Regions & Beans

Coffee was first discovered in Ethiopia around the 9th Century. It soon traveled to the Middle East, and took strong root in the lives of the Turks. From them, it was traded into Europe, rising in prominence through the 15th Century. By the time of the Boston Tea Party in 1773 it was widely consumed in the New World, and had a vigorous following throughout Europe and the Middle East. For the Americas, it became widely grown and consumed, replacing tea as the beverage of choice. Today, the United States is the largest single importer of coffee.

The coffee plant (coffea Arabica) is an evergreen tree that can grow as tall as 15 feet if not pruned. The fruit of the plant is called the cherry, and is picked when red and ripe. The pulp is stripped away and discarded (often as mulch) and the green beans inside are dried on roofs and patios. The parchment surrounding the beans is removed in milling, and the beans are finally brought to market where they are sized and graded. Leelanau Coffee Roasting uses only the top-graded bean from every country of origin.

Arabica coffee is grown in equatorial mountain ranges of 4-6,000 feet above sea level. The full sun, warm days, and cool nights allow the cherries to slowly absorb the local minerals over nine months, and this gives each region some distinctive flavors. It takes about one coffee tree to produce 1 to 1.5 pounds of roasted coffee, and there are approximately 3,500 beans in a pound of our Lakers Blend.

The growing regions include northern Africa, Indonesia, and Central and South America. The islands of Hawaii and Jamaica are considered the fourth region.

Coffee is generally roasted by country of origin, and then blended with light and dark versions, and other regions, to form blends. At Leelanau Coffee Roasting, all of the regular regional blends are full city roast, with some roasted dark. Our blends are proprietary, bringing out a number of desired taste profiles.

A wonderful coffee table book, packed with information and illustrations, is The World Encyclopedia of Coffee, by Banks, McFadden, and Atkinson. It has gone out of print, but you might be able to find one. We have a copy for your perusal on Mike’s bookshelf.