A fresh cup of joeCoffee is a brewed drink prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffea plant, and is one of the most popular beverages worldwide, with a history leading back to the 9th century and affiliations with multiple religious ceremonies. Coffee is enjoyed for both its taste and aroma as well as for the stimulating effect caused by the caffeine in the beans.
The coffea plant and its seedsCoffee is produced from the seeds of a small red fruit that grows on the Coffee plant. The process that turns these seeds into beverage is a labor intensive process involving multinational collaboration that starts with the coffee grower, moves from there to the picker, then to the mill workers who remove the fruit and dry the beans, then to those who clean and grade the beans, to those who roast them, to those consumers and baristas who finally grind the beans and prepare the beverage.
Types of Beans
Arabica and Robusta beansThere are two different major types of beans: Arabica and Robusta. Arabica is accepted as the generally less bitter and better tasting type but is much harder to cultivate and more vulnerable to poor growing conditions and pests than Robusta, which also has a higher caffeine content.
Needed Environment
A coffee farm in South AmericaThe taste and quality of these beans are dependent on many factors, such as sunlight, soil, and altitude. Because of these factors, there are a few select regions of the world that produce coffee, with the moderate rains and temperature needed to cultivate the plants. Brazil, Vietnam, and Columbia are the three leading producers of coffee worldwide, in order, and it should be noted that Vietnam leads in production of Robusta beans.
