Wanting to learn a little bit more about coffee and its journey? We’re sharing a high-level overview!

• There are two main varieties of coffee: Robusta and Arabica.

  • Robusta trees are tough (think robust!), and can withstand harsh conditions. They contain more caffeine, and are often known for being less sweet. Being that they are easier to grow, it’s cheaper to process from start to finish.

  • Arabica is the specialty coffee category. Grown at higher altitudes, they are more sensitive, delicate, but tasty, vibrant, and offer more refined tasting profile.
    

• What we taste in coffee is affected by everything that happens to the coffee cherry (bean) along the way.

  • Origin: All beans have their own innate, unique flavor and characteristics. This is due to their origin. Every growing region is different, from the altitude, soil quality, to water prevalence. Some countries are water-starved, which make a very dense bean (i.e. African coffees are usually a lot smaller and denser, and commonly are fruity/floral).

  • Processing (Drying): After the cherries are picked, the farmers dry the beans in different ways which also have an effect on the beans' tasting notes. The 3 main drying methods are:

    • Washed - the cherry (fruit) is separated (washed off) completely from the bean, and the beans are dried as is; often contributes to clarity in the final coffee.

    • Natural - the cherry is left on the bean and it's dried encapsulated; often contributes to complexity and body in the final coffee.

    • Honey - just the mucilage is left on the bean when it's dried; often contributes to sweetness and complexity in the final coffee.

  • Roasting: After the beans have been dried, they travel through export/import into the hands of the roaster. The bean in its unroasted form is called “green coffee.” The roaster is the one responsible to assess a bean's innate qualities (attributed to origin and processing) and roast it using a certain profile that would best accentuate those characteristics. A roaster is really a scientist and artist who analyzes a coffee's origin, processing, density, etc, and then applies the right amount of heat at the right times for the correct duration in order for the most pleasant and exciting flavors to be highlighted.

  • Brewing: The barista is the one who is responsible for now preserving and presenting the hard work of the farmer and roaster. Now this is where the bean can go a hundred different ways, as it is affected by:

    • how long the coffee has been "off the roast" (in terms of hours or days; coffee needs sufficient "rest" time after coming out of the roaster to let off C02)

    • how the coffee was stored (protection from exposure to oxygen, light, humidity)

    • what brewing method is used (french press, espresso, pourover, etc)

    • what filter is used (paper, mesh) which further contributes to a final coffee's clarity or oiliness 

    • the size and consistency of the coffee grounds

    • what temperature of water 

    • the pressure/flow rate of water

    • duration of brew time

    • whether the ground beans were evenly submerged in the water (you will hear baristas say "an even coffee bed")

What we get in the final cup is a result of all of these different parts of a coffee bean’s journey. Although there is a general standard for grading coffee quality called Q-grading, the enjoyability of a coffee is subjective to each person’s palate. If you have a liking for a certain coffee, discover as much as possible about it. Where is it from? Can you find out exactly which farm? How was it processed: natural or washed? Who imported it and where are they? How did the roaster treat the beans? What method was used to brew this cup?

If you’re curious to learn more about each step, visit www.penstockcoffee.com/learn.