Dale's Coffee Lesson

Learning about coffee is really learning about a culture. Through our class on coffee I really feel that we were able to better understand Colombia in general. It is so sad to live in one of the best coffee growing regions in the world for the Arabica bean and yet never be able to drink it in any restaurants or simple cafes. Colombia exports all of it’s premium beans to the world and keeps very little for itself.

There are two types of coffee beans in this world, Robusto and Arabica. Robusto is a bean that is typically used in flavored coffees and instant. Robusto has a very pungent flavor that doesn’t have many layers to it. This is why Robusto takes so well to flavorings. When someone buys a French Roast or something of that nature they are typically buying  Robusto beans, as mostly these flavorings are masking the strong flavor of the beans. In Colombia they grow Arabica beans, which come with over 32 different natural layers of flavors. Sometimes you get a hint of wood, sometimes chocolate, sometimes even almond.

It is because of these dense layers of flavor that the Arabica bean is typically served without artificial flavors; it needs no extra help being wonderful. The coffee derives its flavors from the land and the flavors depend on the climate and the weather for that year.

When we talk about the beans itself we find that the Arabica bean is typically much larger then the Robusto. They are both coming from a similar plant but the Robusto is a flatter smaller bean while the Arabica is a larger rounder bean. Coffee is actually a fruit and grows on a bush that is no taller then 6ft tall. A coffee bush can live for 20 years before it is retired and is pruned 5 times typically with the best growing time at year.  When they prune the plant, they cut it all the way down to about 5 inches from the soil and then let one branch grow out. You can typically see how old the plant is by looking near the base of it and seeing how many nubs it has from pruning.

The beans start off from a flower and then turn into a green ball. That grape looking thing will ripen to become red and will stay ripe for about 15 days. They will harvest these fruits and remove the outer red layer. If you eat the seed inside this red fruit you will find it to have a sweet nutty flavor. There are normally two seeds per fruit. These seeds are then left to dry. In other parts of the world they dry in the sun but Colombia is too damp so ovens have to be used to dry the beans.

Once the beans are dried there is more shell on the bean that must be removed. Once this shell is removed we find a green unroasted coffee bean.

Beans are graded in quality based on three main factors; shape, color, density. Typically any deformation in the seed like a bug bite or a crack will cause the bean to become a “tinto” bean. Only the best beans make it through this selection process. Most of this quality control selection process is done by the use of water. The bad or damaged beans will stay afloat while the good beans sink to the bottom.

Beans are then dried in big furnaces and then put into bags to be shipped off to the export center. Beans remain unroasted until they enter the country that purchases them.  Each country prefers their own style of roast and also the beans can save longer if they have not been roasted. Once the bean has been roasted it can begin to oxidize and that can change the flavor of the bean. It is important that when a bean comes out of the roaster that it is consumed very quickly and not left to sit for more then 3 weeks with exposure to oxygen. When beans come out of a roaster they are nice and shiny which is the best time to grind and drink the coffee.

So the good beans get exported, but then what happens to the bad beans?  Well those beans stay in the country to be consumed by Colombia.  They call this coffee “tinto”.  “Tinto”, is roughly translated into the word “ink”. You will find that Colombia typically has two types of coffee for sale at most cafes, “tinto” and café. Tinto is normally cheaper because it is composed of all the coffee beans that failed to make it through the selection process. They don’t waste a single bean here in Colombia.  Tinto typically has a more sharp bitter flavor and when it is served here in Colombia it is normally watered down with hot water and a lot of milk and sugar. It is very hard to find artisanal coffee in Colombia but “tinto” is around every corner.