What is coffee and where does it come from?

Coffee comes from the Latin name of the plant genus Coffea. The genus belongs to the Rubiaceae family and contains over 6,000 different types of plants and trees, which mostly grow in tropical regions.

The genus Coffea contains at least 25 different species, some of which can grow more than 10 metres tall. For us, there are 2 important species within the Coffea genus: Coffea Arabica and Coffea Canephora.

Coffea Arabica vs. Coffea Canephora

• Coffea Arabica produces Arabica beans, which most quality coffee is made from. Arabica is the only coffee that can be drunk without the beans being mixed with other types of coffee beans (a mix is called a blend). Arabica coffee is generally fairly mild and comes from places such as Brazil.
• Coffea Canephora produces Robusta beans, which are often used in blends (mixed with Arabica beans). This coffee is considerably more bitter.

There are also the C. liberica and C. excelsa plants that produce liberica and excelsa beans. However, these are used much less and we won’t cover them in this article.

The Arabica plant

A normal Arabica plant is a large bush with dark green, oval leaves. The berries are also oval and contain two flattened seeds. Sometimes only one bean develops, in which case it’s called a ‘peaberry’.

The Robusta plant

The Robusta plant is a lot more robust (as the name suggests). It’s a shrub or small tree that can grow more than 10 metres tall. The berries are round and ripen in about eleven months. The seeds are oval and slightly smaller than Arabica beans. Robusta coffee is grown in West and Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and to some extent in Brazil, where it’s called Conilon.

The differences in the growing and harvesting process

Arabica coffee makes up around 70% of world production, but the share of Robusta coffee is growing, mainly because of better yields. In addition, Arabica bushes are more susceptible to disease than plants that produce Robusta coffee.

Both Arabica and Robusta beans can be harvested about 3 to 4 years after planting. The lifespan of the plants is 20 to 30 years. Both varieties need plenty of sun and rain. Alongside the coffee plants, other trees are grown to provide shade and protect the berries.

Post-harvest processing

After harvesting, the beans are processed. This is done using either the dry method or the wet method. The dry method is the simplest, cheapest, and most traditional. The beans are spread out over drying floors and laid out in the sun to dry. They’re turned regularly to prevent fermentation. After about 4 weeks the beans are dry enough; they then contain around 12% moisture. Too dry and they’re harder to hull; too wet and they’re prone to mould.

The wet method requires more investment and know-how, but produces more consistent and better-quality beans. The difference is that the fruit pulp is removed straight away without the berries having to dry first. Within 24 hours of picking, the fruit pulp is removed in a ‘pulper’, a machine that squeezes the berries so the beans are separated from their skin and pulp. That’s then washed away with water. After that, the beans are stored in fermentation tanks for 12 to 36 hours to turn the parchment layer into a pebbly coating instead of a mucilaginous one. With the wet method, it’s important to keep an eye on quality constantly; one rotten bean can spoil a whole batch. After that, the beans are dried for 5 to 12 days, these days often in machines.

Just before the beans are exported, they’re hulled. The parchment skin is still around the beans. This is done by special machines that, for example, roll the beans between moving plates. The beans are then sorted by size and density.

The export takes place by boat, ship or plane, usually in sacks of 60 kg. At the destination, the coffee is either stored first or taken straight to the roaster.

At the roaster, the coffee is heated for several minutes in a special ‘oven’ or roasting machine. These are the final coffee beans that coffee is brewed with and that are sold at Café du Jour.