Coffee - From Coffee Beans To The Coffee Drink

Coffee is a very popular beverage around the world. People drink it in different ways depending on preference. Some like it hot or cold or with cream while others like it strong. Although, it is usually a breakfast beverage for most, others also drink it any time of the day.

The Coffee Process

Coffee comes from the seeds of the coffee plant. The seeds or the coffee beans undergo a process that prepares them for drinking. The process starts with the coffee berries being picked from the tree and defruited. Defruiting means the fruit is taken away and only the coffee beans are left. They are then dried and then sorted after which the coffee beans are sometimes aged or roasted directly.

The beans turn dark when undergoing the roasting process because the sucrose in them is caramelized. Some people prefer to do the roasting of the dried beans themselves at their home. Roasting brings out the flavor of the coffee beans because the heat it is exposed to turn carbohydrates and fats into aromatic oils. Roasting also burns off the moisture in the beans and also the carbon dioxide.

After the roasting, coffee beans are typically ground to make them ready for consumption. A Turkish grind is a straightforward process of making coffee where the ground coffee is mixed directly with water. This procedure makes very fine textured ground coffee. Other ways of preparing the ground coffee is using the percolator or coffee maker.

Kinds Of Coffee

Espresso is made by forcing very hot but not boiling water through compacted ground coffee. A stronger flavor is made and there is more coffee bean matter in the drink. This process results in a stronger flavor so most espresso drinkers use very small cups to consume this.

For those who do not wish to be encumbered by the long process of percolating or making coffee from ground coffee, there are several alternatives. These are pre mixed coffee, available in canned form. Some varieties come already sweetened or already mixed with creamers. Other coffee drinks, which are pre-mixed, come in plastic bottles or cans.

Another quick alternative is to use instant coffee. Instant coffee is coffee granules that have been freeze dried or dried into soluble powder. These powdered coffee forms just need to be mixed with water and other ingredients depending on the drinker's preference.
Many people like the convenience of just adding the granules to hot water compared to percolating, which may take time.

Some coffee producers also make their roasted coffee decaffeinated. This takes out the caffeine from the coffee beans but still leaves the flavor and aroma.