There is great debate among connoisseurs as to whether a great cup of coffee is the result of science or a work of art. Many will argue quite convincingly that it is indeed a combination of the two that brings us such delight when drinking a cup of our favorite brew. All good coffee of course, and unarguably, begins with good coffee beans. Many of us who have little more trouble than to hop into our vehicles and drive on over to the local gourmet coffee company never put much thought into the great process that goes into bringing us our favorite coffee bean each morning.

Coffee plants are grown on plantations then harvested. Arabica beans are harvested by hand and babied much more painstakingly than Robusta beans, which actually grow much more plentifully while costing considerably less to produce and harvest. Regardless of which type of bean is being harvested the work is hard and the hours are long to bring you your morning salvation each and every day that go far beyond mere planting and picking.

Once the beans have been harvested (generally by hand), they are sorted according to size, ripeness, and color. Once the sorting is complete the real work begins. The coffee bean is then removed from the cherry. This is another step that is generally done by hand though there are devices known as spinning drums that have been used in order to do this. One interesting fact is that five pounds of cherries are typically required in order to produce one pound of coffee beans.

Once this has been accomplished there are typically one of two methods used for the actual processing of the coffee bean. First there is the dry method and in this method the beans are spread out then dried by some sort of heat source. Many beans are dried by the sun while others are dried through artificial means. This method can actually damage the bean and you should take great care that you pay close attention to beans that have been processed using the dry method.

The second would be the wet method for processing coffee beans. This method is considered a much better method for processing coffee beans and generally commands a higher price in the marketplace for its superior flavor. In this process fermentation is used in order to remove the outer layer of the beans called the mucilage, which is then washed away. This is a much kinder and gentler method of processing the coffee beans and doesn't damage the beans in any way.

The result of the previous steps, whichever is chosen, is a green coffee bean. These beans are then carted off to go through yet another processing method that will be discussed elsewhere. The main thing to remember is that the beans that eventually flavor your coffee go through a lengthy process to get from the field to your cup. Understanding the methods and steps involved along the way may actually help you identify things about your favorite coffee drink while eliminating things about coffee drinks that you do not enjoy as much.