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Archeological findings suggest that the beverage known as coffee originated in the
Middle East around 800 A.D.. The first actual references to coffee in literature were
made by Homer in the fourth canto of the Odyssey, in which he mentions a beverage
with unusual characteristics. Around the year 1000, the great Arab physician Avicenna
made a cursory description of the drink.

Coffee was originally used on the Ethiopian mountains by nomads and warriors of the
Galla tribe. Some historians claim that the word "coffee" comes from the Ethiopian
region "Kaffa", the natural habitat of the Arabica plant. Coffee indeed became a trade
commodity thanks to Arab merchants, who in the 14th century distributed it to the
whole of the Muslim world as a substitute for alcoholic beverages prohibited by the
Koran. It was only introduced to Europe by Venice some centuries later; the 17th and
18th centuries saw the spread of the famous "Botteghe del Caffe' ", the predecessor
of the modern café, meeting place of poets, intellectuals and artists, who would discuss
politics and cultural matters while enjoying a cup of hot coffee and a dessert.
The Hapsburg empire became acquainted with coffee when the Turkish siege of
Vienna was defeated in 1683 and 500 bags of coffee were discovered in the
abandoned enemy camp.

The use of coffee spread throughout Italy as of the 18th century - today it is difficult
not to find at least one historic venue in each town that has some link to the distribution
of the product. The late 19th century witnessed the first "torrefazioni", specialised in
coffee roasting, who were the exclusive suppliers of the botteghe del caffe'. The
roasters invented the first blends, to give their products their own personal touch.
After the Second World War, coffee roasters gradually broadened distribution to the
public at large and to cafés: the industrial-scale production of coffee had begun.
Today some 2,000 coffee roasters of varying dimensions operate in Italy.

1645 - The first Café opens in Venice.

1672 - The first Gran Cafe' opens in Paris.

1700 - The coffee plant is exported by Arab countries to the rest of the world.

1720 - Cafe' Florian is opened in Venice by Floriano Francesconi, the European
example of the modern coffee shop.

1723 - France introduces the coffee plant to the Antilles.

1727 - Portugal exports the coffee plant to Brazil.

1730 - England introduces the plant to Ceylon, Jamaica, Cuba and Central America.

1730 - Spain introduces the plant to Colombia.

The seed of a fruit

Everyone around the world knows the black, aromatic beverage by the name of
espresso coffee. However not everyone knows about the raw material from which
this drink is made: the coffee bean, also known as green gold.

Coffee is, by definition, the seed of a fruit (drupe) that is normally divided into two
parts, though sometimes is single (caracolito).

THE DIFFERENT SPECIES

Coffee beans grows on an evergreen bush belonging to the Rubiacee family,
Coffea genus, of which there are approximately 80 species known throughout
the world.

The two main types are:

• Coffea Arabica
• Coffea Canephora (otherwise known as Robusta)

Coffea Arabica has the following characteristics:

• the most widespread Coffea type
• more aromatic than Robusta
• more delicate than Robusta
• less bitter than Robusta
• less astringent than Robusta
• has a caffeine content of between 0.8 and 1.5%
• has an 18% oil content
• has an 8% sugar content

Coffea Robusta has the following characteristics:

• greater resistance
• more bitter
• has more body
• has a caffeine content of between 1.7 and 3.5%
• has an 8-9% oil content
• has an 5% sugar content

Growing Coffee: Climatic zones and countries of origin

The coffee plant requires a well-defined climate, characterised by relatively high
temperatures and alternating sunshine and rain.
Such climatic conditions are found in all tropical zones.
Another prerequisite of cultivation areas is altitude: from 1000 to 2000 metres for
Arabica, 200 to 300 metres for Robusta.


Originating in Ethiopia, coffee was taken to Yemen, then around 1690 to Ceylon
and Java by Dutch merchants working for the Company of the Indies. In 1720, coffee
plants were shipped to the Americas: Haiti, Mexico, Venezuela, Santo Domingo,
Martinique and Brazil. Today all countries situated between the Tropic of Cancer and
the Tropic of Capricorn produce coffee, the main ones being: Central and South America,
India and Indonesia (Arabica); Zaire, the Ivory Coast, Uganda, Cameroon, Indochina,
India and Madagascar (Robusta).

Coffee Varieties

CARIBBEAN AND CENTRAL AMERICA
All Arabica plants in the Caribbean and the Americas descend from a plant taken
secretly by De Clieu to Martinique from the gardens of King Louis XIV.

COSTA RICA
Costa Rican coffees have the strongest flavour of all Latin American varieties,
full-bodied and acidic. The best varieties are grown on the mountains along the
Pacific coast.

JAMAICA
The most prized Jamaican coffee beans are cultivated at high altitudes. The rarest
variety is the Blue Mountain, grown in State-controlled plantations. Roasted beans
yield a sweet, aromatic, slightly acidic and full-bodied beverage.
Other varieties include the Prime Washed, Jamaican Mountain Choice and High Mountain.

GUATEMALA
The coffee grown in this country is distinguished by its almost smoked flavour and high
acidity, while the beans themselves have a slightly imperfect appearance. The varieties
normally take on the name of the mountain region in which they are cultivated, with the
exception of the gigantic Maragogipe bean, grown on the plains.

HAITI
The varieties cultivated in Haiti are roasted till dark; most of the production is exported to
France and Italy. Haitian coffees are known for their full, slightly sweet flavour, with little acid.
The Port au Prince variety has sometimes a pungent aroma and spicy aftertaste.

MEXICO
Mexican coffees are rich, full-bodied and slightly acidic, with a fragrant aroma. The most
prized varieties are those cultivated at high altitudes.

SOUTH AMERICA
Coffee was first introduced to South America in the 18th century by the Dutch and French
colonies. Coffee beans were later smuggled into Brazil. Thanks to the favourable climatic
conditions, coffee is today cultivated in many countries in South America.

BRAZIL
Brazil is the world's largest producer of Arabica coffee. Of note, the Bourbon Santos
variety that yields a delicately-flavoured beverage, as well as being excellent for making
blends. Other varieties, particularly those belonging to the Rio class, are sour, sometimes
even acrid. One of the more important varieties is the Maragogipe, famous for its giant
beans, grown on trees that are the result of a botanic mutation of the Arabica bean.

COLOMBIA
Thanks to the characteristics of the terrain and the stable climatic conditions, Colombia is the
world's second largest producer of coffee and the first in terms of quality. The most prized bean
is the Medellin variety, full-bodied, rich and slightly acidic. The Vintage Colombian is on the
other hand a rarity, produced from beans aged for eight years before roasting, giving a
full-flavoured, almost syrupy coffee.

VENEZUELA
The best quality Venezuelan varieties grow along the Colombian border, and are amongst the
finest (though lesser-known) in the world.
Merida and Caracas, with their low acidity and light-body, are particularly popular in Europe.

AFRICA
Africa is becoming an increasingly important producer of coffee on the international market.
Though Arabica originated in Ethiopia, 75% of African coffee beans are of the Robusta species,
which is in fact more resistant to disease and assures a more abundant harvest than Arabica.
Angola, the Ivory Coast and Uganda are the biggest producers of Robusta. Ethiopia and Kenya
are the only African countries to produce Arabica alone.

ANGOLA
Predominantly a producer of Robusta, Angola also exports a small quantity of Arabica - Andulo or
Gando - with a neutral flavour that makes it ideal for blending.

ETHIOPIA
Coffee still grows spontaneously in Ethiopia, where it is harvested by the local community and
dried in the sun. This variety, called Djimmah, has a spicy, slightly piquant flavour. Harrar or
Ethiopian Moka is one of the rarer varieties.
Similar to real Moka, this coffee yields a dark red beverage with a full, strong and winy taste.

KENYA
Kenyan coffees are known for being full-bodied and slightly acidic; Kenya AA is the best variety.

TANZANIA
Tanzanian coffee is drunk pure and black, never blended. Winy, acidulous and sweet, the most
prized Arabica are the Kilimanjaro and Plantation Buboka. An exceptional rarity are the round
coffee beans.

YEMEN
Moka, a classic coffee, comes exclusively from Yemen. Though the bean is irregular and
unattractive, it yields a remarkable juice that is spicy, bitter/sweet and full-bodied.

ASIA AND HAWAII
The largest producer of coffee in Asia is India, which grows both Arabica and Robusta.
Java, Sumatra and the Hawaiian islands were amongst the first international producers.

JAVA
Java is considered one of the most delicate and refined Arabica beans in the world.
The finest is full-bodied, with low acidity and a spicy aroma.

HAWAII
All coffee types grown are excellent, with a full- bodied sweet flavour, never syrupy.
The Kona coffee plants are cultivated on the slopes of the Manua Loa volcano.

INDIA
The English are the biggest customers of Indian coffee, the most common variety of which is
Mysore, dark, full-bodied and acidulous.

SUMATRA
Rich, sweet and moderately acidic, Mandheling is the most prized of Sumatran coffee beans.

Harvesting Methods

Picking: the natural way of harvesting
Manual procedure by which only ripe fruit are picked. This method is characterised by:

• slowness
• high quality of the product obtained
• evenness of the harvest
• high costs

Stripping: the quick harvest
Procedure that can be performed by hand or machine, stripping the plant of fruit and leaves.
Its main characteristics are:

• speed
• damage to plants
• unevenness of the harvest
• low costs

SEPARATING THE BEAN FROM THE PULP AND LEAVES
Coffee can be processed in various ways.

THE "WASHED" BEANS METHOD
This method is a water-based treatment after picking.

The beans are processed through the following stages:

• cleaning
• depulping (mechanical separation of the pulp and bean by rollers)
• fermentation (with water to remove mucilage - 12/24 hours )
• washing (120 l/kg)
• sun drying for 9 - 10 days or in dryer
• hulling and glazing
• grading (large / medium / small / caracolito)

The method is:

• time-consuming
• costly
• technically complex

but ensures a high-quality coffee - even, aromatic and clean-tasting.

The process determines the final colour of the bean:

• Coffea Arabica becomes greenish-blue
• Coffea Robusta becomes yellowish-green

THE "NATURAL" DRY (UNWASHED) BEANS METHOD
This method is a dry treatment after stripping.

The beans are processed through the following stages:

• cleaning and washing (separation from leaves, wood chips, gravel or soil)
• drying (sun dried or in dryers -1-3 days at 45-60° C)
• hulling (separation skin/parchment from the bean)
• grading (large / medium / small/ caracolito)

This method is:

• rapid
• economical
• technically simple
• more ecological

though the sugar content is higher.

The process determines the final colour of the bean:

• Coffea Arabica is greenish
• Coffea Robusta tends towards
  

Bean Characteristics

Coffee plants grow in numerous geographical areas; for this reason, the oils and fats that
determine the bean aroma varying according to temperature, the degree of humidity and the earth.

CARIBBEAN AND CENTRAL AMERICA
Caffee Arabica is the predominant type cultivated by the washed method.
The beans are:

• acidulous
• light-bodied
• highly aromatic

Countries: Porto Rico, Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Santo Domingo, Costa Rica, Guatemala,
Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Salvador, Nicaragua.

SOUTH AMERICA
Mainly washed and natural Arabica.
The beans are:

• acidulous
• light-bodied
• highly aromatic

Countries: Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Bolivia.

Natural Arabica is grown in Brazil only.
The beans are:

• from neutral to mild, depending on origin and coffee type
• medium-bodied
• balanced

ASIA
Heavy concentration of washed Robusta.
The beans are:

• strong
• full-bodied
• chocolaty

Countries: Java, India, Indonesia, N. Guinea

Washed Robusta is also quite common.
The beans are:

• strong
• full-bodied
• woody

Countries: India, Indonesia and Vietnam

A small amount of Natural Arabica is also cultivated.
The beans are:

• from neutral to mild, depending on origin and coffee type
• medium-bodied
• balanced

Coffea Arabica is grown in India only.

AFRICA
Washed Arabica
The beans are:

• acidulous
• light-bodied
• very aromatic

Countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi and Zimbabwe

Natural Arabica is also grown in Ethiopia.
The beans are:

• from neutral to mild, depending on origin and coffee type
• medium-bodied
• balanced

Natural Robusta is typically:

• strong
• full-bodied
• woody

Countries: Uganda, Cameroon, Congo, Togo and the Ivory Coast

Production Methods

Coffea Arabica makes up 70% of world coffee production, geographically distributed as follows:

• 20% South America (excluding Brazil)
• 34% Brazil (Natural)
• 30% Central America
• 10% Africa
• 6% Asia

Coffea Robusta accounts for 30% of world production, geographically distributed as follows:

• 32% Africa
• 55% Asia
• 13% Brazil

Storage Methods

Green coffee beans are usually packed in 60 or 69 kg sacks, depending on the country of
production. Each sack can be stored for approximately one year at a maximum temperature
of 35 °C and residual humidity of 75%. Coffee sacks are normally transported to destination by sea.
The main coffee ports are: New Orleans, Le Havre, Hamburg, Antwerp, Bremen, Genoa and Trieste.

Checking And Selection

The type of coffee bean selected depends on the characteristics required of the roasted product.
With a high-quality product, coffee roasters can personally inspect each lot and eliminate defective
or excessively large or small beans, as well as foreign matter, by means of optic or UV sorting
equipment. The coffee roaster can then combine different coffee bean types to obtain a blend that guarantees a flavoursome, aromatic cup of espresso. A skilled, experienced roaster is able to select:

• the blend (percentages of bean species of different origins)
• the degree of roasting (light roast, medium or full)
• the roasting time required (slow, medium or rapid)

Decaffeination

The decaffeination process dates back to 1905, when Ludwig Roselius developed a process
that separated the caffeine from coffee beans. Decaffeinated coffee is as flavoursome as espresso
coffee, while being healthier.
The alkaloid caffeine can in excessive quantities have an adverse effect on certain people.
The decaffeination process is totally ecological thanks to the use of natural solvents that have
no negative impact on consumer health.

Four procedures have been developed to date to extract caffeine, a soluble substance, from raw coffee:

• ETHYL ACETATE: raw coffee beans are washed in ethyl acetate, a natural solvent.
• WATER: method based on use of column- type extractors in which coffee beans are treated
  with a water solution saturated with soluble caffeine-free coffee extract.
• METHYLENE CHLORIDE: raw coffee beans are washed with dichloromethane, a chemical
  solvent that evaporates naturally at temperatures higher than 40 °C.
• CARBON DIOXIDE: method consisting in washing coffee beans with pressurised carbon
  dioxide (liquid gas) / P = 250 bar, that dissolves the caffeine.

Current regulations specify that decaffeinated coffee must have less than 0.1 % caffeine.
The regulations also establish the volume of solvent residues present in products decaffeinated
using methylene chloride. Extracted caffeine is used by the chemical, pharmaceutical
and food industries.

Bean Roasters

There are two types of coffee roasting machines:

ROTATING DRUM
This type has an operating principle based on:

• conduction convection
• roasting by direct contact with the drum walls, heated by flame with hot air flow.

Roasting time varies between 8 and 15 minutes.
FLUID BED
This type has an operating principle based on:

• convection
• hot air flow, allowing more even roasting
• temperature adjustment and accurate timing

Roasting time varies between 8 and 15 minutes.

The fluid bed requires a continuous cycle and greater production quantities, determined
by the achievement of a standard quality.

CHANGES CAUSED BY ROASTING
The heat used in roasting causes the coffee beans to undergo a veritable transformation:

• reduction in moisture (from 12 - 8% to 5 - 1 %)
• reduction in weight (by 15 - 20% due to water evaporation)
• increase in volume (by 30 - 60% due to formation of carbon dioxide)
• colour change (beans become darker) modification in content (+ 12/16% fats,
  -10% sugars, - 3% acids)
• development of aromas

These changes are gradual and are determined by the increase in the roasting temperature.

• 50 °C: internal modification of tissues commences
• 60 °C: evaporation process commences
• 100 °C: first colour changes come about
• Between 150 and 180 °C: light roast stage
• Between 200 and 230 °C: optimal degree of roasting
• Between 215 and 220 °C: light roasting (more acidic and less bitter)
• Between 220 and 225 °C: medium roasting stage
• Between 225 and 230 °C: dark roasting (more bitter and less acidic)

Cooling

Following roasting, the coffee beans are rapidly cooled to ensure internal condensation
of aromatic substances.

There are two cooling methods:

AIR COOLING

• cold air flow, rapid cooling
• causes loss of some aromas
• generates fumes
• prevents emission of carbon dioxide, causing subsequent difficulties during packaging

WATER COOLING

• squirts fine spray in precise quantities
• causes reduction of some aromas by opening coffee bean pores
• increases coffee bean weight, moisture and volume if incorrectly dosed

Packaging and storing roasted beans

The storage conditions of roasted coffee must ensure hygiene and prevent contamination of
the product by volatile substances, such as oxygen (which can cause oxidisation) and moisture
(which can increase the growth of mould).

Highly-professional companies of renowned traditions such as Saquella do not package coffee immediately after roasting, preferring to let the roasted beans settle and mature in silos.

This process ensures the development of fats and oils - which determine the aromatic base and
full flavour of coffee - as well as the aroma and consistency typical of real Italian espresso.

COFFEE	HOW	STORAGE PERIOD
ROASTED	In Atmospheric ambient In cloth bags without one-way valve	Between 10 and 15 days (depending on blend).
BEANS OR GROUND	With one-way valve In cloth bags fitted with one-way valve to allow releases all gases and aroma during degassing, and to prevent entry of air. Vacuum In cloth bags of cans, vacuum packed and sealed.	Max 2 years Max 2 years
IN BEANS	With inert gas (nitrogen, carbon dioxide) to replace air. Pressurization (max 2,2 atm.) In cans, replacing air with inert gas (nitrogen)	Max 2 years Max 2 years