The Coffee Tree

The coffee plant is really a tree.  However, it is grown as a bush and kept to a height of 3m through pruning. The yield of coffee from each plant is about 2kg per year – which is around 2000 hand picked beans.  The coffee plant produces fruit, which grows into a red cherry.  The fruit contains two seeds, which are the beans we all know.  The beans have several layers of membranes between them and the outside skin of the cherry. Coffee trees grow best in well-drained volcanic soils in areas with a warm, frost-free climate and high rainfall.  Therefore the best environment for growing fine coffee is select mountainous, tropical regions – regions located between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer.

Arabica & Robusta

The coffee plant has over 50 species. The most commonly and commercially used species are Arabica and Coffea Robusta. The main difference between the two species is that Robusta grows at lower elevations of around 100 metres and has a higher yield per plant.  It is also more resistant to disease than Arabica plants.  Robusta beans are known for their strong, dirty flavour and high levels of caffeine. Robusta beans are not generally palatable as a stand-alone coffee.  The rule of thumb is that they have twice as much caffeine as Arabica beans.  Many Italian producers of exported coffees use Robusta beans in their blends to increase their shelf life.  The Robusta bean is cheaper to produce and, as it is higher in caffeine, is mostly used for instant coffee production. It is also blended with Arabica beans to give that extra caffeine kick that European city cafes often demand.

The Arabica species, which came out of Yemen centuries ago, grows at higher elevations of around 2000 metres and is the source of all the world’s best coffees.  The Arabica bean is a slower maturing plant compared to the Robusta plant. 75 percent of the world’s total coffee production is Arabica.  Most cafes and local retail coffees will be blends of Arabica beans from different countries of origin