From bean to powder
Coffee is the seed of a fruit. The fruit is removed, the seed is dried, then roasted, then ground. Four steps, and the first one surprises most people.
The plant produces a small fruit, usually called a coffee cherry. It ripens red. Inside it, almost always in pairs, sit the seeds.
Those seeds are what we call coffee beans. They are not beans in any botanical sense. They are seeds of a fruit, which is why a coffee cherry has skin, pulp, a parchment layer and then the seed itself.
What has to happen
- Harvest. The ripe cherries are picked.
- Processing. The fruit is removed from the seed, either by washing it off or by drying the whole cherry and hulling it later.
- Drying and curing. The green seed is brought down to a stable moisture level so it can be stored and traded.
- Roasting. Heat transforms the green seed into something aromatic and brown.
- Grinding. The roasted bean is broken down to the fineness the brewing method needs.
Only the last two happen anywhere near a coffee shop. The first three happen on and around the estates where coffee grows.
At Sundaram, roasting, blending, grinding and packing are all done in-house. Growing and processing are not; that work happens in the growing regions.
Curious what this tastes like in the cup? See the coffees.