The History of Coffee

There are many species of coffee plants (often referred to as trees because of their height), but the two main species of coffee cultivated for commerce today are Coffea canephora and Coffea arabica. Coffea canephora, also known as Robusta coffee, accounts for approximately 20 percent of the market and has a different flavor profile and more caffeine than Coffea arabica, also known as Arabica coffee.

Arabica coffee accounts for almost the entire balance of the world's coffee production and is considered to be the superior species of coffee. It is indigenous to Ethiopia and has been grown in southwest Arabia for more than 1,000 years. According to legend, humans began cultivating coffee after noticing that goats became playful after eating the leaves and fruits of the tree. The first written record of coffee made from roasted beans comes from Arabic scholars, who related its usefulness in prolonging working hours.

Coffee plants need a fair amount of rain to thrive and although they can tolerate low temperatures, they cannot survive a frost. Unlike Robusta coffee, Arabica coffee plants thrive in the shade. The Arabica coffee plant begins to produce sweet-smelling flowers about four years after planting, and the blossoms must be thinned to ensure the plant does not produce too many berries, causing the plant to favor ripening the berries to the detriment of its own health.

The berries start out as dark green as the leaves, and as they ripen turn first yellow, then light red, becoming a deep, glossy red when fully ripe. At this point they are known as "cherries" and are ready to be picked. The cherries themselves are edible, but the two beans inside are what constitute the real crop. After harvesting, the beans are cleaned, dried and sorted—at this point, they are referred to as "green coffee beans."

The green beans are then roasted, and the roasting process has an enormous influence on the final flavor of the coffee by changing both the physical and chemical characteristics of the beans. The beans change color as the roasting process progresses, and beans may be labeled from light to dark depending on how long they are allowed to roast. Once roasted, the beans must be ground and brewed to create the coffee beverage so popular in so many parts of the world.