Planting conditions and distribution of coffee

What is coffee?

Coffee (Coffee) is derived from the Latin word Coffea (biological word name) and belongs to a member of the Rubiaceae family. These plants are all woody plants, most of which are distributed in the tropics, with more than 500 classifications and about 6000 varieties. Most of the Coffea plants are tropical evergreen shrubs 5-6 meters high, and there are also big trees that can grow to more than 10 meters high. This kind of plant is what people usually call coffee trees. The clusters of red fruits (Coffee Cherry berries / cherries) on the coffee tree are called "coffee fruits" and are shaped like cherries. The core (seed) of coffee fruit is the common coffee bean (raw bean).

Second, the growth and cultivation of coffee

Climatic factors are a prerequisite for the growth of coffee. Coffee trees are only suitable for growing in tropical and subtropical areas between 25 degrees north and south latitudes, which are often referred to as "coffee growing belts" or "coffee producing areas". However, not all the land located in this area, can cultivate excellent coffee trees. The area most suitable for coffee planting and growth must have suitable temperature (annual average temperature: 15-25 degrees), moderate rainfall (1500-2000 mm annual rainfall, and can match the flowering cycle of coffee trees), fertile soil (soil containing volcanic ash) and good drainage.

Coffee trees are extremely picky about the environment in which they grow. Coffee trees like cool and are most suitable for growing in the soil covered with volcanic ash. Proper Rain Water is required as well as good drainage. Drought and waterlogging have fatal effects on the growth of coffee trees. Coffee trees have certain requirements for sunshine and irrigation water quality. If you want to get the best coffee beans, you must strictly control the composition of the soil, rainfall and irrigation, sunshine time and ambient temperature when planting coffee trees.

The higher the altitude of the coffee growing area (usually more than 1000 meters above sea level), the higher the value of the coffee beans produced. The higher the altitude, the lower the temperature, and the slower the coffee grows. As the ripening period of the fruit is prolonged, more elements will accumulate during its growth. The coffee beans produced in this environment are small and full, and the coffee is rich in flavor and unique in taste. However, the fruits of coffee trees grown in this environment are scarce. Each coffee tree usually produces less than 2 kilograms of coffee fruit a year. The processed and roasted coffee beans are about 450 grams, which can be made into about 40 cups of coffee drinks.

With the increasing demand for coffee, artificial planting of coffee trees has become an important economic activity in coffee producing areas. The improvement of varieties and planting techniques also make the growth of coffee trees have a relatively wide range of adaptation to the environment.

It usually takes five years for a coffee tree to grow and harvest for the first time. Wild coffee trees usually have a height of about 10 meters, while in artificial planting, coffee trees need to be pruned when they grow to about 3 meters in order to harvest fruit in the future. After the fruit of the coffee tree is ripe, it usually goes through at least 17 steps, such as picking, drying, baking, processing and so on, before the delicious coffee can be delivered to the mouth of consumers. The taste characteristics of coffee beans are closely related to the types of coffee trees. At present, the coffee beans widely used in beverage production in the world are mainly Arabica and Robsusta.