BEAN ORIGINS

The vast majority of coffee is grown between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn — specifically between 25 degrees North and South of the Equator.

Coffee beans are the dried seeds of a tree that grows in the worlds tropical and sub-tropical climate zones. The plant is thought to have originated in the part of Africa that makes up Ethiopia today.

The Americas, Africa and Arabia, and South-East Asia are generally acknowledged as the world’s three primary coffee-growing areas. Within each of these regions there is a huge range of coffee grown, varying greatly in quality and the conditions in which it is grown.

These factors give the unique flavour to each coffee origin, and allow us to formulate exciting blends for you to enjoy at home.

There are several factors that influence the production of coffee beans:

ALTITUDE
Higher altitudes slow the development delivering a denser, harder bean that displays a livelier, bright acidity whereas coffee grown at a lower altitude has less acidity.

TEMPERATURE AND RAINFALL
Temperature and Rainfall play a key role as they determine the number of coffee harvests in a particular region.

BALANCE
Balance is key to the successful growth of coffee beans - too much sunlight can cause the beans to mature too quickly having a negative impact on the flavour of the bean.

BEHIND THE BLENDS

ALL COFFEE STARTS OUT GREEN

In the 1950’s, Robert Harris introduced the radical notion of fresh coffee to a very green, tea-drinking New Zealand.

Many decades have passed and kiwis are still waking up to their favourite blends…

 

THE COFFEE CHERRY

Coffee Cherry is the term for the ripe, intact coffee fruit.   Ripe Cherries comprise of several layers:

Cherry Skin: the outer red fruit covering

Mucilage: a sweet pulpy substance

Parchment: a protective membrane

Silver Skin: the last thin protective membrane

Two Oval Coffee Beans: The two ‘seeds’ at the centre of the fruit.  It is these beans which are used to make coffee.  The beans, before roasting, are green in colour.

ARABICA VS. ROBUSTA

The two main green bean varieties grown throughout the world are Coffea Arabica and Coffea Caneaphora (Robusta).

Arabica coffee is used primarily in fresh coffee. With its delicate flavour, it offers a balanced aroma and a sweet, sharp taste. It is considered higher grade and superior to Robusta, making up 70% of the world’s coffee supply.

Arabica coffee must be grown at a higher elevation of 600 - 2000 metres and requires a cool subtropical climate, lots of moisture, rich soil, sun and shade. It is subject to attack from various pests, and is extremely vulnerable to cold and bad handling.

In contrast the Robusta beans have a more earthy flavour and a heavier body. Robusta beans have twice the caffeine kick of Arabica beans, giving them a slightly bitter taste.

The Robusta plant is hardier than the Arabica , and is capable of growing well at low altitudes of 200 to 800 metres. It is also less subject to problems related to pests and rough handling.

And what happens to these green beans on their journey to your cup?

Firstly, the beans are selected and blended to produce the desired taste profile. After roasting, the beans are ground or packed as whole beans for fresh coffee, or processed further to produce instant coffee, in a powdered, granulated or freeze-dried format. The different formats each deliver their own unique flavour and aroma profile.

As Kermit once said, it’s not easy being green, but armed with this new knowledge, you can stroll into the coffee aisle or your favourite café with new confidence.

HARVESTING

SELECTIVE PICKING
This method is the most expensive because it requires hand picking the cherries when they become ripe. The reason for this expense is that it must be done as many times as necessary until all the cherries are picked.

COMBING
This method uses a comb to brush the trees. This method removes all of the ripe cherries leaving the unripe and green leaves still connected to he branches of the tree. This is a time-consuming process.

STRIPPING
Done by hand, stripping removes all of the cherries, flowers, green cherries and over ripened cherries. This method produces poor quality results because of the mixing of the good cherries with the bad ones.

MECHANICAL
There a several versions of Mechanical Harvesting, however this process tends to damage trees ripping off the green cherries, flowers and leaves at the same time.

PROCESSING

Coffee beans must be removed from the fruit or cherry and dried before they can be roasted; this can be done in two ways known as the wet and dry methods.

When the process is complete the unroasted coffee beans are known as green coffee.

DRY PROCESSING

This method involves drying the whole cherry.

Cherries are sorted and cleaned before they are placed on drying patios and mats to dry - the cherries are turned several times a day to ensure even drying. It can take up to 4 weeks before the cherries are dried to the required moisture content of 10 - 12%.

This is the most important stage of the process as it affects the final quality of the green bean.

Once the cherries are dried they are often stored in bulk before being sent to a mill to be hulled. All of the outer layers of the dried cherry are removed in one step by the hulling machines.

WET PROCESSING
Once the cherries are sorted and cleaned they are sent to the pulping machines within 12 – 24 hours after harvest to avoid any significant deterioration to the coffee bean.

Removing the Pulp from the cherry at this point is the key difference between the wet and dry methods. The pulp is removed by a machines that separates the flesh and skin from the beans (which are still in the mucilaginous parchment covering).

Fermentation removes the mucilage from the bean - naturally occurring enzymes and bacteria digest the mucilage to a point where it is easily removed and can be washed away.

Washing cleans any remaining mucilage and impurities from the bean - at this point the moisture content will be approximately 55 - 60%.

Drying (either sun-dried or by mechanical dryer) removes water from the beans and prepares them for transportation. Beans are dried to 10 - 12% moisture content.

Once the wet processed coffee is dried (commonly known as parchment coffee) it is often stored in bulk before under going the process of hulling to remove the remaining parchment.

Final Cleaning, Sorting and Grading are completed for both wet and dry processed coffee before export.

Sorting separates the beans by size and density and helps remove the remaining defects from the quality beans.

Some mechanical methods of sorting use air or light to determine a coffee beans density or colour.

Visual inspection sorts the remaining defects for the quality beans.

GENERAL FAQS

Oxygen, moisture, heat and light are the enemies of fresh coffee. Exposure to these elements will cause your coffee to taint or become stale. Always store your coffee in an airtight container in a cool, dark place - but not in your fridge or freezer.

If you grind your own beans, only grind what you need to make a coffee. Ground coffee that isn't stored properly will go stale.

The function of the one-way Aroma Fresh Valve™ on the packs is to let carbon dioxide out and prevent oxygen from entering the pack. When whole coffee beans are roasted carbon dioxide is released. This continues to be released from the beans for 48 hours after roasting.

To enable the freshly roasted beans to be packed as soon as possible after roasting without the packet swelling and bursting, a valve is utilised to retain aroma and to ensure optimum freshness.

Grind choice is extremely important. Using a plunger grind in an espresso machine will mean you have a watery and weak coffee. If you use an espresso grind in a plunger you will find it hard to plunge and it is likely you will end up with grits and grinds in your coffee cup.

Espresso ground coffee is extremely fine and is designed to have the water passed through under pressure in a matter of 20-30 seconds. A plunger grind is coarse and designed to brew for 4 minutes. The coarse grind also means that when you plunge the coffee the water can freely pass through the coffee.

A Flat White is a single shot of coffee topped with velvety milk creating a 5-8mm cap. 

A Caffe Latte is a double shot of coffee (or single shot) topped with velvety milk creating a 6-10mm cap.  Traditionally served in a glass.

The beauty of these plunger bags is they will suit any occasion. Each plunger bag makes two cups, and multiple bags can be placed in the plunger.

So if you have a 6 cup plunger, place 3 x plunger bags in the plunger and add 4 ½ - 6 cups of water depending on strength preference and cup size.

We recommend placing no more than 3 bags per plunger.

It is recommended to use water that is just off the boil.  This means either 30-60 seconds after it has boiled, or turn the jug off just before it has boiled.  Boiling water can burn the beans.