A Coffee Bean's Journey

The journey of a coffee bean from seed to cup is a long adventurous one! It begins high in the mountains of tropical countries like Mexico, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Sumatra (pictured), or even America where coffee grows in Hawaii.

There are two basic types of coffee trees: Arabicas and Robustas. Robustas are hardy, high-yielding trees that grow at lower elevations in the tropics like Brazil and Vietnam. They yield low-quality coffee with a harsh astringent taste. We don't buy Robustas. We do, on the other hand, buy (and grow) Arabica coffee. These are delicate trees that yield top-quality coffee. They're grown in high elevations, usually above 3,000 feet, but best in altitudes of 5000 to 6000 feet! This makes the journey to the best coffee farms on muddy, steep, treacherous roads an adventure in itself.

Each coffee bean begins as a beautiful white flower. Then, the flower gives way to a green fruit, and then finally a ripe, red cherry. We harvest the cherries by hand, so only the ripest, highest quality beans are processed. Indeed, since coffee cherries grow in various stages of development, this is the only way to ensure consistency and quality.

After harvesting, the coffee beans (actually the seeds of the cherry) are processed to remove them from the cherries. This is either done by a "dry" method where coffee is dried out on large concrete drying "patios" or by a "wet" method at a factory (shown).

Because we have long-term relationships with our farmers and actually import coffee directly from growers, we also have good control over the quality standards used during the coffee cherry processing and milling. We will not work with poorly run processing mills.

After being separated from the pulp of the coffee cherry, the two halves of coffee seed, called "beans," are then sorted both by machine and by hand. This sorting process removes imperfections and separates the beans into grades. For example, in Colombia, the top 3 grades are Supremo, Excelso, and Milds.

Unroasted but processed coffee is called “green coffee,” and it's in this form that it's exported from the origin countries in 60 or 70 pound burlap bags. Green coffee beans can be stored in warehouses for about a year before losing the top end flavors.

Next comes roasting! When coffee is roasted, its lifespan will decrease especially when exposed to air. This is why the roaster must be close to the consumer and package the coffee as quickly as possible.

The last, but possibly the most important step we take to control coffee quality is to package the coffee quickly after roasting so that it doesn't go stale from exposure to oxygen. Our coffee is sealed away from the harmful effects of the air within minutes of roasting, whereas most coffee roasters let their coffee "gas-off" over a period of hours (or sometimes days) before packaging it. We usually have less than one percent oxygen in our packages, with the natural gassing-off process occurring through the one-way valve packaging that lets gasses out, but locks freshness in.

From this point on, the quality of the coffee you drink is up to you! How you store, grind, and brew your coffee can make your coffee taste really good or really bad! Read our tips on storing, grinding and brewing coffee.