rijo42 Coffee Beans - The Journey
What we refer to as coffee beans are in fact seeds from cherry-like fruits. Coffee trees produce coffee cherries that begin yellow in colour, they then turn orange and finally to bright red when they are ripe and ready for picking. rijo42 coffee cherries are 1600m above sea level, there is less Oxygen at this high altitude ensuring slower plant growth, revealing the full characteristics of the coffee cherry, resulting in the best coffee flavour.
Coffee is usually picked by hand which is done in one of two ways. Coffee cherries can all be stripped off the branch at once or one by one using the method of selective picking which ensures only the ripest cherries are picked. rijo42 gourmet coffee beans are picked using the selective picking process ensuring only the best coffee beans reach your cup.
Immediately after picking our coffee cherries must be processed. rijo42 coffee cherries are processed with what is referred to as the ‘wet process’.
Under the wet process, the pulp of the coffee cherry is removed from the beans within 24 hours of harvesting the coffee. A pulping machine is used to wash away the outer skin and pulp; beans are then transferred to fermentation tanks where they can stay for anywhere up to two days. Naturally occurring enzymes loosen the sticky parenchyma from the beans that are then dried either by sunlight.
The dried coffee beans or ‘green coffee’ then undergo another process called hulling which removes all of the layers. Coffee beans are then transferred to a conveyor belt and graded in terms of size and density. Once graded, the beans are ready for roasting.
The coffee roasting process transforms the chemical and physical properties of green coffee beans and is where the flavour of the coffee is fulfilled.
Green coffee beans are heated using large rotating drums with temperatures of around 288°C. The rotating movement of the drums prevents beans from burning. The green coffee beans turn yellow at first and are described as having the aroma an aroma similar to popcorn.
The beans ‘pop’ and double in size after around 8 minutes that indicates they have reached a temperature of 204°C, they then begin to turn brown due to coffee essence (inner oils) emerging. Pyrolysis is the name for the chemical reaction that produces the flavour and aroma of coffee as a result of the heat and coffee essence combining. Anywhere between 3 and 5 minutes later a second ‘pop’ occurs indicative of the coffee being fully roasted.
Coffee roasting is an art form within itself, coffee roasters use their senses of smell, sight and sound to ascertain when coffee beans are roasted perfectly. Timing is fundamental in the coffee roasting process as this affects the flavour and colour of the resulting roast.
All rijo42 coffee beans are packed immediately after roasting using Nitrogen to ensure maximum freshness, coffee bags are also fitted with pressure release valves. They are then packed into boxes, palletised and dispatched from our roasting house in Spain to rijo42 HQ.
rijo42 have two signature coffee blends:
rijo42 ‘Red’ - A blend of premium 100% Arabica coffee beans from Brazil, Nicaragua, Mexico, Guatemala and Ethiopia. Our Arabica beans are roasted individually to bring out the best of each bean prior to blending. This naturally low in caffeine blend obtains an intense cup with full body and fruity notes, perfect for espresso and milk based drinks alike.
rijo42 ‘Black’ - A blend of 70% Arabica and 30% Robusta coffee beans from Brazil, Nicaragua, Mexico, Guatemala & India. A well balanced coffee producing a sweet creamy espresso, rijo42 Black combines berry acidity with cherry sweetness and is completed with a rich spicy body.