The growth process of coffee

The coffee tree is an evergreen tree with small white flowers and green fruit that does not turn red until it is ripe. A normal coffee tree can usually grow to a height of 5 to 10 meters, but bean farmers often prune it to less than 2 meters for harvest convenience. After flowering, there are many dark green oval fruits, and the mature fruit changes from dark green to bright red. Because the color is similar to that of cherries, it is nicknamed "cherry", and each "cherry" contains a pair of seeds, which are the so-called coffee beans.

Coffee flowers, white, Corolla 5-lobed, reversing, emitting strong aroma. All 4-to 5-year-old coffee trees bloom, with a flowering period of about 2-3 months. Coffee flowers are similar to jasmine in appearance and smell, and are clustered on coffee branches when they bloom. White petals and light fragrance of jasmine are noble and elegant, but it is a pity that its flowering period is about 3-5 days. Therefore, it is a rare opportunity to enjoy the splendor of coffee flowers in the coffee garden. After the coffee blossoms, it slowly forms a green coffee fruit.

Immature coffee fruit is green, after 6-7 months of maturity, the mature fruit skin is red, because its shape and color are similar to cherries, so foreigners call mature coffee fruit cherry (Cherry). Under the bright red pericarp, the peel is a sweet sticky yellow substance that covers the whole coffee bean. Under normal circumstances, each fruit has two coffee beans, flat opposite, the surface of the coffee bean has a very thin diaphragm tissue ─ silver skin (Silver Skin), each coffee bean and its silver skin are located in a protective hard milky bean-shaped shell, called endocarp (Parchment), the function is to separate the coffee bean and mucus.

A normal coffee tree sometimes produces smaller fruit with only one coffee bean in it. This single coffee bean has a different name, Peaberry, or single bean. It does not have a flat side. On the contrary, it is smaller and almost round. Because its quantity is very small, and must be specially selected and collected together, therefore, its price is much higher than that of ordinary coffee beans. Many people think that round beans taste particularly good, because their round beans can make the original taste of coffee, tightly wrapped in the beans, the taste is particularly strong. Many coffee lovers regard it as the best of coffee beans.