So how do we really make coffee???

Since until the middle of the 19th century, there was no industrial roasting. A coffee house owner may purchase his supply of raw coffee and roasted the beans himself. Even in modern times, some may prefer to purchase raw coffee beans and do the roasting at home.

In homes...harried coffee drinkers all over the world today are one in this ‘instant’ ritual: flip a cup, toss a teaspoon – a saucer doesn’t matter really, twist the coffee jar lid for some heap of the coffee granules. Pour the boiling water. Sip..and go! That’s about it to go instant – quick and easy.

But there is a lot of thing going before millions of cups of instant coffee a day are prepared. Coffee specialists carry out a lot of research into taste, which is a matter of personal preference – because you want them strong, or somewhat mild?

In the coffeehouses…The knowledge required in making the finest espresso is considered to be a craft, similar to artisan baking. A professional operator of a coffee machine is called a barista. The act of producing a shot of espresso is colloquially termed "pulling" a shot. This process produces a rich, almost syrupy beverage by extracting and emulsifying the oils in the ground coffee.

The ‘Blending-Roasting-Grinding’ thing.
Different coffees are combined while still raw to produce what is referred to as 'blends' – where various coffee varieties are blended together to produce the desired flavor.

(Now you can almost smell this…) Next is the roasting process wherein coffee's characteristic flavor and aroma are developed. The moisture in the beans evaporates, releasing the aromatic oils. The sugars in the beans are ‘caramelised’ giving the coffee beans a distinct flavor and a deep brown color.

There are actually seven general roast categories. You won't see these terms on canisters of supermarket coffee. What you will encounter are an excess of confusing roast terms that aren't at all consistent from one brand to another.

Here is a short description in terms of flavor and color - in increasing order of darkness.

American - barely roasted thus none of the coffee oils come to the surface of the bean; the roast is too light to be very flavorful or rich.

Cinnamon - is roasted the color of cinnamon; there is still no coffee oil on the surface of the bean and the richness and body of darker roasts is still absent.

Medium - approaching a dark roast but there is still no oil on the surface of the bean; a bit heavier and richer than American and Cinnamon roasts.

City or 'Dark' (now don't ask what 'city' implies, these are borrowed terms) - the beans are dark but still not nearly as black as the darker roasts and sheen of oil can be seen on the surface; when brewed this roast produces a full-bodied brew.

Espresso - the beans are getting close to being such a dark brown that they are almost black and have a bright sheen of oil; the flavor is quite mellow

French – the roast is quite dark indeed - the roast most people would call 'dark roasted' - but not yet so dark as to taste burnt; the sheen of oil is quite bright; the brew is full-bodied and the flavor is very mellow.

Full City - the roast is really dark enough to be easily mistaken for black; the oils on the surface of the bean are allowed to burn off; the result is a very strong bitter flavored coffee and is intended to be drunk black.