Coffee begins as a blossom, and when the flower dries up, the fruit begins to form. This fruit is called a coffee cherry. Once picked, these cherries are sorted to remove any defective ones. Green coffee beans are then separated from the rest of the cherry. One of two methods may be used here, the dry method or the wet method. Robustas are generally processed by the dry method, whereas Arabicas are processed using either method.

The dry method simply consists of drying the coffee cherries in the sun until the outer husk is dry and crispy. Then, the inner two coffee beans can be separated from the cherry by mechanical means. Coffee growing areas that do not have easy access to water use this method.

The wet method is preferred for high quality coffees with good acidity. The ripe coffee cherries are immersed in large tanks of water. The beans are then separated from the pulp either by hand or mechanical means. When the coffee beans, now called parchment, have been recovered, they are dried.

The final step is to remove the parchment layer from the green coffee by mechanical means. From here the dried green beans are sorted into a number of different grades according to their quality. The coffee then will be bagged and shipped.

Coffee must be tasted in a long and involved process. Expert cuppers check the products to determine flavor quality. They start by roasting a small batch of beans in a gas or electric sample roaster.

Roasting develops the flavor in the coffee bean. Each variety will taste differently upon roasting. The right combination of the different varieties is selected to achieve the best-tasting coffees.

Cuppers evaluate the appearance of the green coffee and the roasted whole bean, then test the roasted ground coffee by smelling the aroma. Then the coffee is tasted. Expert tasters need to swallow only a trace amount of coffee in order to get a full flavor experience.