| Coffee 101 - What is Coffee/Coffee Beans? |
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To understand what coffee is, we must start at the beginning. The coffee plant is a tropical evergreen shrub that grows about 15ft tall, with branches that grow broad, waxy, green leaves. The coffee beans are actually the seeds from the fruit, which is round and red like a cherry, and grows in clusters. In addition, the shrub produces an abundance of jasmine scented flowers. There are usually two seeds, or coffee beans, in each fruit, which grow nestled against each other. If one of the seeds does not develop properly, the other one will grow extra large, and more rounded. These are called peaberrys. The coffee shrub has been used for more than just our favorite beverage. There have been liquors made from the tangy coffee fruit, tea has been made from the leaves, and the beans have been rolled with animal fat to form a sort of early energy bar. Since its discovery in Arabia in the ninth century, it has become one of the most popular agricultural products, and ranks second only to oil in volume of trade. It is one of the most labor intensive food products, needing 17 different processing steps on the way to your cup. We hope you enjoy www.sonocoffeebeans.com |