The life cycle of a cup of coffee - A.J. Jacobs

翻译人员: Alexis Young 校对人员: Helen Chang

How many people does it take to make a cup of coffee?

煮杯咖啡需要多少人？

For many of us, all it takes is a short walk and a quick pour.

对于许多人来说，只要走一小段路， 然后将咖啡倒杯里。

But this simple staple is the result of a globe-spanning process

但这种简单的大众饮料 經過了跨越全球的歷程，

whose cost and complexity are far greater than you might imagine.

其成本和复杂性远远大于你想象的。

It begins in a place like the remote Colombian town of Pitalito.

它始于如哥伦比亚偏远的 皮塔利托镇这样的地方。

Here, family farms have clear cut local forests to make room

在这里，家庭农场砍伐当地森林，

为整齐的科菲亚树排腾出空间。

for neat rows of Coffea trees.

These shrub-like plants were first domesticated in Ethiopia

这些灌木状植物 最初在埃塞俄比亚驯化，

and are now cultivated throughout equatorial regions.

现在于整个赤道地区种植。

Each shrub is filled with small berries called "coffee cherries."

株灌木都装满了小浆果， 叫做 “咖啡樱桃“。

Since fruits on the same branch can ripen at different times,

由于同一枝上的果实 会在不同的时间成熟，

they’re best picked by hand,

最好以手工采摘

but each farm has its own method for processing the fruit.

但每个农场都有自己的加工法。

In Pitalito, harvesters toil from dawn to dusk at high altitudes,

在皮塔利托，收割工人从黎明到黄昏 在高海拔地区辛勤劳作，

often picking over 25 kilograms per shift for very low wages.

经常每班采摘超过25公斤，

但工资极低。

The workers deliver their picked cherries to the wet mill.

工人们把他们采摘的果实 送到潮湿的磨坊。

This machine separates the seeds from the fruit,

这台机器将种子从果实中分离，

and then sorts them by density.

然后按密度进行分类。

The heaviest, most flavorful seeds sink to the bottom of the mill,

最重，最有味道的种子沉入底部，

where they’re collected and taken to ferment

在那里它们被收集，

并放到一缸水中发酵一两天。

in a tub of water for one or two days.

Then, workers wash off the remaining fruit and put the seeds out to dry.

然后工人洗掉剩下的果肉， 把种子晾干。

Some farms use machines for this process,

一些农场使用机器进行这个过程，

but in Pitalito, seeds are spread onto large mesh racks.

但在皮塔利托， 种子被散置在大网架上。

Over the next three weeks, workers rake the seeds regularly

在接下来的三周里， 工人们定期翻耙种子，

to ensure they dry evenly.

以确保它们均匀干燥。

Once the coffee beans are dry,

干燥后会有卡车将咖啡豆 运到附近的工厂，

a truck takes them to a nearby mill with several specialized machines.

工厂配备了几台专用机器：

An air blower re-sorts the seeds by density,

吹风机按密度进行重新分类，

an assortment of sieves filter them by size,

各种筛子按大小过滤，

and an optical scanner sorts by color.

光学扫描仪按颜色分类。

At this point, professionals called Q-graders select samples

此时，所谓的 Q 级专业人士

会选择豆类样品来烘烤和酿造。

of beans to roast and brew.

In a process called "cupping," they evaluate the coffee’s taste, aroma,

在一个叫做 “杯测” 的过程中， 他们评估咖啡的味道、香气和口感，

and mouthfeel to determine its quality.

以确定咖啡的质量。

These experts give the beans a grade, and get them ready to ship.

这些专家给豆子分级， 让它们准备好发货。

Workers load burlap sacks containing up to 70 kilograms

工人们将装有多达 70 公斤 分级咖]啡豆的粗麻袋

of dried and sorted coffee beans onto steel shipping containers,

入钢制集装箱，

each able to carry up to 21 metric tons of coffee.

每个集装箱最多 可装载 21 公吨咖啡。

From tropical ports, cargo ships crewed by over 25 people

货船载着超过 25 名船员 从热带港口出发，

transport coffee around the world

将咖啡运输到在世界各地。

But no country imports more coffee than the United States,

但进口咖啡最多的国家莫过于美国，

with New York City alone consuming millions of cups every day.

仅纽约市每天就消耗数百万杯。

After the long journey from Colombia to New Jersey,

从哥伦比亚到新泽西的长途旅行后，

our coffee beans pass through customs.

我们的咖啡豆通过海关。

Once dockworkers unload the container,

一旦码头工人卸下集装箱，

a fleet of eighteen-wheelers transport the coffee to a nearby warehouse,

一队十八轮货车将咖啡 运到附近的仓库，

and then to a roastery.

然后运到烘烤厂。

Here the beans go into a roasting machine, stirred by a metallic arm

在这里，豆子进入烘烤机，

由金属手臂搅拌 并以燃烧气体的火加热。

and heated by a gas-powered fire.

Nearby sensors monitor the coffee’s moisture level, chemical stability,

附近的传感器监控咖啡的水分、 化学稳定性和温度，

and temperature, while trained coffee engineers manually adjust these levels

而训练有素的咖啡工程师 在整个 12 分钟的烘烤周期中

throughout the twelve-minute roasting cycle.

会以手动调整。

This process releases oil within the seed,

这个过程让种子内的油释放，

transforming the seeds into grindable, brewable beans

将种子转化为可研磨可冲泡的豆子，

with a dark brown color and rich aroma.

色呈深棕，香气浓郁。

After roasting, workers pack the beans into five-pound bags,

烘烤完后，工人们把豆子 以五磅的袋子分装，

which a fleet of vans deliver to cafes and stores across the city.

再由货车队送到了 全市的咖啡馆和商店。

The coffee is now so close you can smell it,

现在咖啡已经离你很近了， 你几乎闻得到它的香味，

but it needs more help for the final stretch.

但还有最后一关需要帮它一把。

Each coffee company has a head buyer

每家咖啡公司都有一位采购主管，

who carefully selects beans from all over the world.

他精心挑选来自世界各地的咖啡豆，

Logistics teams manage bean delivery routes,

物流团队管理豆子递送路线，

and brave baristas across the city serve this caffeinated elixir

全市勇敢的咖啡师为来去匆匆的顾客

to scores of hurried customers.

提供这种含咖啡因的甘露。

All in all, it takes hundreds of people to get coffee to its intended destination—

总之，咖啡需要数百人 才能送到预定目的地，

and that’s not counting everyone maintaining the infrastructure

这还不包括维护运输基础设施的人。

that makes the journey possible.

Many of these individuals work for low pay in dangerous conditions—

其中许多人在危险的条件下 赚取微薄工资，

and some aren’t paid at all.

有些人根本没有报酬。

So while we might marvel at the global network behind this commodity,

因此，尽管我们惊叹于 这商品背后的全球网络，

let’s make sure we don’t value the final product

我们应确保我们不要将最终产品

more than the people who make it.

比背后辛劳的人们看得更重。