Where Do Your Coffee Beans Come From

Coffee is an international drink. There are few, if any, places you can travel where coffee is not an appreciated beverage. However, the tree itself is a bit prejudice about the type of environment in which it will produce. It only grows and produces well in the tropics.

Though it is enjoyed around the world it is produced only in areas close to the equator. This product is harvested on a grander scale than almost all other products.

Columbia is known for its great coffee. Because of this you might think that they are the majority of all copy produced comes from Columbia. But surprisingly that is not the case. The majority of all coffee in the world comes from Brazil. They produce 28% of all the coffee consumed. Columbia is the second largest producing 16% of the coffee consumed in the world. Next is Indonesia at 7% and then Mexico at 4%.

Part of the coffee trees prejudice is that it prefers areas of high altitude. That being said the tree has been acclimated to produce fairly well in other areas as well.

In Brazil, the plantations cover huge areas and employ hundreds of workers to tend the plants. In Colombia the rugged mountains and poor economic conditions mean transportation to processing centers is still largely carried out by mule or Jeep.

Can anything grow on a volcano? Coffee sure can. The Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii proves to the perfect location for coffee trees to thrive. The hot tropical sun and afternoon rains make for the perfect environment.

The islands of Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi in Indonesia produce a great deal of the world's coffee and have for many, many years. Like Columbia, their methods are primitive, but this does not hinder the growth of hundreds of acres of coffee trees or their production.

Plantations in Mexico, by contrast to Brazil, are primarily small farms but with over 100,000 of them the total still makes the country a serious factor on the world market. Most are located in the south, in Veracruz, Oaxaca and Chiapas with the special Altura beans indicating their origin in the high altitudes.

Vietnam, once at almost a stand still in its harvesting of coffee is once again becoming a contender rivaling Indonesia for third place. Arabica trees, one of the two principle kinds of coffee plants, grow very well and are very common in this area of the world.

July 05 2009 | coffee | No Comments »

Choosing a good Coffee Roaster

Coffee roasters vary in almost every way from extremely technical to very simple. The cost varies as greatly as the styles you can choose from. Certain manufactures are trusted to make a quality product and these are not always the most expensive. But in addition to quality and cost there are other factors to be considered.

How much involvement do you want?

Some people just have a bit of the chemist in them. They like to mix and stir, whir and measure. Roasters vary along this dimension. Some simple stove top models are basically just a sauce pan with a tight lid and a special handle.

The simple models seal tightly to keep the heat and steam inside. They have a handle specifically made to allow you to swirl the beans and the steam keeping everything in motion so that the beans do not cook to the bottom and the heat is evenly distributed.

There are certain features you cannot do without. A temperature gage, for example, is necessary to maintain the proper temperature at all times.

Other roaster models need almost no help from you. The instructions give you the amounts. Then you simply attach the cover and wait.

This sophisticated type of roaster has everything built in and removes all guess work. It has a temperature gage which constantly monitors the heat and adjusts itself accordingly. There is no need for stirring because there are built in mechanics that keep the hot air circulating and the beans in perfect motion. These models even shut themselves off when the beans are ready.

Even the fanciest high tech roasters do nothing for the inevitable cloud of smoke in the room that goes along with roasting coffee.

Efficient air circulation and heat

Air roasters work by rotating hot air in through the beans while also keeping the beans in motion. This will roast your coffee beans evenly and in some models even clean away the unwanted residue left over when the shell of the bean expands and bursts.

Many models are made of glass so that you can see what is happening and roast to the extent that you want. On many roasters you can make that determination before you begin to roast because they have settings where you can indicate whether you want a dark roast or a light roast.

November 13 2008 | coffee | No Comments »