Coffee bean

The Coffee Bean (Arabic: قهوة qahwa "coffee" and Arab. بن bunn " berry " ) is the seed of the coffee plant, botanically not a bean. The word " coffee bean" is a popular etymological calque. The fruits are red, cherry -like drupes (coffee cherries ) with mostly two stone cores, which lie with their flat sides together. These casts are the actual " coffee beans ". A special form, stunted in one of the two cores and develops only a single, rounded nucleus, called " Perlbohne ".

These casts are the seeds of the coffee plant and consist mostly of endosperm that contains, among others, also contain caffeine in amounts of about 0.8 to 2.5 %.

Coffees belong to the genus Coffea of the family Rubiaceae ( Madder / Madder family).

Varieties

There are forty different varieties. In recent decades, however, the offer mainly on the two varieties Arabica ( Coffea arabica) and Robusta ( Coffea canephora, Syn robusta) has been reduced.

Arabica is the most important type of coffee. It accounts for 60 percent of world trade and growing in the highlands, for example, in Kenya, Colombia and Central America.

Robusta is fast-growing, higher yielding and more resistant than the arabica variety. It grows in areas up to 600 meters. Robusta is used as an additive especially for the preparation of espresso, as it supports the formation of crema and a heavy, slightly earthy flavor brings.

In addition, there are:

• Coffea liberica - Bush is up to 18 meters high and has large beans ( up to 2 cm in diameter). Cultivation is very problematic, the quality rather poor. If, therefore, always less planted.
• Coffea excelsa - similar in size and Robusta beans, in habit and leaves of Liberica. Quality is different.

These species are found only in some countries such as Liberia, Sierra Leone, the Central African Republic and Benin, as well as in the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam. The quantities produced are comparatively insignificant.

The more expensive Arabica ( Coffea arabica, also known as a Java Bean ) is a slightly stronger acid- stressed coffee with rather less bitter substances, lighter crema, but with more subtle (often called " fruity " as described ) flavors. Robusta ( Coffea canephora ), however, often has slightly less acid (due to the less sophisticated taste gradations can be roasted well a little longer, the acid reduced), tends to be bitter (with good coffee, a fine bitterness as with dark chocolate ), are the darker crema and gives the coffee its "body" ( a somewhat wider taste, a kind of foundation ). Ultimately, it is therefore mainly a matter of personal taste which one prefers mixing ratio - eg 60:40 (rather Southern Italy), 75:25, 90:10, or 100:0 (rather northern Italy ) - where 100% Arabicas are often perceived by experts as unbalanced.

Roasting

A key differentiator between the various coffee drinks ( filter coffee, espresso, mocha ) is the roasting of the beans. Espresso beans are roasted darker than beans for drip coffee. This is necessary because the natural acidity of the coffee bean releases disproportionately quickly in the way of preparation under pressure compared to conventional methods. An espresso -based coffee for filter coffee tastes unpleasantly sour. Since the acidity during the roasting process has fallen continuously acts to counter this effect by longer roasting time. This dark roast espresso beans gives the body more, and they leave in your mouth a fuller, heavier taste. A disadvantage of the longer roasting, however, that the complexity of the flavor is released. The art of roasting is accordingly to find the ideal balance between acidity, body and flavor for each variety or blend.

Through the dark roasting the bean does not lose its caffeine content. Espresso contains less caffeine than absolute terms, filter coffee when both from the same amount of ground coffee (typically 7 g) be prepared, but the relative caffeine content of espresso is higher due to the smaller amount of water used for its preparation. In the preparation of espresso coffee and hot water have shorter contact than with the filter coffee.

Typically, beans are roasted in a drum by heat and frequent rearranging. Due to the physical friction occurs, however, in volume losses in the final product. In the 80 years, therefore, the so-called Wirbelschichtröstverfahren was developed at the University of Magdeburg, in which the beans are roasted on a cushion of heated air or gas. The GDR was responding to shortages in coffee production.