From bean to cup

Farming

It takes around 3-4 years before a bush produces its first harvest, but it takes 7-8 years for the bush to produce the optimum yield. A bush only produces around 0.5 kg of finished coffee per year.

The coffee bush is highly sensitive to cold and therefore requires an even and warm climate. The finest coffee comes from plantations over 700 m above sea level.

The berry of the coffee tree, which is about the size of a cherry, is a stone fruit. Each berry usually contains two coffee beans, called flats. However a berry may instead contain just one bean, called a peaberry.

Harvest

It takes 8-9 months for the coffee berries to ripen. Generally, the longer the ripening time, the better the coffee. Although mechanical pickers do exist, most coffee is still harvested by hand.

There are two main methods of extracting the bean from the berry: the wet method and the dry method, which give the coffee a different character.

The wet method is used mainly in locations with good reserves of water, e.g. Central America and Colombia. Once the berries have been trimmed of leaves and stalks, they are immediately threshed to remove the skin and pulp. Then they are left to ferment for 12 to 36 hours. This fermentation gives the “washed” coffee an acidic character.

The next step is to wash and rinse the beans in running water before they are dried. The beans have the parchment skin intact and are called pergaminos. This membrane is threshed off before the cleaning and sorting.

The dry method is used where access to water is limited, e.g. in Brazil. Immediately after harvesting, the berries are trimmed of leaves and stalks. The berries are then rinsed in narrow channels of running water. At this point unripe berries are also separated from the ripe ones.

The coffee berries are then laid out on cement or stone terraces to dry in the sun. They are turned several times a day for even drying. At night the berries are shovelled up into heaps and covered.

After 1-3 weeks, the berries are dry and the pulp has become dark and wrinkled. The dry pulp and the parchment skin are threshed off before the cleaning and sorting.

Cleaning

The beans are cleaned mechanically to remove any remaining bits of skin, as well as split, underdeveloped or discoloured beans. Sometimes cleaning is still carried out by hand.

Sorting

Finally, the beans are sorted by size and other properties that have an impact on the quality.

Sampling

Since the raw coffee varies in flavour from season to season and across the harvesting year, samples from the coffee-producers determine which consignments are to be purchased. When the raw coffee then arrives, it is tasted again for a decision on the proportions in a blend.

The coffee taster judges the appearance of the raw coffee and factors such as smoothness, purity, aroma, acidity and body.

Blending

Usually the best results are achieved by blending coffees with different characteristics. Brazilian coffee has a mild flavour and works well as the base in a coffee blend.

The blend is then built up with more aromatic and acidic coffees, chiefly from Columbia, Central America and Kenya.

Roasting

As the beans are roasted, the substances that give the coffee its special flavour are formed and released. If the beans are roasted too much, the flavour is bitter and acrid, with no aroma or body.

If the beans are roasted too little, not all the aromas develop and the coffee ends up too weak. We have made it our signature to roast the beans carefully to achieve the best flavour and strength for the coffee.

Grinding

Different preparation methods demand different grinds. The contact time between the coffee and the water determines how coarsely ground the coffee needs to be. The longer the contact time, the coarser the grind required to get the best flavour and aroma from the coffee.

Packaging

Coffee is highly sensitive to oxygen in the air. It is therefore important that it is packaged in an oxygen-free environment and in packaging that provides a good barrier. The coffee can either be vacuum packed or packed in a protective atmosphere, e.g. pure nitrogen.

Preparation

Clean equipment
Old coffee and coffee deposits give fresh coffee a bad taste. Make sure that the coffee pot and filter basket are thoroughly clean. Wash the coffee pot in hot soapy water and rinse well. The coffee machine should regularly be descaled. Use water and vinegar, for example. Rinse through several times with clean water.

Fresh cold water
Let the water run from the tap for a while before filling the pot. Water that has stood in the pipes will taste bad. Since 98.5% of the finished coffee is water, the quality of the water has a major impact on the flavour of the coffee.

Dosage
We recommend using the coffee scoop from Löfbergs Lila for dosing. A level scoop (around 7 g) per cup (150 ml) is a good rule of thumb. If you want a stronger coffee, choose a darker roast rather than adding more coffee.

Right water temperature 92-96°C
To achieve the best flavour and strength, the water in contact with the coffee must have a temperature of 92-96°C. It will then draw out the lovely aromas from the ground coffee beans without too much bitterness.

Brewing time
The ground coffee beans need to be in contact with the hot water for 5-6 minutes in order to achieve the right strength of coffee. A shorter time may produce a bitter coffee. The best result usually comes from brewing 6-8 cups at a time.

Warming temperature 80-85°C
Don’t leave the coffee warming for more than 30-40 minutes. Coffee should be drunk freshly brewed! If keeping it warming, the temperature should be 80-85°C. If the coffee is not going to be drunk immediately, it should be sealed in a thermos flask. Never reheat coffee that has cooled!

Storage

Properly stored, coffee will keep for 10-14 once the pack has been opened. Store the coffee in a dry, cool place, preferably in the fridge, and well sealed in its original packaging, to best retain the flavours.

A storage jar with a tightly fitting lid will also help, but do not pour the coffee into the jar. Place the whole pack inside it.

If coffee is exposed to air, light and heat, the flavours are destroyed in as little as an hour or so.