What does the coffee tree look like? What kind of coffee do you have? What are the characteristics of flowers and fruits of coffee trees?

Professional coffee knowledge exchange more coffee bean information please follow the coffee workshop (Wechat official account cafe_style)

When you drink a delicious latte or hand-brewed coffee, it is hard to imagine that it is the product of a plant. Countless coffee trees in the world produce fruits that supply our vitality.

But what exactly does a coffee tree look like? What kind do you have? And how does the difference between the flowers and fruits of the coffee tree affect the cup of coffee we drink every day?

A Brief History of Coffee

When you think of coffee, what country comes to mind first? Colombia? Brazil? Indonesia? Coffee originated in Ethiopia.

Coffee has spread from Africa and the Middle East to other parts of the world over the centuries, and there are many folktales, but the best-known is that Europeans brought coffee from Yemen to colonists. It seems undeniable that the spread of coffee around the world has nothing to do with it.

Fast forward to modern times, coffee has become an indispensable cash crop in many countries in Africa, Asia and South America. Even countries that do not grow coffee themselves still drive their economies with coffee roasting and consumption.

But what exactly is coffee? What makes up a cup of coffee?

How do coffee trees grow?

Coffee beans, although called beans, are the seeds of coffee fruits, usually two seeds per fruit.

Coffee can be classified as a tree because it can grow up to a height of about nine meters, but if it is used on farms, the coffee tree must be shorter and easier to harvest at a height that is within reach of the hand, so the coffee garden often looks like a forest of bushes.

Branches and leaves

From the main branch of the coffee tree, you can see the first, second and third horizontal branches, followed by dark green and waxy leaves growing in pairs.

Alvarez, an agronomist at El Salvador's Los Tres estate, says that "leaves are the basis of plants because that's where photosynthesis takes place." In other words, no leaves means no energy. Without energy, plants will never grow into delicious fruits containing coffee beans.

coffee flower

When coffee trees are about three to four years old, they bloom for the first time. Small, delicate white flowers grow at the junction of leaves and branches, releasing a sweet aroma.

Alvarez says flowers are where the reproductive system of plants is located. In other words, leaves and flowers contribute to the reproduction and maintenance of coffee plants.

Fruit

Six to eight weeks after pollination, cherry-like fruits appear where the flowers are located. Immature cherries are green; they turn red, yellow, orange or even pink over time, depending on the variety. As the fruits mature, they become sweeter and sweeter.

And the caffeine content in the fruit actually acts as a deterrent to most natural predators. Unfortunately, it also attracts one of the worst pests in coffee: the coffee beetle, which can survive in a caffeine environment. )

There are many layers of matter in the fruit. Alvarez said that the exocarp and pulp are the outermost layer of the fruit, and then we have a mesocarp, which is where the mucus is called the pectin layer. And in the pectin layer, it is the seed coffee beans of the fruit!

Seed

In each fruit, you will find two seeds, not two unless it is a round bean or has other defects. Round beans are seeds that have only one larger, more round seed when they mature, rather than two, which happens to about 5% of seeds.

These seeds are coffee beans. After a lot of processing to remove the peel and mucus, then dry, bake, grind, and finally become our favorite drink.

But not all coffee plants are the same.

Different kinds of coffee plants

There are more than a hundred different kinds of coffee, each of which can be further divided into multiple varieties. All of these can have an impact on the taste, caffeine content and the way coffee grows.

Two main species: Arabica & Robusta

Arabica is the most widely consumed species, accounting for about 70% of the world, and its flavor quality and aroma are good. Valentina Pedrotti, a Panamanian ICFC biologist and coffee value chain analyst, said: Arabica is the only variety in the boutique coffee market.

The differences between Arabica and Robusta are as follows:

More sensitive to climate change

More likely to be affected by insects.

Grow in a lower temperature environment (usually linked to higher elevations and shade)

The fruit yield is usually low.

Low caffeine content

The taste is sweet, the flavor complexity is high, and the aroma is more.

Robusta, or medium fruit coffee, is a more adaptable species, accounting for about 30% of coffee production.

The differences between Robusta and Arabica are as follows:

Higher resistance to diseases and insect pests

High caffeine content

Grow up in a warmer environment

Higher yields can produce more fruit and therefore more seeds. However, this is also a form in which a fruit cannot get enough nutrients from a tree, so coffee is usually of low quality.

It usually tastes bitter

Hundreds of coffee varieties

Unlike the "species" mentioned above, we often consume several "varieties" of coffee. If you buy specialty coffee, you may be able to see what kind of coffee you are drinking on the bag.

Among them, the most common varieties include iron pica, bourbon, kadura and so on. Now best known for its floral flavor and aroma, this coffee has a tea-like taste and can sell for $803 a pound raw.

The coffee industry sometimes mixes varieties, and Pedrotti says these hybrids are bred for industry or market needs, including disease resistance, higher yield and better flavor.

The life cycle of coffee trees

Pedrotti says coffee trees can survive for up to 80 years. But on commercial farms, Alvarez says it could be 20 to 30 years, depending on how they take care of the coffee trees.

Coffee trees will not bear fruit in the first few years of growth, and then coffee will not bear fruit until three or four years later, and then it will not produce more fruit.

The life cycle of a coffee tree is similar. As it grows, you will see its unique branches and bright green leaves. Most producers keep young fruit coffee trees in greenhouses until the seedlings are ready to be planted on the farm.

Once the coffee tree is mature, it blooms, which usually happens shortly after a lot of rain. They bear fruit shortly after flowering. In countries like Colombia, coffee trees bloom twice a year, which means two harvests a year.

Arturo Aguirre of Inchert Estate in Guatemala says producers and farm employees need to know how to recognize when coffee is ready for harvest.

Arabica takes about nine months from flowering to harvest.

Robusta can harvest two to three times a year, depending on the climate and soil of the planting area.

In terms of appearance, the coffee tree is a beautiful plant with red fruit and white flowers, and may be a stout low-altitude variety, or a delicate but good-flavoured high-altitude variety, a seedling or an old tree. Coffee trees full of ripe fruit or only dark green leaves. No matter which form, it comes from this tree, we can enjoy our favorite coffee every day, and there are countless people around the world who depend on it for a living.

Translated from Perfect Daily Grind.

Translated by Cheng Zhen Coffee

END