What's In A Coffee Bean?
Copyright (c) 2011 Sandra Tiffany
A coffee bean comes from a tree and is the actual seed of the tree. The coffee "bean" name is obvious since the seed looks just like a bean.
The coffee tree produces a red or purple fruit that is called a coffee cherry. A coffee bean actually has two seeds within the fruit. If the plant has only one fertilized coffee bean, the other may grow in an oval shape and not appear to look like the normal coffee bean. This oval shaped coffee bean is referred to as a Peaberry. Only 5% of all coffee beans harvested are of this form.
Peaberry beans are usually called Tanzanian Coffee beans, although the Peaberry variety of Kona coffee has also become quite prominent. These beans are very popular, more expensive and highly sought after.
The first coffee trees were planted and cultivated in Yemen. Cultivation then spread throughout the rest of the Arabian Peninsula. The Arabs closely guarded coffee cultivation, but its popularity grew because word spread about the "stimulate" that the caffeine produces. So the coffee tree spread rapidly to different parts of the world. The coffee plant in the Arabian Peninsula is referred as Arabica.
The coffee tree, Coffea Arabica and Robusta are an evergreen tree or "coffee bush" which grows between 15 to 20 feet tall. The coffee tree prefers rich dark soil and tolerates some shade. The leaves are dark green, shiny and about 6 inch long ovals. The coffee bushes grow tall, have an even tiered appearance and grow in clusters with fragrant white flowers at the leaf bases. Each plant grows approximately 1.5 inch berries.
Coffee growers roast the coffee and then grade the roasted beans in the following categories: light, medium light, medium, medium dark, dark, very dark. Dark roast coffee has a bolder and more sugary flavor. The lighter roasted beans have a stronger flavor due to having more acids and oils which are otherwise roasted away in the dark roast.
From a variety of different premium coffee beans, coffee makers like Green Mountain Coffee, develop their product. Green Mountain gathers beans from all over the world from places like the island of Sumatra in Indonesia and blends the beans for the best roasted flavor. Green Mountain sells its coffee beans in vacuum sealed pouches for freshness.
Sumatra coffee also has a history of producing premium coffee beans. Sumatra coffee comes from Indonesia, an area created by volcanic activity. This highly volatile part of the world has some of the richest soil as a by product of centuries of volcanic eruptions, a warm climate and the best conditions for the coffee tree to grow and flourish.
The production of coffee and its flavors have some complex origins as you can see, but well worth a great cup of coffee to start off the morning.
About the Author
Sandra Tiffany always starts her day with a cup of coffee. Learn about premier coffee beans, articles, coffee bean and tea leaf purchases, Sumatra coffee, Green Mountain Coffee articles and coffee makers.
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