Coffee Processing

Harvesting
Did you know it takes 2,000 coffee cherries to produce one pound of coffee? Coffee trees can take as long as five years to begin yielding harvestable fruit and special care is needed each step along the way. So you can see why it’s such a desirable commodity. After three or four years, coffee trees bear fruit in lines or clusters along the branches of the trees. Referred to as a berry or cherry, this fruit turns red when it is ready to be harvested. Coffee beans are actually the seeds of these ripened cherries. Once picked, ripe coffee cherries must be processed within 24 hours to preserve their highest quality and avoid spoilage.

Roasting
It takes a blend of coffee beans to achieve the complexity necessary for great coffee. Many blends will contain three to seven different types of beans to develop the desired flavor profile. After the right blend of quality beans are obtained, the most important phase of the production of coffee begins: blending and roasting. It’s the process of roasting that yields the majority of the sensory attributes that we associate with coffee. It is during roasting that the sugars and other carbohydrates transform to develop the flavor and aroma characteristics.

Lighter roasts typically produce a sharper, more lively taste than do darker roasts. Darker roasts, in contrast, have a fuller flavor, approaching a bittersweet tang. That’s why we offer NESCAFÉ® TASTER'S CHOICE® Original Blend, a masterful blend of the choicest beans for a milder, yet full-bodied taste, and NESCAFÉ TASTER'S CHOICE Gourmet Roast, a premium blend of beans darkly roasted for a rich and sophisticated, full-flavored taste.

NESCAFÉ TASTER’S CHOICE Instant Coffee
What happens to coffee that makes it "instant?" Many people are unaware that instant coffee is prepared the same way as roast and ground coffee, but with an added step at the end of the process. After selecting premium blends of coffee beans and roasting them to perfection, the coffee beans are ground and brewed in what is the equivalent of a huge percolator. The resulting brew is a high quality coffee which then gets freeze dried to preserve and fresh lock the rich roast flavor and aroma of NESCAFÉ TASTER'S CHOICE coffee. Anyone that's enjoyed a great tasting cup of NESCAFÉ TASTER'S CHOICE can tell you that it is as good as a cup of brewed coffee. It's just much quicker and it is made fresh in your cup every time.

How Much Coffee Is Right For You?

Some people can drink coffee all day long. Others are more sensitive to caffeine and should mostly drink decaf. Finding out how much is right for you is the first step to fully enjoying your daily cup.

Who can drink coffee

Coffee is the major source of caffeine in people’s diets, with about 85 mg per cup. Most people feel more awake, alert and are in a better mood with coffee. The average coffee drinker has about 3.4 cups per day on average, according to a recent report by the National Coffee Association.

Experts at the Mayo Clinic define moderate amounts of caffeine as 200 to 300 milligrams, or about two to four cups of brewed coffee per day, which they say is not harmful to most people. However, they warn that some people with caffeine sensitivity might react more strongly than usual to caffeine. For these people, small amounts—even one cup of coffee or tea—may prompt negative effects like anxiety, restlessness and irritability.

If this sounds like you, consider cutting back. According to the National Coffee Association, many people who limit the amount of coffee they drink do so out of concern about their caffeine intake. Fortunately, you can switch to decaf and get the same antioxidants, relaxation and other great-tasting perks that come with a great cup of coffee.

You may also want to cut back on caffeine if you’re suffering from insomnia or are on certain medications and herbal supplements—check with your doctor or pharmacist.

Decaffeination

If you do decide to switch to decaf, experts recommend doing so gradually. Starting out, replace one small cup of regular coffee for decaffeinated coffee per day, and go from there.

It’s also helpful to know that not all coffee is created equal. The International Coffee Association reports that arabica beans, like the ones found in Taster’s Choice, naturally have almost half the caffeine as robusta beans, which are used in many other kinds of coffee.

Be sure you’re aware of all the ways you get caffeine in a day. You may be getting more than you think from other foods, beverages and medications. Read all labels carefully to find out if you’re getting more caffeine than you thought.

Coffee and sleep

You can enjoy coffee and sleep without problems. According to the International Coffee Organization, studies show that the dream phase of sleep is unaffected by coffee.

They report that up to seven cups during a day is not associated with enjoying any less sleep. Results showed that other factors, like age and family issues, were more likely to cause loss of sleep, and there was no difference in caffeine consumption between good and poor sleepers.

Caffeine is completely safe, but let your personal situation be your guide on what to drink. Whether you drink regular or decaf, coffee is a safe and healthy way to relax and enjoy.

Sources

International Coffee Organization. “Caffeine Contents,” http://www.ico.org/caffeine.asp

International Food Information Council. “Questions and Answers About Caffeine and Health,” January 2003. http://www.ific.org/publications/qa/caffqa.cfm

Mayo Clinic. “Caffeine: How much is too much?” www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeine/NU00600

National Coffee Association. “National Coffee Drinking Trends 2006.”