Coffee is naturally grown in many countries of the tropical and sub-tropical belt in South and Central America and Asia. It grows in different altitudes in different climates and different soil and is looked upon as an international drink consumed throughout the world.
Brazil, Columbia, The Ivory Coast, and Indonesia are the first, second, third and fourth, largest producers of coffee in the world respectively.
The coffee plants are the genus Coffea which belongs to the Rubiaceae family. The coffee plant is an evergreen plant or a bush which is grown commercially in tropical climate throughout the world. It requires not only a hot climate but also a high rainfall, rich soil and a relatively high altitude. The coffee plant is unable to survive a wide variation of temperature or any other condition.
History of coffee
There is evidence to suggest that coffee trees were cultivated about 1000 years ago in Yemen. The first commercial cultivation of coffee is thought to have been the Yemen district of Arabia in the 15thcentury. The first coffee house was opened in England in Oxford in 1650.
Three types of coffee plants are commercially used:
- Coffea Arabica
- Coffea Canephora
- Coffea Liberica
Coffee Production
It involves several steps as Processing, Milling, Roasting and more.
Processing
processing can be done by three different methods/process i.e Wet Process, Dry Process, Semi-Dry Process.
Milling
Milling includes Hulling, Polishing, Cleaning & Sorting, Grading.
Other Steps
Aging and Decaffeination are the two other steps done after Grading.
Storage
Green coffee may be usable for several years, but it is vulnerable to quality degradation which depends on how it is stored. Coffee that is poorly stored may develop a burlap-like taste known as “bagginess”, and its positive qualities may fade. A gas barrier liner to jute bags is sometimes used to preserve the quality of green coffee. Less frequently, green coffee is stored in vacuum packaging.
Roasting
Roasting
and grinding are basically not part of production but almost all coffee
sold to consumers throughout the world is sold as roasted coffee.
Usually, there are four degrees of roasting Coffee: light, medium, medium-dark, and dark.
Grinding
Roasted coffee must be ground before it can be used to make the brew. Coffee is grounded to different grades of fineness which suit the many different methods of brewing.
The most suitable grinds for some common methods of brewing coffee are-
Method Grounding Grade
- Filter Fine to medium
- Jug Coarse
- Turkish Pulverized
- Cafeteria Medium
- Vacuum Infusion Medium fine to fine
- Espresso Very fine
- Percolation Medium
Types Of Coffee
There are several types of coffee they are :-
Instant Coffee:
It is a beverage derived from brewed coffee beans. Through various manufacturing processes, the coffee is dehydrated into the form of powder or granules. These can be re-hydrated with hot water or milk along with cream and sugar.
Filter Coffee:
Drip brew, or filter coffee, is a method for brewing coffee which involves pouring water over roasted, ground coffee beans contained in a filter. Water seeps through the coffee, absorbing its oils and essences, solely under gravity, and then passes through the bottom of the filter. The used coffee grounds are retained in the filter with the liquid falling (dripping) into a collecting vessel such as a carafe or pot. Ex. Indian filter coffee
Decaffeinated Coffee/ Decaf:
Coffee contains caffeine which is a stimulant. Decaffeinated coffee is made from beans after the caffeine has been extracted and contains about 1-2% of caffeine.
Espresso:
It is a concentrated coffee beverage brewed by forcing hot water under pressure through finely-ground coffee. Served without milk.
Café Au Lait:
This is the simple milk coffee where brewed coffee is added to milk in the ratio of 1:1 making it much less intense in taste.
Cappuccino:
Usually equal parts espresso, steamed milk, and frothed milk, often with cinnamon or flaked chocolate sprinkled on top.
Café Latte
Essentially, a single shot of espresso in steamed (not frothed) milk. The ratio of milk to coffee should be about 3:1
Turkish Coffee:
Turkish Coffee is coffee prepared by boiling finely powdered roast coffee beans in a pot, possibly with sugar, and serving it into a cup, where the dregs settle. The name describes the method of preparation, not the raw material; there is no special Turkish variety of the coffee bean.
Irish Coffee:
It is a cocktail consisting of hot coffee, Irish whiskey, and sugar, stirred and topped with thick cream. The coffee is drunk through the cream.
