beans will now have a big change in volume, up to 150%, passionate aroma
+ 225 degrees Celsius: When you hear the coffee explode for the second time, increase the temperature to 225 degrees Celsius. At this time, the coffee will release essential oils, vitamins, minerals, reduced acidity, extremely passionate aroma.
+ 235 degrees C-240 degrees C: the finished product is dark brown, has a lot of bitterness and gives off oil, it can be roasted at this temperature. At this time, the volume of the coffee beans will increase to the maximum, the acidity will decrease, but the aroma will decrease a bit compared to the temperature of 215-225 degrees Celsius.
After roasting, the kernels are cooled immediately with air or water. Roasting is usually done in importing countries because freshly roasted beans must reach the consumer as quickly as possible.
9. Grind Coffee Powder
The goal of the grinding process is to get the best flavor out of a cup of coffee. The fineness of the grinding process depends on the method of brewing the coffee.
The length of time the coffee powder is in contact with the water determines the ideal grind level. In general, the finer the grind, the faster the coffee is prepared. That's why ground coffee for an espresso machine is much smoother than coffee brewed in a drip system.
The coffee machine uses 132 pounds of pressure per square inch to extract the coffee.
My advice is to take a moment to examine the nuts and smell them – in fact, the scent of coffee alone has been shown to energize the brain.
10. Make coffee
There are many ways to make coffee in the world. In the following articles. I'll share with you popular brewing techniques, tutorials, and tips on how to create the perfect cup of coffee for any taste.
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Hiệp hội cà phê Hoa Kỳ