From Coffee Cherry to Coffee Cup | Discover the Process with Henk Pur

For many of us, the day doesn't truly begin until that first sip of coffee. We smell the aroma, feel the warmth, and savor the moment of starting up. But have you ever wondered what all goes into that cup of coffee? That delicious espresso or cappuccino is the result of a months-long, precise process where nature and craftsmanship come together.

Grab a cup of coffee and join us on a journey through the seven steps from bean to cup!

1. Planting and Cultivating: where the coffee plants grow.

Everything begins in the fertile soil of the so-called "Coffee Belt". See our blog about the coffee belt here. Around the equator (such as Colombia, Ethiopia, and Brazil), coffee plants grow. It takes about 3 to 4 years for a young plant to produce its first harvest of coffee cherries. These are the countries where the climate is optimal for coffee plants.

Did you know? Coffee cherries grow in clusters and turn bright red or yellow when ripe.

2. The Harvest: picking is done mechanically and by hand.

Harvesting the cherries is precision work and usually happens once a year. It depends on the area and the month of the year it occurs. There are two methods of picking:

Strip-picking: All cherries, ripe and unripe, are picked from the branch at once. Often used for mass production.

Hand-picking: Only the perfectly ripe cherries are selected by hand. This yields the highest quality, often used for specialty coffee, whose origin comes from a specific area, also called single origin.

3. Processing the red cherry.

The red cherry must be processed to get to the coffee bean (the seed). This can be done in two main ways:

The dry method: The cherries are laid out to dry in the sun and then mechanically hulled. This often gives the coffee a sweet, full-bodied, and fruity character.

The wet method: The pulp is washed away immediately after harvest, and the beans are fermented and dried. This results in a clean, fresh, and bright flavor.

4. Drying and Sorting.

After processing, the beans still have a layer of moisture. They are dried until the moisture content is around 11%. Then, the beans are sorted by size, weight, and quality. Imperfections are carefully removed. Now they are called green coffee beans.

5. Roasting where the magic happens.

Green beans barely smell like coffee and have no complex flavor. Roasting is where the true craftsmanship begins.

During the roasting process in the drum roaster (at temperatures around 170°C - 230°C), the beans undergo hundreds of chemical reactions.

Sugars caramelize, acids break down, and the characteristic aroma and flavor emerge.

Light, medium, or dark? The longer the roast, or the higher the temperature, the more bitter and intense the flavor; lighter roasts retain more fruity and floral notes.

6. Grinding roasted coffee beans can be done in different settings.

Once the beans have cooled, they are ready to be ground. The grind size is crucial for the flavor in your cup:

Coarse for a French Press or pour-over.

Fine for an espresso.

Tip: Grind your beans just before brewing for the ultimate taste experience!

7. Brewing your cup of coffee with your breakfast.

The last step of the journey! With hot water (around 90°C to 95°C, just below boiling point), all flavors, oils, and aromas are extracted from the ground coffee. Whether you choose a drip filter, a percolator, a robust espresso machine, or an AeroPress: after a few seconds/minutes, it's ready.

Enjoy consciously

This process also includes several transportation moments on the way to your cup of coffee. This often happens via large bodies of water and roads.  

Next time you pour your favorite cup of coffee, you'll know how many hands, sun, time, and love it took to get that drink into your mug.

What brewing method do you prefer to enjoy your coffee? Let me know in the comments!

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