Coffee Production Processes

Coffee production processes are the series of steps that come before enjoying a tasty cup of the infusion. Join us as we review the most important aspects.

Coffee production processes consist of a set of stages that yield the delicious drink you enjoy every day. This infusion is made from the fruit of the coffee plant, a plant belonging to the Rubiaceae family that can be, mainly, of the arabica or robusta type. These varieties account for 98% of world production and each has its own particular characteristics:

Arabica

• It is known as high-altitude coffee; and it is the guarantee of a top-quality product.
• This coffee could be described as aromatic and smooth on the palate, with a slight acidic touch.
• It represents roughly 75 to 80% of production worldwide.
• Among the areas where it is grown are Central and South America, Asia, and eastern Africa.
• It is blended in different proportions with the robusta type to obtain the various commercial blends.
• It is harvested in tropical zones located more than 1,200 meters above sea level.

Robusta

• It is a less delicate plant, less demanding in terms of weather conditions, soil type, altitude, and ambient temperature.
• It is also grown at lower altitudes and even near sea level, especially in Africa, although it is also found in Brazil and on the Asian continent.
• This variety is consumed by about 30–35% of the world market.
• It contains more caffeine, and its flavor is more intense and bitter, with a slight earthy taste.
• Because it provides more body, it is the preferred choice for making espresso.

Stages of coffee production processes

Do you know how ground coffee is made? Over all the generations that have produced the aromatic drink, the following phases have been refined:

Planting

This stage starts the natural cycle that goes from sowing the seeds to the growth of the plant. The plant, when mature, can reach up to 10 meters in height. The methods followed in this phase will determine the quality of the beans obtained:

• Shade-grown. The coffee plant grows beneath other, larger trees.
• Sun-grown. Any vegetation on the land must be cleared before planting.

Once the coffee plant has been planted in the ground, it takes 3 to 4 years to produce its first harvest. Each plant will then live for about two decades and even a bit longer, depending on the species. Its life cycle will also depend on the conditions under which the crop was grown.

Harvest

The harvest is annual and occurs when the coffee cherries have reached their ripening time of 9 months. It can be done using two different techniques:

• Picking. A manual, selective process of choosing and gathering the berries at full ripeness, leaving those that are still green on the plants. The harvest obtained this way is more uniform and, therefore, of higher quality.
• Stripping. An industrial process associated with sun-grown crops, usually mechanized. It lets you gather all the berries at the same time, at different stages of ripeness. This requires the harvester to carry out a later inspection to discard those that are not suitable.

Processing

This is the stage of processing, or extracting the beans from the berry, and then drying them. There is a wet technique and a dry technique for turning the clean harvested beans into a product ready for the next phases. The first produces washed coffee, which is considered higher quality. Depending on the mechanism chosen, the taste of the drink will show one set of characteristics or another.

Once the beans have been sun-dried, they go through curing, or hulling, which in turn is done before packing and exporting. The purpose of hulling is to remove the husk and other impurities, as well as to sort the product based on the different criteria used. These can be bean shape or size, as well as weight or color.

Roasting

At this stage, the product takes on the particular flavor and aroma by which you recognize your delicious daily cup of coffee. To achieve this, the bean is processed in ovens at high temperatures. As a result:

• It increases in size by up to 80%.
• It loses its moisture content, decreasing in weight by 12 to 20%.
• Its caffeine content is reduced.
• It takes on the characteristic smell and color of roasted coffee.

The roasting phase, an artistic one, requires the expert to have broad experience and a wealth of technical knowledge. When the bean does not go through this stage, you get green coffee, which, although a different product, also offers great benefits for your health.

What are the final phases of the coffee production processes?

Roasted coffee is sold as whole beans or ground. So the next-to-last stage can be carried out before sale or at home, using a home grinder. If you buy the whole-bean product, we recommend grinding it immediately before brewing (the final phase) to make the most of all its properties. At our industrial plant you can taste infusions of the highest quality.

At CAFIVER we are ready to satisfy our local customers as well as national and international ones. If visiting our facilities in Veracruz isn't possible for you, we invite you to our online store. There you will find a wide selection of products that have gone through the most demanding coffee production processes. And, as a result, are able to satisfy even the most exquisite tastes.