Many of us rely of coffee to help us do exactly that. Coffee trees grow to heights of 20 feet and are often pruned to 8 to 10 feet to simplify harvesting. Since the cherries ripen at different times, they are mostly picked by hand. One pound of roasted coffee requires about 2,000 cherries, and since each cherry contains two beans, it takes 4,000 beans to produce that one pound. The average coffee tree only produces one to two pounds of roasted coffee per year, and takes four to five years to produce its first crop.

Three Species of Coffee Trees

Robusta beans are resistant to disease and come from a high yield plant that does best at lower elevations. Unfortunately it has harsh flavors and is used for the lower grades of coffee that are sold in markets. Not generally found in gourmet shops, they are often used for “instant” coffees and popular commercial blends.

Arabica beans do best at altitudes of 3,000 to 6,500 feet and have a much more refined flavor. This is the coffee that specialty roasters search for. It is susceptible to disease, frost, and drought however, and requires careful cultivation and just the right climate and conditions.

Liberica is the third recognized commercial variety, hardy and low-altitude. It's a minor crop of coffee from Africa and is similar to robusta.

After harvesting, the cherries are transported for processing. The fruit is then removed from the seed by one of two methods. In the natural or dry process, the cherries are dried in the sun or in dryers, and the fruit is then separated from the bean by processing them through a mechanical husker. In the wet process, a superior soaking method produces beans which are referred to as washed coffees. The beans are then dried, sized, sorted, graded and selected, usually all by hand. After the beans are bagged they are shipped to local roasters around the world. In terms of human effort, few products require so much attention and detail.

According to the Coffee Research Organization, coffee roasting is a chemical process by which aromatics, acids, and other flavor components are either created, balanced, or altered in a way that should augment the flavor, acidity, aftertaste and body of the coffee as desired by the roaster. This is accomplished in several steps:

Roasting Coffee Beans

When the roaster receives them, the green beans are slowly dried to become a yellow color and the beans begin to smell like toast or popcorn.

The second step, often called the first crack, occurs as the temperature rises. The bean doubles in size and becomes a light brown color.

As the temperature continues to rise the color changes from light brown to medium brown.

Soon, the second crack occurs. At this stage the color is defined as medium-dark brown. The second pop is much quicker sounding and the beans take on an oily sheen.

Most roasters will remove the beans during the second crack. Coffees from famous regions like Java, Kenya, Hawaiian Kona, and Jamaican Blue Mountain are usually roasted lightly so their signature characteristics dominate the taste.   Otherwise the “roast” will obscure the unique qualities of these flavorful beans