Understanding Coffee Terms

 

Types of beans

Arabica - The coffee bean that took over the world. Endemic to Ethiopia, this was the original bean. It has blossomed into the most popular bean to grow, with arabica beans accounting for more than half of the world’s beans sold.[i]

 

Canephora - Originating in sub-Saharan Africa, these beans fall into two subcategories, rubusto and nganda. But they are both Robusto. Only the Nganda is grown in a particular region of Uganda.[ii] These beans are the other bean that is popular on the international market. 40-45% of beans sold are robusta. They are more bitter and have a flatter taste than arabica beans. But they are also more disease resistant and heartier to grow, which makes them a cheaper commodity.

 

LIberica - also known as Liberian coffee. Native to western and central Africa.  It grows up to 20 m tall, so they have to use ladders to harvest. These bean’ flavor profile is bold and full bodied. Very rarely used; less than 1.5% of commercial coffee is Liberica[iii]

 

Racemosa - also known as inhambane coffee. It has very little caffeine; less than half of what is in arabica or robusta beans. It grows in the coastal forests in southern Africa in an incredibly small range. [iv]

 

Drying terms[v]

After the beans are harvested, they go through a drying process that removes the coffee bean from the pulp, mucilage and, parchment.

 

Natural process - is used in drier countries like Ethiopia. It is pretty straight forward, they are dried and then depulped.  The whole cherries are spread out on drying trays for 3-6 weeks. The farmers rake the beans regularly to prevent mold. The beans ferment during this process and sugars and the mucilage latch on to the bean. Once the beans hit a certain moisture threshold, they are depulped and stored. These beans tend to be bright and fruity.

 

Wet/washed process - many more steps and also the most popular process. They are sorted and separated by size and density in water. The passing beans are then depulped. Next, they are fermented in water for 18-72 hours. They are then rinsed and finally set out in the sun to dry for 60-90 days.  These beans tend to have a nice acidity and a more delicate taste.

 

Honey process - The name comes from the mucilage color sticking on bean. Darker beans have more mucilage, while honey colored or white beans have less.  More humid climates will also contribute to darker bean color. The beans are depulped, dried, and then they remove the mucilage. These coffees are much sweeter than other coffees.

 

Wet hulled - Common in humid coffee growing ecosystems, these beans tend to be heavy bodied and less acidic. They are first depulped and the mucilage is intact to keep moisture in.  The beans are then fermented in a tank and the mucilage thickens. Next, the beans are removed from the fermenting tank and the husks are removed. They are then dried in the sun.

 

Decaffeination processes

 

Solvent based - Direct or indirect

 

Direct based - Coffee beans are steamed in acids or bases and then rinsed in a solvent like benzene. Because of cancer concerns, they use other solvents today.[vi]

 

Indirect Solvent - Beans are soaked in water before being removed. The water absorbs the caffeine. Then after the beans are removed, a solvent is added to the water to decaffeinate the water.[vii]

 

Water Decaffeination. Swiss or Mountain water

 

Green beans are soaked in hot water before filtering through a carbon filter. They are then added to a green coffee extract (GCE) (extract of unroasted green coffee beans)[viii] and a process similar to osmosis occurs. The caffeine molecules migrate from the caffeine rich beans to the caffeine poor beans in the GCE.

 

*All of our decaffeinated beans are sourced from this process.

 

Acidity - Think of it like sommeliers talk about “dry’ in wine. The wine isn’t really dry. Its dryness correlates to sugars left in the wine. Similarly, acidity is the crisp, cutting flavors of coffee that can also be relatively sweet.

 

Body - how heavy the coffee is as well as mouthfeel. Again, think about wine. Red has more body than a white wine. In coffee, the body is how heavy it feels in your mouth. It can be oily or buttery. Body can also describe how heavy it is. A French press will have more body than drip, for example.[ix]

 

 

[i] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffea_arabica

[ii] https://brewlogy.com/beans/nganda/

[iii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffea_liberica

[iv] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffea_racemosa

[v] https://www.coffeebeancorral.com/blog/post/2023/04/20/coffee-processing-methods-guide?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqdqvBhCPARIsANrmZhOZlAlIYOlqn3xsdqlsto5RnyFYUvjCzvz_8V9wJcMpG-jGhW3UbBMaAlmXEALw_wcB

[vi] https://beannbeancoffee.com/blogs/beansider/different-decaffeination-processes

[vii] https://beannbeancoffee.com/blogs/beansider/different-decaffeination-processes

[viii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_coffee_extract

[ix] https://specialcoffeeitaly.com/coffee-body-how-to-feel-it/