GROWING BLACK GOLD

Coffee plants are­ evergreen tropical shrubs and small trees, which can survive for about 50 to 70 years. The first flowers appear during the third year, but production is only profitable from the fifth year onwards.

18th century botanists classified coffee as a member of the Rubiaceous family. Of the 60 coffee plant species, only 25 are grown for commercial purposes and only four of them have a prominent position in the trade of coffee beans: Coffea Arabica, Coffea Robusta, Coffea Liberica and Coffea Excelsa.

Of the two main coffee trees - arabicas beget the better beans—and about 70 percent of the harvest. The harsher beans of the hardier robusta tree account for about 30 percent.


Coffee Arabica
(from Ethiopia, known from prehistoric times). Mostly cultivated in Arabia, the most popular is the Moka variety. These are small beans with intense aromatic smell. Of copper green color, its shape is flat and long. Other varieties are the "Tipica", the "Bourbon" diffused in Brazil and the "Maragogype", appreciated for its bigger beans.

The Arabica plants grow in lands endowed with minerals, as the ones of volcanic origin, located over 600 meters high. The ideal climate must be around 20°C. The arabica tree is susceptible to disease, frost, and drought. It requires very careful cultivation with just the right climatic conditions. Because of its delicate nature, it yields only 1 to 1.5 pounds of green coffee per year.

They have a much more refined flavor and contain about 1 percent caffeine by weight. This is the coffee that specialty roasters search for.

Coffee Robusta
(from Congo, discovered in 1898). Robusta also vegetates in the lowland. It is currently much cultivated because, besides the abundance in production and the cheaper equipment cost, it shows a strong resistance to the diseases, vegetating in comfortless conditions. Some varieties are diffused in Indonesia, Uganda, India and in the west side of Africa. The harvest is done throughout the year. It bears more coffee cherries than the arabica plant.

Its round beans are smaller, but richer in caffeine compared to other species. It contains about 2 percent caffeine. Once they are roasted, they are very odorous. This plant is used for the lower grades of coffee that are sold in the market. Although generally not found in gourmet shops, robusta beans are often used in the processing of soluble (instant) coffees and popular commercial blends.

Arabusta is a cross between Coffee Arabica and Robusta.

Coffee Liberica From the forests of Liberia and Ivory Coast, this plant bear fruits and seeds whose dimensions are almost double that of the Arabica and are more resistant to parasites attacks. The plant needs high temperature and abundant water.

Coffee Excelsa Discovered in 1904, this specie resists diseases and dryness. It has a high yield and its aged beans give off an odorous and pleasant taste, similar to that of Coffea Arabica.

Coffee Beans are seeds of the fruit of the coffee plant called coffee cherries.

What we call a coffee bean is actually the seeds of a cherry-like fruit. Green to begin with, the berries ripen over several months, becoming successively yellow, then red, garnet red, and finally almost black.

The ideal time for harvesting is when the berries are red. Inside the cherry, protected by the pulp, lie two small beans separated by a groove. These must be extracted and roasted before they can be used for consumption.

Important factors in growing coffee are:
- Avoid excessive cold and heat
- 1200-1500mm of rain per annum
- A few hours of light per day
- No strong winds
- Altitude
- The higher the better

It is estimated that coffee beans contain over 800 different compounds, which contribute to their flavor, including sugars and other carbohydrates, mineral salts, organic acids, aromatic oils, and methylxanthines, a chemical class which includes caffeine.

The bean's flavor is a function of where it was grown and how it was roasted. The name of the beans usually indicate their country of origin, along with additional information, such as the region within the country where the beans were grown, the grade of beans, or the type of roast. For instance, "Sumatra Lintong" denotes a specific growing region (Lintong) in Sumatra; "Kenya AA" designates AA beans, the highest grade of beans from Kenya; and "French Roast" is a blend of beans which are roasted very dark in the "French style." Some flavored coffees consist of only one kind of bean, like Kenya AA, which has distinctive regional taste characteristics.