Module 9. Coffee

Lesson 31

COFFEE - TYPES AND CHARACTERISTICS

31.1 Introduction

Coffee was allegedly born before 1,000 A.D. when legend has it that a shepherd named Kaldi, in Caffa, Ethiopia noticed that his sheep became hyperactive after grazing on some red berries. Coffee was first introduced in Turkey during the Ottoman Empire around A.D. 1453 and coffee shops opened to the public. Coffee came to India via Mysore in Karnataka, brought secretly by a Sufi Saint from Meccan named Baba Budan.

Coffee is pleasure. Its taste, flavour, aroma and refreshing effect makes it unique.

Green coffee – A green coffee bean  is a commercial term which designates the dried seed of the coffee plant. It has about 10.0% moisture. Coffee plant or tree belongs to Coffea genus.

31.2  Classification of Green Coffee Beans

Two species are commercially important for green coffee:

Coffea canephora (also referred to as C. robusta)

Coffea arabica L.

Arabica accounts for 75% of global coffee production.

Arabica coffee bush bears about 5 kg fruit per year which corresponds to 300-400g of Instant coffee. Robusta bushes yield slightly higher.

31.3 Comparison of C. robusta with C. arabica

Flavour quality (roasted and brewed) is generally considered to be inferior for C. robusta.

· Less expensive per unit weight of green coffee.

· Characteristics found favourable in manufacture of some instant coffees.

· Often features in Espresso coffee.

· Consumed as regular brewed coffee.

Arabica has more aroma. Robusta contains more caffeine and is consequently slightly bitter.

Indian coffee is the most extraordinary of beverages, offering intriguing subtlety and stimulating intensity. India is the only country that grows all of its coffee under shade. Typically mild and not too acidic, these coffees possess an exotic full-bodied taste and a fine aroma.

India’s coffee growing regions have diverse climatic conditions, which are well suited for cultivation of different varieties of coffee. Some regions with high elevations are ideally suited for growing Arabicas of mild quality, while those with warm humid conditions are best suited for Robusta’s.

31.4 Structure of coffee bean

When the fruit is ripe, it is almost always handpicked, using either ‘selective picking’, where only the ripe fruit is removed or ‘strip-picking’, where all of the fruit is removed from a branch all at once. Because a tree can have both ripe and unripe berries at the same time, one area of crop has to be picked several times, making harvesting the most labor intensive process of coffee bean production.

There are two methods of processing the coffee berries. The first method is ‘wet processing’, which is usually carried out in Central America and areas of Africa. The flesh of the berries is separated from the seeds and then the beans are fermented – soaked in water for about 2 days. This dissolves any pulp or sticky residue that may still be attached to the beans. The beans are then washed and dried in the sun, or, in the case of commercial manufacturers, in drying machines.

The ‘dry processing’ method is cheaper and simpler, used for lower quality beans in Brazil and much of Africa. Twigs and other foreign objects are separated from the berries and the fruit is then spread out in the sun on cement or brick for 2–3 weeks, turned regularly for even drying. The dried pulp is removed from the beans afterward.

After processing has taken place, the husks are removed and the beans are roasted, which gives them their varying brown color, and they can then be sorted for bagging.

31.5 Organic Coffee

Organic coffee are those produced by such management practices which help to conserve or enhance soil structure, resilience and fertility by applying cultivation practices that use only non-synthetic nutrients and plant protection methods. Further, there has to be credible certification by an accredited certification agency.

Organic coffee is being produced by about 40 countries in the world with major production share coming from Peru, Ethiopia and Mexico. Organic coffee is chiefly consumed in the Europe, US and Japan.  Organic coffee products are now marketed in the form of regular, decaffeinated, flavoured and instant coffee as well as in other foods like ice creams, yoghurt, sodas, candies and chocolate covered beans, etc.

31.6 Green Bean Processing

Green bean itself has no comestible value for humans and must be roasted before use as a flavourful and stimulant aqueous beverage.

Green coffee beans are dried, cleaned and packed usually in 60 kg bags and stored before they are roasted.