Coffee Factoid: Discover the Surprising Origin of Your Morning Cup of Joe: The Journey from Coffee Cherry to Bean

 

Coffee beans, the beloved staple of many morning routines, are actually the seeds found inside a fruit similar to a cherry. These cherries, also known as coffee cherries, are grown on coffee trees and are typically found in tropical regions around the world.

The coffee tree is a small evergreen plant that can grow up to 30 feet tall, but is often pruned to a more manageable height for easier harvesting. The cherries will begin to ripen around 6-9 months after the tree has been planted and will continue to ripen throughout the year.

The process of turning these cherries into the coffee beans that we know and love begins with the harvesting of the cherries. This is typically done by hand and can be a labor-intensive process, as the cherries ripen at different times on the same tree.

After the cherries have been harvested, they go through a process known as wet or washed processing. In this method, the cherries are first fermented to remove the outer flesh of the fruit. The beans are then separated from the remaining pulp using water and mechanical processes.

Another method used to process coffee beans is known as dry processing. In this method, the cherries are left to dry in the sun before the outer flesh is removed. The beans are then separated from the pulp using mechanical processes.

The final step in the process is roasting the beans. This is where the beans are heated to high temperatures, which causes them to change in color and flavor. The beans are then cooled and packaged for distribution to coffee shops and grocery stores around the world.

So next time you're sipping on your morning cup of joe, remember that it all starts with a fruit similar to a cherry.

And now for some silly jokes:

-Why was the coffee bean sad? Because it lost its grounds.