Although coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world, many people don't know too much about where it comes from or the process that is required to extract coffee beans from their natural form. Coffee trees grow all throughout the world, but particularly within warm or tropical climates, including areas of the rainforest. These trees produce fruit, known as the coffee cherries. Inside the cherries, which are sweet and rather pulpy inside, there are seeds or beans that we know as the beans from which coffee comes. 

There are two of these green coffee beans in each cherry, and two different ways of extracting the beans from the fruit. The way in which the beans are extracted is one of the first differences to keep in mind when looking at the various types of coffee on the market, because this first step of processing will yield different flavours. The wet method of harvesting soaks away the cherry's interior and the skin, taking a minimum of 24 hours to produce results. For deeper flavours, many people prefer the dry method of harvesting these beans, by hand or with machinery.

 

After the coffee beans are harvested, they then must be roasted to the deep brown colour that we are accustomed to seeing in coffee shops and cafes at home. This produces the deep, complex flavours and appealing smell that we associate with freshly brewed coffee. It's possible to roast the beans at home, so if you have the means to do this you could purchase the beans while they are still in their green, raw state. However, most people prefer the convenience of purchasing fresh roasted beans, available in supermarkets and specialty shops alike. When trying to choose the best type of beans for your coffee drinking tastes, there are a number of factors to take into consideration.

This can be a confusing process that is highly dependent on the individual taste that you have. Some people prefer a bitter coffee, while others prefer a mellow, slow-roasted flavour. The best way to start is to read the description of the various coffee beans, which should give you some hints as to what the final flavour may be. This is similar to comparing different varieties of wine or chocolate that can vary and have different levels or notes to them. In the end, the best way to compare different beans is through tasting them firsthand, so it's always a good idea to experiment.