Most of the coffee beans that are used to make many of the commercial flavours are from the seed or bean of the Coffea arabica (Arabica coffee) or Coffea canephora (Robusta coffee). The Arabica coffee bean is used in most of the expensive coffee brands while the Robusta coffee is used mainly in instant coffees as a filler.

When the coffee beans are ripe they turn a deep red colour with the fruit surrounded by a membrane and outer skin. Before the coffee roasting can be done the coffee beans need to be prepared by using the following methods.

The skin and pulp needs to be removed from the beans ideally just after the coffee beans are harvested. This process is easily done using a bucket of water and a piece of wood. Use the wood to carefully tramp down the coffee beans and force the seed out of the skin. The skin and pulp can then be poured off with the seeds staying at the bottom of the bucket.

Once the skins and pulp has been removed the coffee beans need to go through a fermentation process which removes the insoluble layer of the bean that is just under the skin. This can be done by soaking the beans in natural enzyme and can take any thing from 24 to 48 hours to work. When the beans are ready they should be washed throughly.

The next part of the process involves drying the beans either using the sun or drying racks in equipment such as electric heating elements. Once the beans are dried the parchment or thin layer around the bean needs to be removed before roasting.

The Roasting of the coffee beans is the most important part of the process as the beans go through several changes during the roasting. Roasting the coffee beans reduces the moisture content, increases the size of the bean, changes the colour and caramelises the sugars to develop the coffee aroma and flavour. Coffee beans can easily be roasted on a large tray in the oven. Once the coffee beans have been roasted they will increase in size and develop a brown to brown / black colour depending on how long the beans are roasted for.

The extent at which you roast the coffee beans depends on what flavours you wish from the beans. Light roasts have a weaker flavour than dark roasts but over roasting can give the coffee a burnt flavour. This process can be a bit trial and error but is worth the trouble for the perfect cup of coffee. Once the coffee beans have been roasted they can be ground and brewed according to taste.