Where coffee is grown:
Coffee is principally grown in fifty-two countries ranging from 25 degrees north and south of the equator. As an agricultural product, considerations such as locations, species, variety, disease, pests, fertilizers, frosts, harvesting and post harvesting techniques are significant. Altitude also has a significant effect on quality with higher valued coffee usually grown in mountainous or high elevations.

Major types:
The International Coffee Agreement has defined four major groupings. Note, these groupings extend to hundreds of sub-types.

1. Columbian Mild
2. "Other Mild" Arabica
3. Unwashed Arabica
4. Robusta

The first three groupings are general taste types which have some similar properties in that they all stem from the Arabica species of trees. Unwashed (sometimes called the "Natural" or "Dry" process) refers to the process of coffee cherries being thoroughly dried in the sun on patios and then the cherry covering is milled off the beans. The "wash" process involves immediate removal of the cherry after harvesting. A thorough washing removes the fermented "honey". Prior to shipment, the thin parchment shell covering the bean is then removed.

The coffee cherry:
Coffee trees produce for an average of twenty-five to thirty years after a three to five year maturation. Growing on the mature tree is a coffee cherry which, when ripe, contains two beans. Five pounds of cherries are required to produce one usable pound of "green" coffee beans. The typical coffee tree will produce only one and a half to two pounds of usable "green" per season; although many hybrids, when properly fertilized, will yield up to ten pounds.

The parchment state: (refers only to washed process)
After the cherry is stripped, the coffee bean remains surrounded by a hard outer shell called parchment. Following drying, this brittle parchment is removed and the bean is in the "green" state.

Green coffee:
The "Green Coffee" is then packed typically in either 132 pound (60 kilo) or 150 pound (69 kilo) bags for export to the consuming countries. Coffee can be held for several years in this state without spoiling. However, the taste and value are adversely affected.

Blending:
No one type or sub-type brewed alone is consistently desirable for consumption. Blending various coffees of different properties creates a "cup". The goal (or blending strategy) is to create the same "cup" day after day, month after month, and year after year at the greatest economy to the roaster. The various origins of the beans may vary, but the cup taste should be stable.

Roasting:
Roasting green coffee effects the most important physical and chemical changes. The result is the development of flavor and aroma. This occurs in a two step process:

- First Step:
14 - 16% of the bean's weight (moisture and chaff) is driven off ("Shrink"). Thus, approximately 1.19 pounds of green coffee is required to produce one pound of roasted coffee; and one pound of green coffee is equivalent to .84 pounds of roasted coffee.

- Second Step:
"Pyrolysis", a spontaneous chemical reaction, occurs in less than the last minute of roasting, creating both the flavor and aroma of roasted coffee. The ultimate roast color depends on how far "Pyrolysis" is allowed to proceed.


Grinding:
Roasted "whole beans" are fed through steel rollers which crack and then cut it to the desired degree of fineness. The extent and speed of extraction increases or decreases with the exposed surface area which, in turn, is a function of grinding.

Packaging and shelf life:
Once coffee is roasted, it will begin to oxidize causing it to stale. After grinding, this process will proceed more rapidly. Within forty-eight hours (refrigeration will slightly retard this process); a detectable deterioration may be noticeable. There are still companies that package coffee in paper bags (atmosphere pack) which offer no protection from this factor.