Coffee Basics: A Quick Dive Into The World Of Coffee (2022 Update)

With the ever evolving cafe culture around us, some knowledge about coffee basics is almost essential to regular coffee drinkers; even more so for aspiring baristas. 

The International Coffee Organization (ICO) projects global coffee consumption to be 167.23 million bags (60 kg bags) which average up to a whopping 27 million kilograms of coffee per day in 2022. Now that is a lot of coffee. 

Widely consumed for its stimulating effects or to establish a certain social status but has anyone really stopped and pondered over the basics of coffee? 

Is there more to it than merely a beverage to help kick start your day. To an average person, it is probably nothing more than a drink but to other masses, it is a lifestyle.

If you have the same questions, you are at the right place because in this little article, I will be bringing you on a little tour around the world of coffee.

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At a glance: Coffee Basics: A Quick Dive Into The World Of Coffee

Coffee Folklore

Perhaps, to kick start the conversation about coffee basics, we should first know about its origins.

If you were to look up about the origins of coffee, you may have come across this legendary folklore; the story of Kaldi and his goats.

Dating back centuries ago, an Ethiopian goatherd named Kaldi noticed that his herd of goats were oddly lively and energetic after grazing around a bush. Curious, Kaldi soon noticed that it was the red cherries growing on the bush that supercharged his goats. 

Kaldi then shared his observations with the monks of the local monastery. Intrigued, the monks boiled the beans and started drinking the liquid to keep them awake during their long hours of devotion. And so, the tale of the energizing beverage spread across the globe.

Brief History Of Coffee

There’s no absolute proof that the Kaldi folklore was the true origin of coffee discovery. However, Ethiopia is no doubt the home ground of coffee. The cultivation of coffee spread like wildfire throughout the Arabian Peninsula in places such as Egypt, Turkey, Syria and Persia. 

During this period, coffee houses started popping up all around Arabia. These coffee houses function as a central hub for information exchange, performances or games of chess which earn them the title “School of the Wise“.  In many ways, they are the cafes of the modern day.

From Arabia, the coffee drinking culture found its way around the globe. The first stop; Europe where coffee had its breakthrough when Pope Clement VIII endorsed coffee as the Christian beverage. 

Coffee houses pop up like mushrooms in Austria, England, Germany and France. As trade between countries started to prosper, coffee too was not left behind. Before long, large-scale coffee farming also began in Asia in regions such as Southern India and Indonesia. 

And by the early 1900s, everyone in the world knew of its existence. What we have discussed here is only the tip of the iceberg in the history of coffee. Maybe a blogpost to deep dive into it in future.

The Coffee Plant and Fruit

Today, over 70 countries in the world from regions of Africa, Central and South America, Middle East and Asia contributes to the global coffee supply chain. 

These regions lie along the Coffee Bean Belt; a zone between 25^o North and 30^o South along the Equator where nature conditions are most favorable for coffee planting. 

Even within this zone, the resulting coffee flavor profile varies from region to region due to the difference in weather, sunlight and rainfall exposure, soil chemistry and cultivation altitude. 

Simply put, every single factor contributing to the growth of the coffee plant will directly affect the taste and quality of the coffee. So don’t be surprised if a single coffee farm yields coffee of varying flavor profile!

This explains all the bizarre flavor profiles of coffees we see in a Coffee Flavor Wheel.

Coffee Basics: Coffee Plant

Barista basics 101!

It was not widely known that coffee comes from a coffee fruit; more commonly known as a coffee cherry. Unlike regular fruits, we harvest the coffee cherry for the pits hich will end up as the coffee bean we are all familiar with; the flesh however, is usually discarded.

A coffee plant usually matures and starts producing coffee cherries after 3 to 5 years of growth leading to one annual major harvest and probably several secondary harvests. Ripe coffee cherries are usually red, yellow or orange depending on its varietal. 

One thing to note here is that specialty coffee is always handpicked to prevent defective coffee cherries from ending up in the same cup. These defects add unpleasant notes to the coffee tasting experience and it is undesirable when one is paying a premium for it. 

Maybe, we all now understand why a simple cup of coffee, especially specialty coffee costs so much! And as baristas, these specialty coffee beans should be treated with respect and it should be their utmost priority to bring the best out of the bean.

Coffee Basics: Coffee Cherry

The coffee cherry on its own tastes a little fruity; think berries and stone fruit. However, the fleshy bits are insignificant and most of it holds on to the seed. 

That’s fortunate, else we would have discarded the seed!

Here’s a quick summary of what the inside of a coffee cherry consists of.

• Exocarp: 

This is the coffee cherry’s outer skin. As the fruit matures, the layer loses its green color and develops into the red, yellow or orange cherry.

• Mesocarp: 

The coffee cherry’s flesh or pulp under the exocarp.

• Endocarp: 

The coffee beans in the fruit are enclosed by a layer of parchment-like envelope.

• Spermoderm: 

A thin layer of skin surrounding the seed; more commonly known as silver skin.

• Endosperm: 

The true seed (bean) itself. Before it is roasted, it is a beautiful green color.

Fun fact! Coffee cherries usually consist of two coffee beans. In some unique instances, only one coffee bean was found inside the cherry and this was known as a peaberry. 

And if you didn’t know already, the peaberry’s flavor profile is more superior than its peers and is sold at a premium. Before that, the peaberries are usually rejected as the farmers see them as defects.

Coffee Basics: Processing

Coffee cherries that were harvested are not quite ready to be consumed yet. Remember that the bit that we are interested in is actually the seeds! 

So the main processing action is actually removing the flesh off the seeds.

And the method adopted to remove the coffee flesh plays a huge role in the final taste of your coffee! Here we explore the three most common methods of coffee processing. 

Natural Processed Coffee

Also known as dry processed coffee, the natural processed coffee method is the most common and traditional method. 

• After harvesting the coffee cherries, the fruits are first evenly spread out on heightened drying tables.
• Then, the coffee cherries were left to dry and ferment for 3 to 6 weeks and continuously rotated to promote even drying and prevent molding. As moisture is removed, the sugars and flavors in the mucilage (endocarp) condenses and concentrates around the seeds.  
• At the end of the cycle, the dried coffee cherries were collected and run through a separating machine to remove the outer pulpy layer. 

Since the natural processed coffee allows the coffee bean to soak in its own flavor during the whole drying process, naturally, this will add depth and complexity to the flavor profile. 

Washed Processed Coffee

The washed processed coffee is also known as the wet processed coffee. 

You would have probably guessed it, the wash process involves water. 

• Fisrtly, the harvested coffee cherries will first go through a manual sorting process based on its size and density. 
• Next, coffee cherries which are ripe enough are then passed through a depulping machine to remove the fleshy parts of the fruit. 
• Moving on, the seeds are soaked in a tub full with water as the final attempt to flush out all the mucilage off the seeds.
• And finally, the seeds are now evenly spread out on heightened drying tables and left to dry out in the sun. 

The washed processed coffee usually results in lighter and mellower flavor profiles. Expect pronounced brightness and crisp acidity when brewing washed processed coffee!

Honey Processed Coffee

No, the honey processed coffee does not involve a single drop of honey at all!

The honey process is actually the combination of both natural and washed processes. 

• Similar to the washed processed coffee, a manual sorting process takes place to grade and sort the fruit.
• Then, these freshly harvested coffee cherries will then have the flesh removed via the depulping machine. 
• Next, instead of soaking the seeds to flush out the mucilage, the coffee seeds with some mucilage intact are then spread out in heightened drying tables 
• Lastly, the coffee is left to dry in the sun just like the natural processing method and occasionally raked and rotated to promote even drying and prevent molding

The resulting coffee bean from a honey process has more pronounced notes of syrupy sweetness and mellower acidity compared to the washed processed coffee. Best of both worlds!

See why it’s called honey processed coffee now?

Coffee Basics: Roasting

The next bit on coffee basics is all about coffee roasting. 

These dried coffee beans now known as green coffee beans soon find their way to roasteries where the green coffee beans are roasted to a degree to feature the best flavor profiles of the bean. 

The three major types of coffee roasts you can find in the market are:

Light Roast

Light roast coffee, as the name suggests, has a light brown color. With this roast level, the coffee bean spent the least time in the roasting drum. In terms of flavor, the original tasting notes of the coffee bean itself is most pronounced compared to other roast levels.

Not many coffee drinkers find light roast coffee easy to drink as it may come off to be too acidic or tea-like. However, when executed well, light roast coffee is some of the best coffee you may taste. 

Medium Roast

Medium roast coffee is the middle ground between the light roast and dark roast with a beautiful brown color tone that we are all familiar with. Flavor-wise, the medium roast offers a balance between acidity (most pronounced in light roasts) and body (most pronounced in dark roasts).

The medium roast is perhaps the most approachable roast as it still features most of the original flavor profile of the bean and sacrifices a little part of it to give the cup more body. 

Dark Roast

Dark roast coffee has the darkest color tone and there is a distinct oily layer on the coffee bean. Roasted for an extensive time, most of the original flavors of the coffee bean will usually be lost and replaced by the indistinguishable smoky and bitter flavor.

Expect a full-bodied roasty and bitter flavor profile when you sip on a dark roast. 

After the roasting process, the roaster will package these roasted coffee beans in special sealable bag fitted with a one-way-valve. This is to ensure the storage of the coffee beans is optimum to retain its freshness.

Coffee Basics: Brewing

And after that, the familiar brown toned coffee beans are sold to local coffee shops and are ready to be hand crafted into beverages for paying customers. At this stage, your barista has an array of methods to prepare your coffee to your liking; other than the basic batch coffee made in bulk in cafes.

Some of the most common ways of coffee brewing are:

Espresso 

A basic espresso machine usually consists of a group head, boiler, and a steam wand. 

This powerful machine uses high-pressure water to extract flavor compounds from the ground coffee. This extracts a small volume of concentrated coffee liquid commonly known as espresso. Espresso can either be consumed directly or can be used as a base for various types of espresso drinks.

Read more about our post on espresso basics here!

But the barrier of entry to own a simple espresso machine (a decent one!) is pretty high.

Pour Over

The pour-over method is one of the most popular ways to brew coffee now. 

There is an extensive list of equipment for the pour-over method and there is always a heated debate on which is the best. Interested to jump into this rabbit hole? 

Here’s some pour-over equipment to start you off: 

• V60
• Kalita
• Chemex
• Clever Dripper

Plunger

The plunger style coffee brewing method basically refers to the French Press. Simple yet reliable. 

Simply put in your ground coffee beans into the compartment and allow it to be immersed in hot water. After that, simply push the plunger down to isolate the coffee grounds from the liquid.

Viola, morning coffee is ready. 

Aeropress

The Aeropress is so unique that it deserves a post of its own. From a distance, watching someone brew with an Aeropress looks like a science experiment and it’s fascinating. 

With a cylindrical brewing chamber, a plunger and a filter cap, the Aeropress is capable in brewing consisten great-tasting coffee with minimal effort.

Percolate aka Moka Pot

Percolation is a coffee technical term describing fluid passing through a porous medium to another. The Moka Pot adopts a similar concept to brewing coffee by using 3 major chambers.

Bottom Chamber: Water fills up the bottom chamber and is exposed to heat from a stove top.

Connecting Chamber: Coffee grounds are packed here in this cozy little chamber which separates the top and bottom chamber.

Top Chamber: As pressure from the bottom pressure increases, it causes the hot water to push through the connecting chamber to the top chamber which has lower pressure. The hot water extracts coffee compounds as it passes through the coffee grounds. 

Vacuum aka Siphon 

Yet another science lab looking equipment to brew coffee. We will explore the science and mechanism behind the siphon coffee in another post.

The siphon coffee is unique because it combines both immersion and pour-over coffee style which results in a clean crisp flavor with a rich syrupy body when executed well.

Coffee Basics: Tasting

The last and final bit to the basics of coffee is the part where you taste the coffee.

Did you know that your cup of coffee that you consume everyday has gone through multiple pairs of hands; from the farmer to your local barista. To honor their effort, it is perhaps your duty to treat your coffee with respect. 

All the flavors that you taste from the coffee is highly dependent on the type of coffee beans and roast levels.

Coffee tasting may seem daunting but it simply a combination of effort from your sensory organs and your ability to relate to flavors. 

Aroma

Before the coffee reaches your palate, your nose will first pick up the aroma of the freshly brewed coffee. Your first thoughts may be “It smells like coffee”, which isn’t wrong. 

But analyzing the aroma a layer deeper and you could pick up scents like earthy, spicy, nutty, or floral.

Flavor

Flavor is what your tongue perceives from tasting the coffee. As the coffee liquid coats your tongue, your taste buds will pick up flavor notes based on the flavor compounds present in the coffee. 

At this point, concentrate on the type of food which your could relate to based on what you have tasted. 

Body

The body of the coffee can be felt as you allow the liquid to linger in your mouth for a bit. Basically, it is a way of your tongue feeling how “thin” or “rich” the coffee is. A simple example would be the mouthfeel of a low fat milk and a full cream milk. Frothed milk in particular has a velvety smooth texture.

Coffee Basics FAQ

What Are The Basics Of Coffee?

The basics of coffee revolves around proportion, grind, water and freshness. Baristas are encouraged to understand these four fundamentals which allows them to brew great coffee. Understanding how these factors affect the taste in the resulting cup of coffee makes troubleshooting a lot simpler.

How Do Beginners Start Drinking Coffee?

The quickest way for beginners to start drinking coffee is by drinking two ounces of coffee per day, then four ounces, and keep increasing your coffee intake until you’ve reached your ideal serving amount. If it helps, add sugar and milk as this allows your palate to gradually assimilate to the taste of coffee.

What Is The 4 Steps Of Coffee Tasting?

The 4 steps of coffee tasting are basically smell, slurp, locate, and describe. 

• Smell: 

Before sipping your coffee, lift your cup towards your nose and take in the aroma of the coffee. Think of the closest word you could relate it to.

• Slurp: 

Don’t hesitate to slurp your coffee! This is because slurping takes in air while you sip which cools down the coffee as it hits your tongue. If not, all you taste is just “hot”. 

• Locate: 

Concentrate on your tongue. Which part of your tongue senses got activated? Do you feel berry-like tartness? Or the crisp acidity of an apple? Does it feel syrupy?

Let the coffee linger in your mouth as you answer these questions. 

• Describe: 

Combine all the information you have gathered from the steps above and describe the flavor that your palate experiences!

If you’re just exploring how to truly taste your coffee, it’s worth learning these four important steps.

What Are The 4 Enemies Of Coffee?

The 4 enemies of coffee beans that you should be aware about are air, moisture, heat, and light. 

To preserve your coffee beans’ fresh roasted flavor as long as possible, store them in an opaque, air-tight container at room temperature. Coffee beans can be beautiful, but avoid clear canisters which will allow light to compromise the taste of your coffee.

Conclusion: Coffee Basics

There you have it. This post should have covered the coffee basics knowledge that you need to kick start your journey into the world of coffee.

Today, coffee is more commonly known as a medium for social interactions; social gathering with friends, business meetings, dates. A very accessible and affordable beverage that has seeped into societal norms and is definitely here to stay. 

Coffee across the globe is now consumed in many forms; handcrafted and refined over the years to suit the local taste buds which makes the exploration of the topic even more so interesting. Going to a café is not only about coffee and food, but also about the experience and opportunity for connections to bud.

The coffee that we enjoy drinking today came a long way from its original form and certainly more to it than meets the eye. Now that we have covered some of the basics of coffee; Next up, a post on common coffee species and their distinguishing features! Get to know your coffee!