First of all, with so many beans available what makes one bean different from another? The answer to that is actually quite simple; beans are distinguished by their flavor, amount of caffeine, and their acidity. Each of these three things is determined largely by the area in which the coffee is grown, how it is processed, and the actual variety or family the in which the coffee belongs.

There are 7 steps after the actual planting of the coffee seeds that go into making your wonderful cup of coffee each morning. Hopefully, learning a little about each of the 7 will also create a deeper appreciation for your morning cup.

1. Picking. Most of your better brands of coffee beans will be hand picked. You want hand picked coffee for two reasons, first of all, hand picking insures that you are not getting under or over ripe coffee seeds and second, there is less risk of damaging the seed when it's picked by hand than when it is picked by a machine.
2. Drying. Laying the beans out on large concrete slabs and allowing them to be dried naturally by the wind and the sun essentially accomplishes this step.
3. Sorting. Once the beans have dried, they are sorted according to color, size, uniformity, and quality.
4. Roasting. The heat of roasting brings out the essential oils from the coffee seeds; this oil is what essentially creates the flavor of coffee. These beads of oil create pockets of flavor within the bean during the roasting process. The longer a bean is roasted the more moisture is lost. This results in the oils of the bean rising to the surface creating a darker roast. If the bean is allowed to continue roasting it will begin to burn. The flavor that this process creates is considered bittersweet and loved by dark roast drinkers around the world.
5. Grinding. Some people choose to purchase coffee that has already been ground, while this is acceptable, ground coffee has a shelf life of about 2 days while whole beans, which you can grind yourself, have a shelf life of about 2 weeks. I sincerely recommend investing in a high quality burr grinder if you intend to brew your own coffee at home. Burr grinders are preferable to blade grinders because they create a more even ground. It is worth the extra money you'll pay for the extra flavor and enjoyment you will get from your coffee each morning.
6. Brewing. This is completely your job as the coffee drinker, unless of course you are purchasing a ready-made cup of coffee from a coffee shop or local supermarket. The process of brewing coffee includes running heated water through a filter full of coffee grounds. This is the way many people around the world begin each and every day of their lives. If your morning routine includes a good cup of coffee or three or four, you will want to seriously consider the coffee machine you are purchasing and make a solid investment in it.

Now you probably no more about coffee beans than you ever thought you would need to know. The good news is that you can sit back, relax, and enjoy your next cup of coffee all the more for knowing the incredible amount of work that went into the creation of the brew.