The history of coffee dates back to around 800 AD. With different versions of how it was discovered by humanity, the most popular legend is that of a goat herder named Kaldi in Ethiopia. After eating the berries from a certain tree, his goats became so energetic. Curiosity drove Kaldi to try the fruit for himself, and after eating a few, he felt a jittery feeling that he had never experienced before. And when the Ethiopians finally discovered that coffee had an elevating effect, the coffee culture spread to the rest of the world, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Today, with around two billion cups consumed each day, coffee is, in fact, one of the most consumed beverages on the planet, second to water. But, how does it get from bean to cup?
Coffee beans come from a tree that produces a fruit similar to cherries. Although called a ‘bean’, they’re technically the seeds of coffee cherries. The unroasted seeds of the coffee cherries are what we call green coffee beans, they have a shelf life of up to one year if maintained properly. However, prolonged storage can cause the color of the beans to fade and may indicate low quality.
Coffee beans travel a long distance before reaching the roasting stage and then to us. And on that journey, many variables can influence the quality of green coffee and even the smallest mistake can have a significant impact on the quality of these beautiful green beans, resulting in severe damage or loss.
Green coffee beans can last for a long time when handled and stored properly. Good storage conditions can maintain the overall quality – color, aroma, flavor, and freshness of the beans. While poor storage conditions of the beans can leave them susceptible to quality deterioration.
So, what are the things to be avoided when handling green coffee beans?