Coffee Is Actually The Seed Of A Fruit With Lots Of Flavor

The coffee beans we roast, grind, and brew are actually the seed of the coffee cherry, which is a fruit. The way that fruit is grown, and how coffee is processed, stored, and roasted all impact the final flavor in the cup you drink. 

Slowly maturing plants enhance flavor, as more natural sugars are created and nutrients are absorbed from the surrounding soil. Volcanic mountainsides contribute a rich mineral content in some of the best regional coffees. That regional flavor is enhanced by cultivar, growing conditions, how fast the plant grows, and the processing techniques used by local farmers. 

When coffee cherries turn dark red the farmers harvest them at the peak of ripeness, full of sugars that create a sweet complex cup. Coffee is then processed using dry or wet methods, or a hybrid of these.

Natural (dry processed) coffee is best known for producing smooth coffee with a heavy body. It's the oldest coffee processing method in the world, and is often used in regions with low humidity and rainfall, such as Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Brazil. In the Dry Process method coffee cherries are harvested and allowed to dry intact in the sun for several weeks. Roasting methods can bring out notes of berries, fruits, and even wine in dry processed coffees, as extra sugars develop within the coffee seed and carmelize while roasting.

Washed (wet-processed) coffees tend to make the highest quality brew, with a vibrant taste and clean cup. In wet-processed coffees the cherry skin and pulp are removed. Then beans are fermented a few days with water to break mucilage down, and dried as usual. This creates a bean that is cleaner and fruitier, with higher levels of acidity, which often produces the highest quality cup.

Other methods of coffee processing are hybrids of the Natural and Washed methods.

With Pulped Natural processing only the skin is removed. This creates full body with bright well-rounded acidity.

The Honey Process method removes skin and some of the fruit mucilage. This method uses no water and produces good balanced acidity and sweetness in your coffee.

The Wet Hulled process is heavily used in Indonesia. It is known for creating rich, strong, syrupy body that is devoid of sweetness, and very low in acidity.

The roasting method used to create light, medium, or dark levels while attending to the rise in temperature at various stages of the roast, also enhances the natural fruity, sweet, acidic, and syrupy qualities that give your brew the unique taste you find so appealing. 

As with all farm to table products, there is much more that goes into creating the perfect cup of coffee than meets the eye.