THE PROCESS OF GROWING THE COFFEE TREES TO THE FINAL STEP OF SIPPING THE COFFEE IS LENGTHY:

1

Planting: The coffee tree takes approximately 3 to 4 years to bear the cherry fruit. The tree is grown by planting the coffee bean in large beds in shaded nurseries.

2

Harvesting and peeling: The cherries can only be picked once they are a deep red colour. Once ripe the cherries are picked (usually by hand) and dried by being spread out on large trays to dry in the sun. After the coffee cherries are dried, they become known as coffee seeds. These seeds are then put through machines and the outer layers are peeled off.

3

Exporting: At this point in time the coffee seed is known as green coffee. They are filled into large sacks and loaded in containers to be exported to their country of destination.

4

Tasting: Before the green coffee is roasted in large batches, a small amount is tasted by coffee experts known as cuppers. The beans are roasted in a special laboratory and brewed. The cupper then smells and tastes the coffee in a special way that evenly distributes the liquid all over the taste buds on their tongue.

5

Roasting and grinding: Once the coffee passes the taste test, the green coffee beans are then roasted in large roasting machines, which transform it into aromatic brown coffee beans that you can buy at stores. This is usually always done at the exported country, so that the coffee can reach consumers as fresh as possible.

6

Brewing: This is done in different ways, depending on what kind of coffee is being made and used. Traditionally coffee is made in a coffee pot, where the ground coffee is added to hot water.