How Coffee is Made: A Guide to Coffee from Cherry to Cup

Have you ever wondered where coffee comes from and how it gets from there to you? Or, maybe you are just trying to find the best possible way to brew your coffee grounds. Either way, this Guide to Everything coffee is here to help! 

How Coffee is Made From Cherry to Cup

Coffee is a drink brewed with roasted coffee beans. The coffee beans are actually seeds that come from coffee berries, sometimes called coffee cherries. Coffee cherries grow on coffee trees, which are flowering plants in the genus Coffea. The fruit of these plants is round, red, and berry-shaped, with a large pit, or seed inside. 

When this seed is extracted from the coffee fruit, it is in the form of a green coffee bean. The green coffee bean seeds are then cleaned, dried, and roasted. Afterward, they can be ground and brewed into a consumable cup of fresh coffee! 

There are many different subspecies of the coffee plant all over the world. The two most popular species are Arabica and Robusta. Arabica coffee is renowned for its smooth, delicately sweet flavor. Robusta has a more bitter taste. 

Additionally, coffee can be wet processed, sun-dried, or prepared in other ways before it is roasted. Sometimes, coffee beans are dried and then aged in barrels. Coffee can be roasted to light, medium, and dark levels. 

Helpful Coffee Facts:

• A coffee bean is actually the large seed of coffee fruit that has been cleaned, dried, and roasted.  
• The fresher the coffee beans are between roasting and brewing, the smoother the flavors will be. 
• A dark roast removes most of the acid from the coffee for a richer, smoother flavor. 
• Light roasted coffee beans often have brighter and fruitier flavors. 
• Coffee that is roasted, ground, and then left to sit on a shelf, will have less flavor. 
• Most everyone agrees that fresh roasted coffee has the best taste and consistency
• The region where coffee plants grow will impact the overall flavor of the coffee beans they produce 

Where does coffee come from? 

Coffee is grown all over the world. Coffee plantations can be found in South America, Mexico, Africa, and even the Southern United States! However, most coffee in the world is grown in an area called “The Bean Belt.” This area exists between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer and stretches across the world. It includes Central and South America, parts of Africa, parts of the Middle East, and areas in Asia. 

At One Great Coffee, we believe everyone deserves a taste of excellence! That's why we offer Direct Trade and Single-Origin coffees fairly sourced from small plantations all over the world. Check out our large selection of fresh, fair-trade imported coffees and travel the world one step at a time! 

How much coffee grounds per cup for the perfect brew? 

So how can you brew the perfect cup of coffee? Well, it will depend on which brewing method you prefer. Coffee can be brewed in a standard drip grind coffee pot, prepared in an espresso machine, made using a French press, and even prepared in a pot on the stove. 

For a good old-fashioned cup of standard coffee, your regular drip grind coffee pot should do the trick. All you need to do is put a few scoops of coffee into the coffee filter, fill the tank on the back of the coffee pot, and press start. 

Most coffee pots make 8 to 12 cups of coffee. For these coffee makers, 4 heaping tablespoons of coffee grounds should do. However, you can make your coffee as weak or strong as you like it.

How Coffee is Made: Conclusion 

So now you know how coffee is made! How do you like to make your coffee? Feel free to leave your comments below and give us your tips and tricks! We highly recommend browsing through our vast selection of gourmet coffee. We also have some of the most delicious coffee flavors around!