Into your cup

Selecting

Large coffee companies usually rely on their representatives to select and buy their coffee. These are the people who negotiate bean prices with producers.

Exporting and importing

Exporting importing and coffee is a complicated business. Depending on the country of origin, coffee can travel a wide array of routes before arriving in your mug. Whether the coffee comes from a large plantation or from a small plot of land affects the route that the coffee will travel. Large coffee producers can sometimes oversee the exportation of their beans. However, a small producer sells its beans to a cooperative that carries out transactions with the exporter. Sometimes, the state itself is the only designated exporter.

Facing this maze of possibilities, coffee craftsman as well as large companies often prefer to work with an importer.

Roasting

Roasting is the act of broiling coffee beans. Roasting lasts on average for about 20 minutes at temperatures ranging from 180 to 250 °C. Depending on how long the roasting lasts, coffee beans gradually transform from green to shades of yellow, brown, or black. The longer the beans are roasted, the darker they appear and the stronger they taste. Roasting also releases the beans aromas.

Roasting is done by machine, not in producing countries, but in consuming countries. The reason is simple: coffee roasting must occur as soon as possible to the moment when it will be drank, without which the quality of the bean might disappear. Similar to the concept of coffee grounds, it is ideal to drink the coffee on the day it is roasted!

Blends

Whether working in a small roaster or in a large company, the roastmaster is in charge of making blends. Since virtually only the top grades can be drank naturally, most coffees that we drink are blends. Blends are made up of beans with different characteristics that mix well and complement the other to reach better balance and harmony. As a general rule, roastmasters usually combine mild coffees with stronger coffees, acidic coffees with fruity coffees, etc. A good blend tries to offer a general taste that has strong character. To do so, the roastmaster ensures that one characteristic dominates.

As every harvest has its own characteristics, the roastmaster can never rest on his laurel's: blends must always be made from scratch.

Packaging

Coffee comes from producing countries in 60 kg bags and in containers. In roasthouses, coffee is roasted before it's sold in bulk. More and more, large companies rely on sophisticated packages that keep the coffee as fresh as possible.

Grinding

This last step should occur moments before brewing. Moreover, the type of grind must absolutely be suited to the type of coffeemaker being used.

Brewing

In some respects, the journey ends here. On the other hand, it is only the beginning. It is now time to prepare a good coffee and take advantage of your understanding to benefit more from its sublime aromas and enigmatic tastes.