Coffee History
Coffee History : Coffee Trees : Coffee Picking : Arabica Definition : Sparkling Water Method

According to the legend, coffee was discovered in Ethiopia, where it grew wild. Some shepherds discovered that their flocks didn't sleep during the night after eating coffee.

During the XIV century some coffee trees were transplanted to Arabia. They named it Kaweh. Before using it as a drink it was served as food, wine and medicine.

By 1500 it was already in Turkey and then in Italy. In 1720 Gabriel Mathieu de Chieu, a French Marine Official, brought to Martinica three coffee trees from Paris. Only one of these trees survived the trip. From this surviving tree, coffee growing started in the New World.

Sixteen years later, in 1736, coffee was brought to Puerto Rico. By 1758 it was Puerto Rico's most important exportation. Puerto Rico's coffee became popular through the whole world for its smooth taste and its aroma.

Coffee Trees
Coffee History : Coffee Trees : Coffee Picking : Arabica Definition : Sparkling Water Method

The Cafeto is a bush of a pyramidal form with very shiny green leaves which grows around 8 to 10 feet. Coffee growers prune them when they get 10 feet tall. The flowers of the coffee tree are white and have a very enjoyable aroma very similar as the jasmine flower. Coffee grains begin to appear when it matures from a green to a yellow then to a red.

The average tree produces 1 1/2 pounds of grains a year which in turns makes a pound of roasted coffee. After being planted for five years the tree gives it's first crop and it reproduces it by disseminating.

Coffee Picking
Coffee History : Coffee Trees : Coffee Picking : Arabica Definition : Sparkling Water Method

Tropical zones are the most favorable conditions for coffee cultivation. The ideal conditions are a hot and warm climate. Coffee is picked in October after the plant has flowered.

• The coffee pickers pick mature coffee cherries. The process of picking the mature cherries is called "EL RIPIAO" which is a very slow and delicate process. It is very slow and delicate because the pickers have to be careful of not mixing the mature cherries with the green ones. The cherries are then washed after being picked and a special measurement used for this is called the "Almud".

• Coffee grains are then put through a funnel which takes the grains to the tanks which separates the green, mature and spoiled cherries through a hydraulic system. Also through this process any branches or leaves remaining from the pickup are removed.

• Through the same hydraulic system the cherries are then separated from their pulp. This machine removes the shell from the grain and also removes the pulp. Each grain has 2 beans or coffee grains, each one is covered with a thin layer called "mucilago". The grain is bland and of a yellow cream color. In some haciendas (farms) the same machinery existed but it was operated manually.

• Coffee grains spontaneously ferment between 12 and 24 hours. Fermentation takes place in a special holding tank. During fermentation the grain generates enough heat to remove the thin layer which covers it ("mucilago"). Remains are then left in water until the next day.

• After this process takes place, the grains are dried. The grains are dried on the glacis which is a very big spacious space made of cement. The grains are then dried and cured for a couple of days on the glacis. This process can also be done in the "biombos", which are tanks where coffee is introduced and dried using hot air.

• Finally the remaining second shell from the dried grain is removed. This process is called "pilar el café". This process can also be done in tanks which blow away through air pressure the remaining shell the coffee grains are then packed and sold to buyers all over the world.

What does 100% Arabica coffee means?
Coffee History : Coffee Trees : Coffee Picking : Arabica Definition : Sparkling Water Method

Café Rico Decaff y Café Rico 50%/50% are exclusively elaborated using premium quality Arabica beans. Arabica coffee beans are considered the richest in flavor among the other five coffee bushes. The premium quality certification assures that these Arabica coffee beans undergo a rigorous quality assurance process.

What is the Sparkling Water method?
Coffee History : Coffee Trees : Coffee Picking : Arabica Definition : Sparkling Water Method

This method uses two natural elements, pure water and carbon dioxide ( together they make "Sparkling Water") to extract caffeine from the coffee grains. This method was discovered by Kurt Zosel, a well named scientific, of the prestigious Max Plank Institute.

 Steps for the Sparkling Water Method

• Coffee is mixed with pure water. When the coffee absorbs the water the grains expand, their pores get opened and the caffeine molecules become mobile.

• At this point we add carbon dioxide ( A 100% Natural Element) at a 100 atmospheres pressure to the pure water. Basically the water and the carbon dioxide are mixed to create the sparkling water.

• The carbon dioxide acts like a magnet and attracts all the caffeine molecules that became movable.

• When the caffeine is captured by the carbon dioxide, this is removed. The carbon dioxide is very selective and it doesn't touch the carbohydrates and proteins of the coffee beans. The carbohydrates and the proteins are the ones that give the coffee the flavor and smell after it is made.

• When the carbon dioxide has finished removing the caffeine, the grains are dried naturally and get prepared to be sent to Café Rico. After it arrives, coffee gets roasted, grinned and packaged.

• Carbon dioxide is then recycled and caffeine is sold for other commercial uses.

After numerous tests, samplings and evaluations, the cupped determined that the "Sparkling Water Method" is superior to other existent alternatives.

You can contact Café Rico at:
info@caferico.com

All information Copyright Café Rico or the respective authors. All rights reserved.