All you need to know about coffee

An unusual characteristic of coffea is that it's productive cycle is strictly linked to the rain pattern where it grows. The plant blooms after every intense rain that follows a dry period. Coffeas small white flowers are intensely perfumed. They wither after about a week and then the plant begins a new adventure, starting the process of fructification. The fruit of the coffee plant looks much like a cherry as it ripens its color changes from green to bright red or yellow. Each fruit contains two seeds, the coffee beans. Beneath the skin surrounded by the pulp there is a sugary layer called the mucilage. The seeds are then protected by a thick whitish membrane called the parchment and a second tight-fitting silvery membrane called the silver skin. Beneath this we find our beans.

After selection coffee is stored in jute or polypropylene sacks. These come in different sizes but generally weigh 50 kilos. It is kept in warehouses ready to be loaded into containers on cargo ships. During this stage it is very important to protect the coffee from humidity, light and odors that could compromise the quality. Finally, the coffee is ready to set off on the long journey that will take it all over the globe.

Batches a coffee selected for their quality arrive in Trieste.
After these selection stages, the coffee beans can be blended. Blending coffee of different origins serves to create a perfectly balanced and consistent taste. This is exactly how the blend is created using nine carefully selected Arabica's. These are combined by constantly adjusting the quantities. The blend is mixed before it is roasted. This is the only way that it is possible to obtain a consistent result. Coffee experiences its most radical transformations inside the roasting machine. Here its chemical composition and appearance change forever and the beans acquire their final aromatic characteristics. The color changes from green to dark browns and the bean becomes very brittle.

While the volume increases by as much as 60% and the weight decreases by 18-20 % the ideal roasting process is gradual and uniform. It allows the beans to develop a huge number of substances that give coffee its aroma. The green beans contain around 300 composites but after roasting they contain mealy 1,000.

Once roasted coffee quickly loses its aroma. Particularly, if it has been ground but there is a special way of preserving it. This is pressurization. Which means packing coffee using an inert gas.

This was an intuition by the founder of Illy coffee and that was over 80 years ago. He decided to inject nitrogen which is an inert gas to the coffee packed in solid steel cans in order to protect the coffee from contact with oxygen in the air. Now oxygen is vital for us to breathe, but it is coffees worst enemy. Because it causes it to deteriorate very quickly. Surprisingly, Francesco Illy discovered that the pressure which develops over the weeks does not just protect the coffee but actually improves the aroma just like a seasoning process.

When the right quantity of hot water at just the right temperature and pressure is forced through finely ground carefully pressed coffee, the result is a perfect espresso. Perfect preparation depends on the correct balance between extraction time and the volume of coffee in the cup. 30 seconds per 25 milliliters of espresso, excellence then depends on other critical factors such as the amount of pressure, temperature, dosage. Here are the numbers for a perfect cup of espresso: 7 grams of coffee, 92 degrees Celsius water temperature for preparation. 30 seconds extraction including five from pre-infusion. 9 bar water pressure, 25 milliliters volume in the cup.

What enables water to flow through a panel of coffee in 30 seconds to produce exactly 25 milliliters of espresso? First and foremost, the grind. The coffee powder must have the right granulometry, that is the correct distribution of small and large particles in order to adequately resist the pressure of the water flowing through it. Extracting the best aromas and substances from the coffee as it does so. The coffee must be tamping down correctly so that the layer of coffee in the filter holder has the right density to allow the extraction of a perfect espresso.

The barista does this with a tool called a tamper, using a circular motion and applying about 20 kilograms of pressure. Water heated in the machine's boiler flows through the coffee to create espresso at a temperature of 92 degrees Celsius. A higher temperature would burn the ground coffee and produce a bitter taste. Espresso reaches the cup at about 65 degrees Celsius and it's ready to be tasted. The correct temperature is an important part of the pleasure of espresso. So the cup it is served in should always be kept warm. the name says it all. espresso is created quickly and should be consumed quickly too.

The perfect espresso engages all five senses and each sense plays its part in recognizing a perfectly prepared cup of espresso. This is why tasting is an experience that engages us so completely. We can discover a lot about the espresso we are about to drink by looking at the crema on the surface. In technical terms, this is a foam and is created when the carbon dioxide that has developed during roasting is released. The carbon dioxide forms bubbles and creates emotion with the fat contained in the coffee, which then rises to the surface.

When espresso is perfectly prepared, the crema should be hazelnut colored tending towards dark brown, with delicate brown or reddish tiger stripes. The crema should be two to five-millimeter-thick, made of tight densely packed almost invisible air bubbles. And should last at least two minutes. The crema is like the lid of a precious treasure chest protecting the aromas contained in the cup.

According to the legend it was an Ethiopian shepherd who first discovered the properties of coffee many centuries ago. In the hands of the best baristas it has now conquered the world. Myths and legends are always fascinating. They are part of the poetry of peoples around the world. But I prefer to base myself on documentary sources. The oldest known work is by the monk Fausto Narroness, who wrote this Aluberima Poticione in 1671, making it the first treatise dedicated to coffee. This is where we find the story of a goatherd, called Shadley, who some say was from Ethiopia or maybe from Yemen and who was struck by the agitation of his herd of goats.

However, there is the story in the original Latin and that version talks about camels. Finding the animals, grazing on a bush filled with shiny red cherries, the shepherd realizes the stimulating effect must be caused by the fruit. He even set off on a journey to bring the mysterious fruit to a monk. The monk took one look at the cherries and declared them the work of the devil. Throwing them into the fire where they released their unique contenting aroma. Probably, when those very beans were ground and soaked in a bowl of hot water the first cup of coffee in the world was created. It is said that this dark bitter drink enabled the monks to fight off sleep on their long nights of prayer and that the beans came to be seen as a true gift from God.

The start of the 20th century saw experiments in Europe to find the best techniques to prepare a new kind of coffee. More aromatic full-bodied and quick to make. In keeping with an era that was so in love with speed and modernity. To obtain a drink that was satisfyingly intense, it was necessary to work with pressure. The first espresso machine was presented at the 1884 World's Fair in Turin. Designed by Angelo Moriondo, this was followed by legendary models such as the Bezzera, Pavoni, and the Victoria Arduino. The result was coffee that was bitter, not very intense, with a slightly burnt taste. Very different from what we drink today.

The turning point came in 1935, when Francesco Illy had the inspiration to use an external pump to produce the pressure for his espresso machine. This was the origin of the Illeta, one of the forerunners of contemporary espresso machines. The water used for the preparation never exceeded a hundred degrees Celsius and the result was quite similar to today's espresso. As well as the Illeta, Illy caffe has created or introduced many important innovations in the 80 years since the company was founded. Pressurization to improve the packaging of ground coffee and beans, which actually improved in the can. Single portion pods and the invention of ether espresso capsules to enable impeccable preparation in any context. Espresso may be the most complex drink that we consume.