The Coffee Plant

• The coffee plant is a shrub or small tree classified in the genus, Coffea. Seeds of this plant are the source of a stimulating beverage called coffee. The seeds are called "beans" in the trade. Coffee beans are widely cultivated in tropical countries in plantations for both local consumption and export to temperate countries. Coffee bean ranks as one of the world's major commodity crops and is the major export product of some countries. In fact, coffee ranks third only to cocoa and oil in terms of legally-traded products worldwide. 

  Botany 

  When grown in the tropics coffee is a vigorous bush or small tree easily grown to a height of 3–3.5 m (10–12 feet). It is capable of withstanding severe pruning. It cannot be grown where there is a winter frost. Bushes grow best at high elevations. To produce a maximum yield of coffee berries (800-1400 kg per hectare), the plants need substantial amounts of water and fertilizer. 

  There are several species of Coffea that may be grown for the beans, but Coffea arabica is considered to have the best quality. The other species (especially Coffea canephora (robusta)) are grown on land unsuitable for Coffea arabica. The tree produces red or purple fruits (drupes), which contain two seeds (the "coffee beans" or "coffee berries", although not a true bean). In about 5-10% of any crop of coffee cherries, the cherry will contain only a single bean, rather than the two usually found. This is called a 'peaberry' and contains a distinctly different flavor profile to the normal crop, with a higher concentration of the flavors, especially acidity, present due to the smaller sized bean. As such, it is usually removed from the yield and either sold separately (such as in New Guinea Peaberry), or discarded. 

  The coffee tree will grow fruits after 3–5 years, for about 50–60 years. The blossom of the coffee tree is similar to jasmine in color and smell. The fruit takes about nine months to ripen. Worldwide, an estimate of 15 billion coffee trees are growing on 100,000 km² of land. 

  Processing 

  After picking, the coffee beans are pulped (usually using a mechanical pulper) to remove the bulk of the soft flesh, and then the beans are fermented (by one of several means most often wet fermentation in water for 10 to 36 hours), then washed (to remove the last of the sticky mucilage not removed by fermentation) and dried (usually in the sun). This process is time-consuming, expensive and, for most growers, labour-intensive. Coffee at this stage is known as milled beans. 

  Once the raw coffee beans arrive in their destination country, they are roasted at around 200°C. This darkens their color and, depending on the degree of roasting, alters the internal chemistry of the beans and therefore their flavor and aroma. An important aspect to this is the caramelization of the fruit sugars. Then the beans are ground. For consistency of the taste of a single brand, eight or more types of beans are mixed. 

  Problems of maintaining quality during bean production 

  Problems include: 

  • Pests on the bushes
  • Poor pruning regimes
  • Poor fertilizer
  • Bad picking
  • Bad fermentation that produces unpleasant taints in the flavor
  • Dilution of superior tasting beans with cheaper beans 

  The coffee bushes fruit aggressively when conditions permit, and the berries will develop at the expense of the rest of the bush. This consumes sugars in the leaves and can produce die-back (death of leaves and branches). Die-back can be severe and can damage not just the current year's production but the next year's production, which is borne on growth during the current year, leading into a two-year cycle of growth and production. 

  Commercial operators come under a variety of pressures to cut costs and maximize yield. Arguably the best flavors will be produced when the coffee is grown in organic conditions. Some people who grow organically do so primarily to obtain the premium prices organic beans command, an alternative strategy to increase profits. 

  The economics of growing coffee 

  It is very questionable whether small growers can generate a high return on capital growing coffee if they have less than 1.2 ha (3 acres or 12,000 m2) and if they are based in the United States. The retail price of the beans varies between about 1 USD/pound for ripe berries to 9 USD/pound for extra fancy Kona milled beans, and there are many costs including fertilizer, irrigation, labor (e.g. picking and pruning) and land value. Integrated operations that capture much or all of the available revenue (by controlling the whole process from growing to retail) may generate higher returns. 

  It is estimated that 10 million people are working on plantations in the source lands of coffee. A single worker can harvest 50-100 kg of fruits per day, which results in 10-20 kg of raw coffee. Crops from Brazil(30%) and Colombia(10%) comprise 40% of the worldwide coffee production. As of 1998, the world's coffee production equals about 100 million sacks of coffee. 

  Many farmers receive a low price for their coffee because of a global market slump. This has led to coffee being available as a 'fair trade' labeled item in many countries. 

  Hand picked coffee 

  The highest quality coffee is generally hand picked. Normally, coffee growers harvest their coffee with portable vacuum packs, which the pickers wear on their backs and brush over the branches of the coffee bushes. Although it is much more efficient and quick to harvest the coffee with the vacuum packs, coffee beans do not become ripe at the same time, even if they are on the same tree, and thus many unripe beans are sucked away by the vacuum packs. Also, coffee pickers are sure to pick beans only of the highest quality. As a general rule, hand picked coffee is used for drip machines, while vacuum picked coffee is used to make instant coffee and decaffeinated coffee.