There are many different species of coffee plants and these are now grown across Africa, S. E. Asia and South America. Coffee beans from different countries, and from different species of plant, result in different flavors. It is an important export crop, and the number one agricultural export for twelve countries. However it is the roasting which adds most of the value and this is done mostly in the developed world. Coffee is a major commodity traded on exchanges including London and New York.

The beans are first fermented. This removes some outer layers which are not wanted. If decaffeinated coffee is wanted, the caffeine is removed at this stage. Next it is roasted at more than 200 degrees Centigrade. The coffee beans can either be sold as whole beans to be ground by the user, or ground first. Different grades of grind can be used for different types of coffee or different preparation methods.

Coffee comes in a variety of different types including espresso, Americano which is an espresso diluted by hot water, latte which has milk added, cappuccino which has both steam and milk added, or the macchiato which has foamed milk on top.

The very first coffee making machines were introduced around the mid 19th Century and used a vacuum process. Percolators, which use gravity or pressure to pass the water through the ground coffee, were introduced later. Other types of coffee makers use steam or hot water passing through the coffee grounds.

The French press makes coffee and filters out the ground particles after it has brewed for a few minutes. This machine can also be called a cafetire or a coffee plunger and requires a more coarsely-ground coffee.

Learn more about coffee and coffee machines. Stop by Thomas Goldman’s site where you can find out all about coffee and coffee machines and how to choose the perfect ones for your own use.