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What is Coffee?
Most people enjoy a hot, fresh cup of coffee without knowing the history and processes involved. Coffee is a member of the Rubiacea family and the word is derived from the Latin genus Coffea. There are around 30 major species of coffee plants, shrubs and trees that are grown worldwide.

The coffees we purchase are from the finest coffea Arabica and robusta plant species. The plants are extremely sensitive to fluctuations in climate where the best crops are achieved when temperatures are between 59 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The coffee plants also require plenty of water, and excel in climates that receive over 55 inches of rain each year.

An Arabica coffee tree takes between three to five years to fully mature when it will begin to produce fruit and continue producing beans for the next 25 – 30 years. The unripe fruit is a perfect green colour changing to deep red within six to eight months, when it is then ready for harvesting. The bean that is used to produce the coffee is embedded within the fruit and is extracted through a series of drying, hulling, polishing and sorting before the roasting process begins.



The beans are roasted at around 500 degrees Fahrenheit, continually moving for even roasting to prevent burning. When cooked to the required colour the beans are sprayed with cold water to stop the roasting process immediately. They are placed in a cooling tray and then in drums to "gas off" for nine – twelve hours. Before they are packed all our coffees are nitrogen flushed removing oxygen in order to stop the coffee from going stale.