A History of Coffee Brewing 101

Varieties, Drying & Roasting of Coffee Beans

Robusta and Arabica are two of the most popular types of coffee in the world.

Arabica is considered a higher quality coffee bean, so it's more likely to be served at coffee shops.

History of Coffee

Arabs originally discovered coffee in Ethiopia and used it as a drink in the 9th century. They noticed it seemed to perk the cattle up, so they decided to try it themselves. Since then, it spread quickly all over the world.

Colombia is famous for its Arabica coffee and began planting it in the 1800s. It's now the world's third largest coffee producer. There are many factors contributing to its superior taste, but the mountains, climate and soil are some of the reasons Colombian coffee tastes superior.

Coffee bushes have green leaves and red berries that usually contain two coffee beans. Occasionally berries contain only one bean called peaberries. Before the berries turn red, they're first green, then yellow before finally maturing to red. Since they require shade, the coffee is often planted along with trees. Coffee berries can take up to nine months to fully ripen. To get one pound of coffee beans, it takes five pounds of coffee berries.

Drying and Roasting Coffee Beans

When coffee beans are ripe they're processed, dried and roasted to prepare them for drinking and to enhance their flavour. Generally the darker the coffee bean, the darker the roast of the coffee.

Roasting time also affects the coffee's flavour. Lightly roasted coffee beans provide a milder taste, while darker roasts are stronger. It's a personal preference because some people want a mild smooth coffee, while others prefer something stronger and slightly bitter. A popular compromise is often a medium roast coffee.

Coffee Making Methods

Once roasted, the beans are ground and ready for coffee making. There are various grinds from fine to course, which are used depending on the brewing method. Fine is used for espresso; medium is the standard for drip coffee machines and course for percolators or French presses. Measurements for making coffee generally advise one tablespoon per cup of water. This often causes confusion, because a cup in a coffee machine refers to 6 ounces, rather than the standard 8.

Espresso forces pressurized steam through fine ground dark roasted coffee. Variations of espresso include Café Latte, Café Macchiato, Cappuccino and Americano. They all involve the addition of milk, except Americano, which is simply espresso with added hot water. Coffee's flavoured further with syrup, milk, chocolate or cinnamon.

Storing Coffee

After roasting and grinding, coffee beans need to be stored so that the flavours don't break down. If the coffee's fairly fresh in the first place, it should keep for a couple of weeks. One popular method is to keep the ground coffee in an air-tight container. If it isn't sealed properly, moisture and other flavours from foods can seep into the coffee grounds. It's also not a good idea to freeze coffee unless you're willing to compromise taste. Ideally, it's best to grind the beans immediately before brewing the coffee.

Sources:

Coffeebeanqueen.com

Wikipedia.org