Have you ever wondered what the life a coffee bean is like or how the coffee bean gets from where it was grown to your coffee cup?  The process of getting the coffee bean from the ground to your cup is more simple than you might think and happens in just a few simple steps.  Those steps are very straightforward and similar to that of any other vegetable, fruit, or any other product you can think of.  This article will give you a brief overview of how the coffee bean goes from start to finish, finish being your coffee cup.

Before the coffee bean even can exist, the coffee tree has to be planted and grown to the proper, mature height and age.  At that point the tree will being to grow fruit called the coffee cherry.  The coffee cherry contains a seed or pit, which is what we know as the coffee bean.  There are many types of coffee trees around the world that produce a number of distinct coffee bean tastes so depending on where the coffee tree is grown, it could have a different flavor from other trees.

In order to get the best coffee beans, they must be hand picked which takes a really long time and must be done at different times of the year because the cherries on the coffee tree can blossom at random times of the year.  Once the beans are picked, they are roasted at varying temperatures and roasting times since every coffee bean is different and may require more or less roasting time.  When the roasting process is complete, the beans are then packaged and prepared for shipping to those who have purchased the beans for resale.  After they have been shipped to their destination, the coffee beans are either packaged for whole been sale, meaning they are not ground up into coffee grounds, or they are ground up and package for sale as coffee grounds.  Both types have their advantages and disadvantages.  Coffee grounds typically are a little more expensive because all of the hard work has already been done for you since they are already ground up.  Whole coffee beans can be a little less expensive because they  still need to be ground into coffee grounds, which means that the supplier saves on cost since they are not responsible for this process.

One the coffee beans have reached their destination, the are ready to sold, and that's where you come in.  You can either purchase the whole beans and grind them yourself when you get them home, or you can buy the pre-ground coffee which does not require any grinding on your part.  Once you have coffee grounds, you simply fire up your coffee maker and you have fresh coffee in your very own home.  

The next time you're drinking a nice hot cup of coffee, you'll know just how that coffee came to be and the process of how it got from the tree to your cup in just a few simple steps.