Introduction to coffee tree knowledge

The origin of the coffee tree is Ethiopia in Africa. In botany, coffee trees belong to the evergreen trees of the subgenus Rubiaceae, and coffee beans, commonly known as coffee beans, are actually the seeds of the fruit of coffee trees. They are called coffee beans only because they are shaped like beans. Climate is the decisive factor for coffee cultivation. Coffee trees are only suitable for growing in the tropics or subtropics, so the zone between latitude 25 degrees south and north is generally called coffee belt or coffee area. However, not all the land located in this area can produce good coffee trees.

The ideal planting conditions for coffee trees are as follows: the temperature is between 1500mm and 25mm, and the annual rainfall must reach 1500mm to 2000mm, and the rainfall time should be in line with the flowering cycle of coffee trees. Of course, in addition to the seasonal rainfall, there should also be fertile soil and good drainage. Fertile soil containing volcanic ash, in addition, although sunlight is an indispensable element for the growth and fruit of coffee, too strong sunlight will inhibit the growth of coffee trees, so various producing areas usually cooperate with the planting of some shade trees. The ideal altitude is 500 to 2000 meters above sea level. It can be seen that the conditions for the cultivation of high-quality coffee are quite strict: sunlight, rainfall, soil, air temperature, as well as the way coffee beans are harvested and the production process will affect the quality of coffee itself.

The first flowering period of the coffee tree is about three years. The five-petal tube-shaped white flowers are filled with a faint scent of jasmine, and the inflorescences are arranged in dense clusters. It will wither after two or three days of flowering and begin to bear fruit after a few months. The fruit is a drupe with a diameter of about 1.5cm, which is green at first, then turns yellow gradually, turns red when ripe, and is very similar to cherries, so it is called cherry coffee (Coffee Cherry), which can be harvested at this time.

Coffee fruit contains two seeds, namely coffee beans. The two beans are connected face to face with each other on one side of the plane. Each coffee bean has a thin outer film, which is called silver skin, and its outer layer is covered with a yellow outer skin, called endocarp. The whole coffee bean is wrapped in a sticky pulp to form the coffee pulp, which is soft and sweet, with the outer shell.