All the finished products we enjoy, especially food, goes through a lot of processes to attain the final quality it possesses. Each and every time something is produced, the process is intensified than before. It is no surprise that coffee lovers today, around the globe, started to compare the quality of coffee with other products. Everyone is looking for the best in everything they consume. So, there is a necessity to make the products in the best way possible.
The filter coffee we relish undergo a distinctive series of phases to give their best to us. Hence, let us see the process involved in the production of filter coffee. It’s how that world's enticing drink, coffee’s lifecycle, is born.
Nine Stages
There are nine steps involved in the life journey of coffee. They are planting, harvesting, processing, drying, milling, exportation, quality testing, roasting, grinding and brewing.
Planting
Generally, coffee seeds are planted under shaded sun or shaded nurseries. The seedlings are watered regularly and protected from the scorching sun to be permanently planted. Wet season is the perfect time for the plantation of the coffee seeds so that the moisture supports the roots to be strongly fit.
Harvesting
Approximately, it takes at least three to four years for a newly planted coffee plant to bear fruit depending on the variety. The fruit is ready to be harvested when its colour changes from green to deep red. Every year has a major harvest which includes strip pick by the machine and selective pick by the hand to end the harvest.
Processing
To prevent the spoilage of coffee, the processing commences as soon as the harvest is done. Processing may consist of two methods depending on the location and sources—the dry method and the wet method. The former method is used where the water resources are limited. The freshly picked beans are spread to dry in the sun on a huge surface. They are protected from the sun from getting wet. In the latter method, coffee beans are sent into a pulping machine to get off the skin. This is then followed by a floating process to separate the heavy ones from the light ones so that it is ready for fermentation.
Drying
If the beans are processed by the wet method along with fermentation, they are kept for drying on huge surfaces. This stage is used only when coffee beans are processed under a wet method.
Milling
This process is so important before exportation because the removal of husk happens here. Beans are sent into a hulling machine to remove the wasted husks. Typically, good beans are also separated from the defective beans in this stage either by hand or by machinery. This stage ensures the finest quality of beans are sent to exportation.
Exporting
All the milled beans are referred to as green coffee. The package is so important, otherwise it may cause the coffee powder to taste bad. They are sent as bulk packages to different places by plastic-lined containers.
Quality Testing
There are repeated tests done in order to ensure the quality and taste. A separate room is being kept to experiment with this process. First, the test is held to check the texture of the coffee. Once it is done, the beans are roasted in a proper temperature and mixed with water to check the aroma of it. Finally, it is tasted by the lips to check if they have reached the right taste. After all these steps, the flaws are noted to be changed and the fine ones are processed in the following steps.
Roasting
The exported green coffee beans are transformed into freshly brewed brown coffee beans which we purchase in different coffee shops. The temperature is a vital part of this process to keep the beans from burning. Immediately after roasting the beans, they are cooled by air or water.
Grinding and Brewing
The mouthwatering flavour and taste we enjoy is determined at this stage. The process is done by the most experienced experts to bring the perfect taste and the flavour we enjoy in our favourite café and coffee houses.
Coffee processing requires a lot of knowledge to retain the consistency of taste in a cup of coffee. This manufacturing process is very human-intensive.
All of the above-stated stages together create the best-tasting coffee we buy in the shops.
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