For a tree grown in over 70 countries, from Indonesia to Brazil, it's curious how narrow a range of conditions is required to produce quality 'beans' and how relatively small the total output is.
The fruit that comes from this tree is not what is actually used to make coffee. The beans are found in the middle of the fruit. Really, then, though we call it a bean it is in actuality the seed of the fruit.
There are usually 2 seeds inside each fruit. That is the case with most types of this tree with the exception of the peaberry. The seeds are surrounded by a somewhat slimy white substance which is the meat of the fruit. All this from a tree that can grow to between 20 and 50 feet tall.
In a band around the equator from approximately 25 degrees north or south, comes the overwhelming majority of the world's coffee output. Temperatures of between 60F (15C) and 70F (21C) are best as is rainfall of six inches per month or more.
Loamy, good-draining soil is needed and also helpful is high humidity - plenty of mist and cloud at the high elevations, over 3000 ft (915m) for the good stuff. At these elevations the oxygen content is lower, so the trees take longer to mature.
Some coffee trees are more resilient and less particular than others and this makes the larger producers of coffee. These types, like the canephora or robusta, do not require the high altitudes. Naturally the pickier the tree the better bean it produces. If you want the finest cup of gourmet coffee, like the arabica, you will have to go to the high altitudes.
Diffuse light and moderate winds are helpful, both of which are sometimes produced by deliberately growing in the shelter and shade. By contrast, wine grapes like hot sun and lots of it.
The process from reaping from your tree is a long one. From its beginning to the point where the tree will produce fruit is a period of about 5 years. Once it begins to produce you will only get about 2 pounds of coffee from each tree.
Those two pounds equal about 2,000 beans, (correct or not, it's the standard term), usually hand-picked by manual laborers. Manual they may be, but ignorant they are not. Coffee bean harvesting is a skill developed over time, where the picker learns to select good beans and discard the bad. Bean by individual bean. That's only one reason coffee is high priced.
The fruit that comes from this tree is not what is actually used to make coffee. The beans are found in the middle of the fruit. Really, then, though we call it a bean it is in actuality the seed of the fruit.
There are usually 2 seeds inside each fruit. That is the case with most types of this tree with the exception of the peaberry. The seeds are surrounded by a somewhat slimy white substance which is the meat of the fruit. All this from a tree that can grow to between 20 and 50 feet tall.
In a band around the equator from approximately 25 degrees north or south, comes the overwhelming majority of the world's coffee output. Temperatures of between 60F (15C) and 70F (21C) are best as is rainfall of six inches per month or more.
Loamy, good-draining soil is needed and also helpful is high humidity - plenty of mist and cloud at the high elevations, over 3000 ft (915m) for the good stuff. At these elevations the oxygen content is lower, so the trees take longer to mature.
Some coffee trees are more resilient and less particular than others and this makes the larger producers of coffee. These types, like the canephora or robusta, do not require the high altitudes. Naturally the pickier the tree the better bean it produces. If you want the finest cup of gourmet coffee, like the arabica, you will have to go to the high altitudes.
Diffuse light and moderate winds are helpful, both of which are sometimes produced by deliberately growing in the shelter and shade. By contrast, wine grapes like hot sun and lots of it.
The process from reaping from your tree is a long one. From its beginning to the point where the tree will produce fruit is a period of about 5 years. Once it begins to produce you will only get about 2 pounds of coffee from each tree.
Those two pounds equal about 2,000 beans, (correct or not, it's the standard term), usually hand-picked by manual laborers. Manual they may be, but ignorant they are not. Coffee bean harvesting is a skill developed over time, where the picker learns to select good beans and discard the bad. Bean by individual bean. That's only one reason coffee is high priced.
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