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Coffee Beans - From Start to Finish For a Perfect Coffee Every Time
By Peter J Jordan

Coffee beans aren’t really beans. They are the pits (or stones) from coffee cherries that grow on trees that are about 20 feet tall at maturity. There are usually two stones in each cherry. There are over 10 different species of coffee plants but vast majority of coffee that is harvested for consumption is Coffea Arabica (around 70%) with Coffea rubusta coming in second (with the remainder at 30%). Coffee isn’t designated by the type of bean it is because the environment it grows in and the roasting process are more significant factors in determining the final taste of the coffee.

Coffee trees are grown in many places in the world and many distinctive environments. It is typically grown in moderate climates with steady sunshine and rain and in rich soil. Major coffee producing regions include Brazil (Bourbon Santos and Bahia beans), Colombia (Medellin, Bogota and Supremo beans) and Indonesia (Java, Sumatra beans). Other notable coffee producing regions include Vietnam, Mexico, Ethiopia, India and Guatemala.

Roasting the coffee beans releases the oils in the beans and improves their flavor and aroma. Lighter roasts tend to be sharper and bitter. Darker roasts have a richer flavor. Beans that have been roasted too much with have a smoky or burned taste to them. Although there are many levels of roasting, there are some standard roast levels. From light to dark the most common roasts are the American or Light roast with medium light brown beans. The City or Medium roast with medium brown beans starting to show oil on their surface. The French or Espresso roast with dark brown beans with visible oil. There are definitely darker roasts than espresso roasts as well (Dark French, Spanish).

Starting with whole roasted beans is the best way to get a quality coffee. As soon as the beans have been ground their flavor begins to diminish. Many machines will do better if the coarseness of the grind is optimized to that machine. If your grinder doesn’t have a coarseness setting then you will have o experiment with how long you run the grinder. Drip coffee makers do best with FINE (a little finer than table salt) or MEDIUM (course sand). Espresso machine tend to like EXTRA FINE grinds (coarser than powder). Inexpensive blade grinders will do a decent job on the coarser grinds but a burr grinder is a much better solution for the finer grinds (like extra fine).

These are all the key elements of taking a coffee bean from start to finish for a perfect cup of coffee.

Peter J. enjoys drinking and writing about espresso and Espresso Glasses and writes about them at his blog Best Espresso Cups. Please visit to learn more about Espresso and Demitasse Cups.

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