Coffee beans are actually seeds
Although we call them coffee beans, they are botanically not beans like, for example, kidney beans or green beans.
The coffee bean is a seed from the coffee fruit, which is often called a coffee cherry.
Fruits develop on the coffee plant, and inside the fruit lie the seeds, which, after harvesting and processing, become the green coffee beans that coffee roasters work with.
Only after roasting do the coffee beans get their brown color and many of the aromas we associate with coffee.
From coffee cherry to green coffee bean
Coffee begins on the coffee plant.
When the coffee fruit is ripe, it is harvested and then must be processed so that the seed can be separated from the fruit pulp and the other layers around the coffee bean.
After processing, the coffee beans are dried to a level where they can be stored and transported as green coffee.
At this point, the beans are not yet ready for regular coffee brewing.
They are often called green coffee beans or raw coffee beans.
At a coffee roastery, these green coffee beans are then roasted.
If you want to experiment with roasting yourself, you can take a look at our raw coffee beans for home roasting.
What happens when coffee beans are roasted?
During roasting, the coffee beans are exposed to heat, and their physical and chemical properties change significantly.
The beans change color, develop aroma, and become more porous.
At the same time, a wide range of aromatic compounds that contribute to the taste of the finished coffee are created and altered.
Roasting is therefore not just about making the coffee beans brown.
Time, heat, and the development of the coffee through the roasting process are important for the final result.
You can read more about how we work with this on the page about roast profiles at Brændeholm Risteri.
Arabica and Robusta
Two of the best-known coffee species in commercial coffee production are Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora, the latter often referred to as Robusta.
Arabica and Robusta are not just different varieties of exactly the same coffee bean. They come from different coffee plants and have different properties.
However, the taste does not depend solely on the species.
Origin, variety, growing conditions, maturity at harvest, processing, storage, roasting, and brewing all have an impact.
It would therefore be an oversimplification to say that all Arabica beans taste one way, and all Robusta beans another.
Coffee must be judged based on the specific raw material and the finished cup.
What does the origin of the coffee mean?
When you see a country or a specific area mentioned on a bag of coffee, it tells you where the coffee was grown.
The origin can be relevant because climate, growing altitude, soil, coffee variety, and local production conditions can influence the character of the coffee.
This does not mean that all coffee from, for example, Colombia, Brazil, Ethiopia, or Kenya tastes the same.
Within a single country, there can be huge differences between regions, producers, varieties, and processing methods.
The country of origin is therefore one piece among many when trying to understand the taste of a coffee bean.
How are coffee beans processed?
After the harvest, the coffee seeds must be freed from the coffee fruit and dried.
There are different ways to do this.
You may, among other things, encounter terms like washed, natural/dry-processed, and honey-processed coffee.
The methods handle the fruit around the coffee bean differently and can help influence the coffee's flavor profile.
But the processing method does not determine the taste alone.
Two natural-processed coffees can still taste very different if their raw materials and production conditions are different.
What do light, medium, and dark roasted coffee beans mean?
When green coffee beans are roasted, the roastery can work towards different roast degrees and flavor expressions.
A lighter roast will typically allow more of the coffee's origin character and perceived fruitiness or acidity to shine through.
A medium roast often seeks a balance between the coffee's original character and the flavor impressions that are developed during roasting.
A darker roast will normally have more pronounced roast character and may be perceived as fuller-bodied and less acidic.
However, there is no single international temperature that precisely defines all light, medium, or dark roasted coffees.
The specific coffee and roast profile are what matter.
In our selection of freshly roasted coffee beans, you can therefore choose between different origins, roast degrees, and flavor profiles.
Why do coffee beans taste different?
The taste in coffee is the result of many factors that influence each other.
The coffee plant's genetic properties play a role.
Growing conditions do too.
Then come harvesting, processing, drying, storage, and transport.
At the coffee roastery, the roast profile is added.
And at home with you, additional factors come into play, such as grind size, water, dosage, brewing time, and brewing method.
This is why two bags of coffee beans can provide very different coffee experiences, even if both are simply described as “coffee”.
Whole coffee beans or ground coffee?
Whole coffee beans give you the opportunity to grind the coffee immediately before brewing.
This is a big advantage if you want to be able to adjust the grind size for different brewing methods.
Espresso, for example, typically requires a significantly finer grind than a French press.
Filter coffee, V60, Chemex, and AeroPress can lie at different places in between, depending on the recipe and equipment.
Once the coffee is ground, a much larger surface area is exposed to the environment.
If you want as much control over the brewing as possible, whole coffee beans and a suitable grinder are therefore a good starting point.
You can see our selection of coffee grinders.
How should coffee beans be stored?
Coffee beans are affected by, among other things, oxygen, light, heat, and moisture.
Therefore, store them in a dry place, away from direct sunlight and at a stable temperature.
A bag with a good seal can be excellent storage.
The most important thing is not necessarily to move the coffee to a new container, but to protect it from the surroundings and avoid opening it unnecessarily again and again.
Which coffee beans should I choose?
There is no one coffee bean that is best for everyone.
Start instead with the taste you want to have.
If you prefer fruitiness, freshness, and clear origin character, a lighter roasted coffee might be interesting.
If you want a balance between sweetness, body, and acidity, medium roast coffee is an obvious place to start.
If you prefer more roast character, body, and a lower perceived acidity, darker roasted coffee beans might be relevant.
The brewing method also plays a part.
You will find specific recipes and help for choosing grind size in our brewing guides for coffee.
Are espresso beans a special type of coffee bean?
No.
“Espresso beans” is not a botanical coffee type.
The term is typically used for coffee beans or blends that are selected or roasted with espresso in mind.
You can brew espresso with both single origin coffee and blends and with different roast degrees.
If espresso is your primary brewing method, we have gathered some of the coffees we particularly recommend under coffee beans for espresso.
From coffee bean to cup
Once you understand that the coffee bean is actually a seed from a fruit, it becomes easier to understand why coffee can vary so much.
The coffee is affected throughout the entire journey from plant to finished cup.
The raw material creates the possibilities.
The roasting shapes them.
And the brewing determines how they finally express themselves in the cup.
It is precisely this connection between coffee bean, roasting, and brewing that we work with at Brændeholm Risteri.
About Brændeholm Risteri's coffee knowledge
Brændeholm Risteri is a coffee roastery on Funen, where we work practically with coffee beans, roasting, and coffee brewing. You can read more about our work and the person behind it at About Brændeholm Risteri.