Coffee Lover's Guide

In order to enjoy the best possible cup of coffee it is necessary to learn a bit about the coffee bean and the brewing process. This paper contains a few questions commonly asked by our customers. If you cannot find the answer to your question in here, be sure to ask one of our knowledgable employees!

Where does coffee come from?

The brown, roasted coffee beans that end up on our shelves are the result of a long and complicated process. Coffee beans start out as the seeds of coffee cherries—fruit borne of the coffee tree. Coffee trees are traditionally grown between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, but a few origins exist outside of these latitudes. Coffee trees need warm—but not hot—weather to bear a good crop; steady temperatures of 75°F are typical of coffee growing climates.

Two commercially significant species of coffee exist: Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora, commonly known as arabica and robusta respectively. Robusta trees are hardier than their arabica counterparts; however, arabica beans are the more refined and generally better tasting of the two. Nearly all specialty coffee is of the arabica species. Robusta coffee has a more robust, harsh flavor. All coffee from Wilson's Coffee & Tea is arabica coffee.

Most coffee cherries are ripe when they change to a deep red color. Some varieties such as yellow catuai are ripe when the cherries are bright yellow. Regardless of color, the cherries are not harvested until they are ripe. Nearly all top quality coffee is hand picked so that only the ripe cherries are selected. The cherries are then sent to a processing mill; the most common kind is a "wet" mill which uses water to help move the cherries through the mill. Cherries are first placed in large receiving tanks which, when filled with water, separate the good cherries from cherries that are empty or contain deformed beans. The substandard cherries, along with twigs and other debris, float to the top of the receiving tank and are removed. The remaining cherries are drained into a depulping machine that removes the flesh of the cherries by squeezing them. Cherries that cannot be depulped in the first depulpers are labeled as lower quality and move on to second and in some cases third depulpers that use blades to remove the outside of the cherry. These beans remain separate from the rest of the crop throughout the entire processing procedure.

At this point, the coffee beans are still covered in a layer of mucilage, as well as a membrane called parchment. The mucilage is removed by soaking the beans in water-filled tanks, and the parchment-covered beans are sent to dry. Beans are either spread out on patios to dry for several weeks or are dried in mechanical dryers. After a resting period, parchment is mechanically separated from the beans. Defective beans are removed and the remaining beans are sorted according to various criteria such as color or size. The unroasted coffee beans are then weighed into bags and exported; specialty coffee roasters such as Wilson's get the higher-grade beans while supermarket brands receive the mid-grade beans.

Coffee is roasted after it is imported. This is done in a machine called a roaster. A roaster works by getting heat into the coffee beans. There are two ways this can be done: by convection and transduction. Both of these ways will get the coffee roasted, however as the beans change physically during the roasting process, the best way to heat them also changes. The roaster at Wilson's is capable of using both modes of heat transfer to varying degrees. The careful manipulation of how the roaster transfers heat allows subtle changes in the taste of the coffee independent of other, more dramatic changes in taste that can be caused by varying the time spent moving the coffee through different temperature ranges. There are four key events that take place during the roasting process. First, the coffee beans change color from green to yellow. After that, the coffee beans change color again from yellow to light brown. Some time later, the beans start to make crackling noises, become darker in color, and expand in size. The fourth change does not always happen, depending on the desired degree of roast. The beans start to crackle for a second time and oils mobilize to the surface of the bean. Ending the roast at different points along its transformation allows for a great array of tastes. These, however, can be grouped into six rough roast styles: American, City, Full City, Vienna, French, and Italian.

American roast is the lightest degree of roast. It is often too light to bring out the best flavor of a good coffee and is popular with mass roasters looking to maximize profit by reducing the weight loss that occurs during the roasting process. This roast is obtained by finishing the roast after the first crack but well before the second. City roast is a darker roast obtained by finishing the roast only a little before the start of the second crack. While too light for some coffees, this roast is the best choice for others. Full City roast is a little darker still. This is obtained by stopping the roast at or part way through the second crack. This is sometimes referred to as the full flavor roast as the differences among different kinds of coffee are easy to taste. Vienna roast is darker still. At this degree of roast, the carbony flavor of dark roast coffees is introduced, but it should not be the dominant taste characteristic. French roast is obtained by taking the roast past the second crack. French roast coffee is the color of semi-sweet chocolate and the beans have an oily surface. The carbony roast taste is the dominant taste characteristic. Darker than this is the Italian roast. By this point the coffee beans are black and the coffee often starts to taste a little sweet compared to French roast. Past this is another degree of roast that is commonly recognized but should never be sold. It is called undrinkable carbon. Due to the subjective nature of coffee tasting, the boundaries between these roast categories are fuzzy and vary from coffee to coffee.

It is desirable to consume roasted coffee as soon after the roasting as possible. This is because coffee starts to rapidly degrade in quality as soon as the beans are roasted due to oxygen exposure and other factors. It is therefore important to roast coffee near the time the customer will buy it; otherwise the coffee will become stale.

Why do coffees vary in taste?

The flavor of a coffee is affected by the growing conditions of the plantation on which it was grown (soil, climate, &c). This is why different coffees from the same region of the world tend to have similar flavor characteristics. Three major coffee-growing regions exist throughout the world: the Americas, Africa, and Indonesia. Coffees from the Americas tend to have medium acidity and produce a well balanced cup. Coffees grown in Africa characteristically are highly acidic with a light, zippy flavor. Indonesian coffees possess low acidity and are deep and full-bodied. A good rule of thumb is that if you enjoy a particular coffee, you will probably like other coffees from that same region of the world.

How should I store coffee, and how long?

Coffee doesn't keep forever—it begins to lose its freshness soon after it is roasted. We recommend that you purchase only what you will use in a week or two. If you keep coffee longer than two weeks, we recommend that you freeze it in an airtight container. Freezing will keep your coffee tasting good for as long as two months.

How should I brew my coffee?

How do you brew the best coffee? That depends on your individual preferences, but we have some tips that should help you brew wonderful tasting coffee. Always start with fresh, cold water—water that is not well oxygenated will make coffee that tastes flat. Use only fresh, high quality coffee beans (such as those available from Wilson's) and make sure that your coffee is ground properly for the brewing method you are using. Measure the coffee carefully. We recommend starting with one tablespoon of grounds for two five-ounce cups of water and adjusting to taste. The most common brewing mistake is not using enough coffee. Using too little coffee will result in overextracted coffee. Those who prefer weak coffee are advised to brew a strong coffee and dilute it with hot water. After you brew your coffee, drink it immediately or pour it into a thermal carafe. If coffee is left sitting on a warmer the flavor elements will cook away quickly. Coffee should be ground as soon before brewing as possible to get the best flavor. Grinding coffee exposes more surface area to the air, so ground coffee stales more quickly than whole bean coffee. Be sure that your grind is appropriate for your brewing method. Coffee that is too finely ground will be overextracted and bitter; coffee ground too coarsely will be underextracted and weak.

What do the different names of the coffees mean?

Coffee names can mean a number of different things. Often you'll find the name of the country the coffee was grown in, for example, "Guatemala". After that you'll often find the growing region for the coffee, "Guatemala Antigua". There may be a mark name put on by a grower, mill, or exporter looking to make a particular coffee within the region stand out, "Guatemala Antigua La Flor del Cafe". An indication of how the coffee is roasted might also appear on the label as in "Guatemala Antigua La Flor del Cafe Dark Roast". Estate grown coffees are often identified by the estate the coffee is grown on as in Nicaragua (country of origin) Matagalpa (region) Mama Mina Estate (name of estate). At other times, a coffee might be labeled only that it is estate grown without naming the estate. Coffees might also be labeled with certifications such as "Organic", "Fair Trade", "Shade Grown", "Bird Friendly", and whatever the certification industry comes up with next month. There might be a specification of grade, linked to bean size as in "Kenya AA". The grade specifications and meanings vary from country to country and can also be based on growing altitude, processing method, or other measurable characteristics. Blend names sometimes indicate the ingredients of the blends as in "Mocha Java Blend" which at Wilson's always contains coffees from Yemen and Java (though some roasters prefer to use Ethiopian and Sumatran coffees). Sometimes the name of a blend is completely meaningless, for example, "Breakfast Blend". Flavored coffees are named after the flavors added to a coffee. "Hazelnut" is an example of this. The information provided in the name of the coffee will vary with how much is known about the coffee and with the discretion of the seller. Limited label space and a desire to not confuse customers means that it is quite rare to see a coffee named something like "Costa Rica Tres Rios Catuai SHG Co-op Organic Dolphin Safe Dry Processed Vienna Roast".

How is coffee flavored?

Coffee flavoring is a surprisingly low-tech process. Roasted coffee is measured into a sealable bag. A coffee flavoring concentrate is poured into this bag. The bag is then sealed and shaken. The flavor concentrate coats the surface of the beans and penetrates pores in the surface of the bean. Within 24 to 48 hours the coffee has trapped the flavor concentrate.