Addicted to Coffee Beans
The coffee bean is the seed of the coffee tree, which are a group of trees belonging to the genus Coffea. The most commonly grown and cultivated is Coffea arabica, from which we get our beloved Arabica coffee. The fruits of the coffee tree are commonly called coffee “cherries” or “berries” and within each fruit is two coffee beans, with the flat sides in contact with each other. The endosperm of each seed contains 0.8-2.5 percent caffeine…and this is a very good thing indeed.
Cultivation of the coffee tree began in Ethiopa in approximately 850 AD. The word “coffee” comes from the Ethiopian region of Kaffa. When the coffee beans are harvested they are initially a dull green color. To develop the flavor, and maximize caffeine extractions, the beans must be roasted, and this can be done to a variety of levels:
Coffee berries (left) contains the green coffee beans (right) which are then roasted to develop flavor and extract caffeine
A light roast is often called a New England Roast and these beans have a very light brown hue with no visible oily residue. Moving up the chain is the American Roast, Espresso, and then the double roast French Roast. At the French roast stage, the beans begin to smoke slightly and some of the sugars turn to carbon. The result in an intensely (but delightfully) bitter coffee with slight smokiness.
The French mastered the roast for a cup of brewed coffee but the ultimate coffee award must go to Italians for sheer ingenuity. Yes, of course, I’m speaking of espresso. No other drink is so ubiquitous in this modern world of double foam mocha caffe latte whip caramel-chinos than espresso. This intense drink is fantastic on it’s own and can create a myriad of other classic drinks including the latte (espresso and steamed milk), the cappuccino (espresso and foamed milk), and the cafe Americano (espresso and hot water). To make espresso, the beans are roasted dark then ground fine. The grounds are then pressed into a puck in a special espresso maker. Hot water is then pressed through the espresso puck, creating an intensely rich coffee drink with a thin layer of foam called the crema.
Not only is espresso great for creating coffee drinks, but it’s a major inspiration for a classic Italian dessert: Tiramisu. Please stay tuned to Garrett’s Table this week for a unique take on one of the world’s favorite desserts!
As a side note, coffee is indeed a cash crop and has resulted in the exploitation of workers in numerous countries, especially Central and South America. Coffee that is labeled as “fair trade” means that the operation of the coffee plantation is sustainable and humane both for workers and the environment. Fair trade coffee is more expensive, but the small increase in price assures the support of the movement and a trend toward revolutionizing the coffee industry.
4 comments
I highly recommend the Intelligentsia Coffee Chicago Roasting Works tour to Chicago-area coffee lovers. Covers pretty much everything in the process of getting coffee to you: the sourcing and processing of beans, to roasting, to cupping.
http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/store/product/id/1225
Knowing that you are always cutting edge when it comes to Avant-Garde cuisine, I thought you might have been aware of the Agtron Machine. You should check it out. It measure light reflectivity to give a consistent roast each and every time. The whole giving names to roast levels is outdated now. It’s usually light, medium, medium-dark and dark.
Also, your post says that the caffeine comes from the seeds endosperm. I thought that almost 100% of the caffeine came from the cherry flesh itself; which is why ‘pasa’ or dried, non-washed coffees are always much higher in caffeine content per milligram.
You should check out the worldwide agricultural production totals for coffee as well because although inferior, genus Robusta is actually the most produced cultivar especially in Southeast Asia - primarily Vietnam. Most of it gets used for instant coffee and Trablis.
Thanks Bernard, I’ll look into it. The machine sounds interesting.
good
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