Unbeknownst to many consumers, coffee is actually a fruit. Coffee branches produce beautiful and delicate looking white blossoms that only last for a day or so. The blossoms then give way to coffee buds, called cherries, that are round and red in color and very much resemble traditional cherries. How coffee is grown is not at all a complicated process, although it does take some time. In fact, it takes from three to five years for coffee plants to begin actually producing coffee beans. This is highly dependent on the proper combination of temperature, sunlight and rain.

CoffeeHarvesting for coffee is typically done by hand, although there are machines that will strip the plants. Only ripe coffee cherries are picked. Because of this there are typically many times each season that each tree is picked. The cherries however, are not what coffee farmers want. The coffee that we all know and love comes from inside the coffee cherry. The coffee bean is located inside each coffee cherry. Many times, there may only be one bean inside each. However, there are normally several coffee beans harvested from each coffee cherry. The outside of each coffee cherry is covered with a thick skin. The skin may be brown, yellow or red and covers a layer of pulp. Coffee beans are located underneath the pulp and are covered by a thin layer of parchment, which protects them. In order to harvest coffee beans, the pulp, parchment and another layer of silver skin must be removed.

Once the coffee beans are harvested, they are then processed and sorted by size and appearance. After the processing period, they are then bagged and prepared for shipment. If any coffee beans are not satisfactory for shipping, they are typically used for local purchasing. This is where you, the coffee lover, comes into the picture. The bags of coffee beans that you can find in the tea and coffee section of your local store have all undergone these steps in order to provide you with the perfect cup of coffee. Coffee that you or someone else purchases for your commercial coffee machine or even a Commercial espresso machine has undergone each of these processes. Typically these machines use ground coffee rather than coffee beans. In this case, the coffee that you purchase has undergone another step in which it is ground fresh from the bean and packaged for sale.

Of course, the most vital step in preparing the perfect cup of coffee is in the roasting. Roasting coffee is done at temperatures from 370 to 450 degrees typically for around 20 minutes. The beans change color during the roasting process and the end result is the medium to dark brown color that you are familiar with. The beans split open during this process, which gives off the wonderful aroma of the coffee. Whether you like your coffee rich or mild, it has undergone each of these processes in order to give you that perfect start of the day coffee that you simply cannot live without.