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I bet if you just squeeze...
Growing and Picking Coffee
The world’s insatiable need for coffee (or perhaps just caffeine) has to be met somehow. Last post I mentioned that coffee spread pretty quickly, but where did it go, and how much of it? Coffee is grown in more than 60 developing countries by around 25 milling farmers. Most of those farmers are still small family businesses, but you can find large coffee plantations in the countries with higher production. There are two types of...
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Roasting Part 2: The Equipment & Roasting at Home
The first thing we have to think about is the equipment: what are you going to use to roast coffee? It’s true that you can roast coffee anywhere there’s heat, but I’m about as likely to try roasting coffee in a dryer as I am trying to cook a turkey in one, even if does kind of resemble the real deal.
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| Innovation is not always a good thing. Picture by What Happens When You Roast Coffee?
Maybe you wanted to make your own coffee, but growing is difficult and you don’t live on a mountain in the middle of Ethiopia, so you would only be able to grow poor little coffee plants. Or maybe you did grow some coffee but when you processed it you just wound up with a fermenting pile of mush. Either way, somewhere along the line you just gave up and decided to buy some green beans online. Roasting can’t be that hard, right? It’s just, what, baking? Well, you’re in luck. Anyone...
Processing, Part 2
So we've looked at how to get the bean out of the fruit, but once you have it, what do you do with it? The answer is not to grind and brew, or even roast. Those beans have a ways to go, and before they can even be shipped, they have to be dried to a low moisture content, because moisture, rot and bacteria are like a group of young hooligans that are always hanging out together. The beans are usually dried in beds outside, where they are shifted frequently to speed the process and prevent mold.
... Processing, Part 1
Let's say that you decide to take everything into your own hands and grow your own coffee beans. You put in the effort of planting the trees, caring for them and waiting a few years, and finally you have some beautiful bright red coffee cherries. As proud as you are, now you must be wondering, how exactly do I turn these into coffee beans? |