Coffee
A familiar cup. A chemistry experiment. A journey across the world.
Coffee begins as a seed inside a fruit. Processing, roasting and brewing turn that seed into the drink in your cup.
Before it was your coffee.
Follow a representative seed-to-cup chain. Farms, processing methods and trading arrangements vary; this is not the provenance of your particular cup.
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Coffee cherry
The fruit holds the seeds we call beans.
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Harvest
Cherries are picked from coffee plants.
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Processing
Fruit is removed and seeds are dried; the order depends on the method.
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Green coffee
Unroasted seeds are prepared for sale.
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Export
Coffee grown for overseas markets enters a trading chain.
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Shipping
Exported coffee may travel by sea before reaching a roaster.
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Roasting
Heat transforms the seed’s chemistry, aroma and colour.
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Grinding
Smaller particles expose more surface to water.
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Brewing
Water extracts soluble compounds from the grounds.
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Your cup
An agricultural seed has become a drink.
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Sources for this exploration
The cup stops. The caffeine continues.
A simplified path through the body. Responses vary; feeling more alert does not replace sleep.
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Sip
You swallow coffee containing caffeine.
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Absorption
Caffeine is absorbed through the digestive tract.
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Circulation
Blood carries the absorbed caffeine.
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Brain
Caffeine can cross the blood–brain barrier.
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Receptors
It blocks adenosine receptors rather than removing adenosine.
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Alertness
This can change feelings of sleepiness and alertness.
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Sources for this exploration
A cup needs a world.
Inspect the dependencies behind an ordinary drink.
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Agriculture
Plants, soil and cultivation supply the seed.
Explore Coffee farm → -
Water
Plants need it; brewing uses it to extract flavour.
Explore Water → -
Energy
Processing, roasting and brewing require energy.
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Shipping
Transport connects producers and buyers.
Explore Shipping → -
Trade
Trading relationships connect a crop to its markets.
Explore Global trade →
Sources for this exploration
Where could this take you next?
Why does coffee keep you awake?
Caffeine interacts with adenosine signalling.
Coffee farm ↗What was your coffee before it was a bean?
It began as a seed inside a fruit.
After a sip ↗What happens after the first sip?
Absorbed caffeine travels beyond the digestive system.
Shipping ↗How can a cup involve an ocean crossing?
Exported coffee can move through maritime supply chains.
Sources & further reading +
Short explanations, grounded in published sources. Follow the originals for depth and context.
- National Coffee Association — Lifecycle of coffee ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- NCBI Bookshelf — Caffeine ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Sources checked: 10 September 2026. Visuals are illustrations, not documentary evidence.
Our approach to sources and corrections