Trees begin producing and 3 years and produce for 40 years. Coffee is usually picked by hand. Most coffees sold in U.S. are light and medium-roasted. Instant coffee - ground beans are brewed under pressure, high temperature basically ruins coffee flavor. Freeze drying is one method of producing instant from liquid.
Decaffeinated coffee is produced by three different methods.
Caffeine is removed from solvent with water and crystallized. Steam extraction - recent, secret procedure. Sweet hot choclate became very popular in Europe in 17th century. Spanish, then Dutch, then Germans became involved in establishment of cacao plantations. Africa is now world's largest producer.