How Coffee Is Made

If you’ve ever wondered how coffee is made, this guide explains the journey from raw beans to the perfect cup. Visit our award-winning coffee roasting facility for freshly roastedbeans, espresso, and some of the best brewing equipment available today – including Aeropress, Hario V60, Chemex, Clever Dripper, French Press, Yama Vacuum Siphon, Breville espresso machines, and Baratza Encore grinders.

Green (Raw) Coffee Beans

Great coffee starts with high-quality green beans. Imported directly from the farmer and stored in cool conditions away from other products, green beans can have a shelf life of up to 12 months before their flavour and intensity begin to fade.

Green bean is naturally high in chlorogenic acid, a compound known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Chlorogenic acids may help reduce blood pressure, and if you have heard of green coffee extract, it’s this compound that is often promoted as a weight loss aid.

Fun Fact: Finland consumes the most coffee per capita in the world.

Before roasting, the green bean is actually the seed of the coffee cherry. After harvesting, the cherries are de-pulped, dried, and processed to reveal the raw bean. Coffee cherries grow in clusters along the branches of the coffee plant.

After the flowering of fragrant white blossoms, it takes nearly a year for a coffee cherry to fully mature. Because coffee plants grow in cycles, it’s common to see blossoms, green fruit, and ripe cherries on the same tree at the same time.

The best coffee grows in high elevations with rich volcanic soil, mild temperatures, frequent rainfall, and shaded sunlight. Premium coffee is usually hand-picked, carefully dried, and sorted for quality before roasting. Properly stored green beans typically have a shelf life of 6 to 12 months.

Home Roasting

Freshly roasted bean delivers the best flavour and aroma. Coffee beans begin to lose aromatic compounds shortly after roasting, even when stored in sealed bags. Over time, oxygen slowly enters the beans and causes oxidation, which reduces aroma and increases bitterness.

This oxidation process is one reason store-shelf bean often tastes flat compared to freshly roasted bean. It can also reduce antioxidants, which are one of the natural health benefits associated with fresh coffee.

Fun Fact: During roasting, beans crack and pop a little like popcorn—twice.

Home roasting is surprisingly easy. Most small batches take only 7 to 15 minutes to roast. Green beans are often about half the price of roasted beans, making home roasting both affordable and rewarding.

Green bean can be roasted in many ways, including using a dedicated home roaster, an oven, stovetop pan, popcorn popper, heat gun, or even a gas grill.

The Roasting Process

The craft of roasting coffee is both an art and a science.

Fun Fact: Espresso beans and regular beans are exactly the same — the difference comes from the brewing method.

As green beans are heated during roasting, acids and sugars react with heat, turning the beans brown and caramelizing natural sugars. This process produces hundreds of aromatic compounds that create the complex smells, flavours, and textures found in coffee.

Whether your preference is a bright light roast Colombian beans or a bold dark roast brewed in a French press, coffee offers one of the most complex sensory experiences of any beverage.

Each coffee origin, harvest, and lot has unique characteristics. Skilled roasters carefully develop roasting profiles to highlight the best qualities of each coffee, allowing every origin to express its own distinctive flavour in the cup.

Brewing Coffee

Brewing should be simple, enjoyable, and delicious.

Fun Fact: About 40% of a coffee bean is soluble in water, but only the first 20% contributes desirable flavours.

There are dozens of ways to brew fresh coffee at home. Most methods follow the same basic steps: grind the coffee, add water, extract flavour, filter, and enjoy.

For the best results, start with freshly roasted beans, a quality grinder, filtered water, and a scale for consistent brewing. Whether you prefer a delicate floral pour-over or a bold and syrupy dark roast, there is a brewing method to match every taste.

Popular brewing methods include French press, drip makers, AeroPress, espresso machines, siphon brewers, moka pots, and pour-over brewers like V60 or Chemex.

We also have a blog post to talk about different brewing methods, check it out!

At the Café

Sometimes it’s best to let experienced baristas handle the brewing.

Fun Fact: Approximately 65% of coffee is consumed at home.

We provide fresh, roasted-to-order coffee to cafés along with expert guidance on brewing techniques, equipment, and café operations. Our wholesale partners receive hands-on training and access to the café supplies needed to deliver exceptional coffee.

We’re passionate about helping cafés serve the best possible coffee experience to their customers — which might explain why coffee sometimes tastes even better at the café!