Coffee tree history coffee morphological characteristics coffee cultivation techniques

Coffee tree is a shrub or small tree of Rubiaceae; leaves are opposite, leathery, long ovate; every March, the branches will appear white flowers, petals spirally arranged, the heart of the flowers jump around the petals, take a closer look, it is really like a small windmill playing in childhood, emitting the fragrance of jasmine flowers; the fruit is oval, berry, crimson, containing two seeds, that is, we are familiar with coffee beans. The first flowering period of the white flower red fruit coffee tree is about three years old. the five-petal tube-shaped white flowers are filled with a faint fragrance of jasmine and the inflorescences are arranged in dense clusters.

Flowers wither after two or three days of blooming and begin to bear fruit after a few months. The fruit is a drupe with a diameter of about 1.5cm. It turns green at first, then turns yellow gradually, and turns red when ripe. It is very similar to cherries, so it is called cherry coffee (Coffee Cherry). It can be harvested at this time.

Coffee tree

Coffee tree

The ripe coffee berries look like cherries and are bright red with sweet flesh and contain a pair of seeds, namely coffee beans (Coffee Beans). Coffee varieties can be divided into small-grain, medium-grain and large-grain species, the former contains low caffeine content and strong flavor, while the latter two have high caffeine content but poor flavor. Coffee sold in the world is generally made of small and medium seeds in different proportions, usually 70% of medium seeds, mainly caffeine, and 30% of small seeds, mainly for their aroma. Each coffee variety generally has a few to a dozen variants. Coffee is more resistant to shade and cold, but not resistant to light, drought and disease. Coffee contains nine kinds of nutrients, such as caffeine, protein, crude fat, crude fiber and sucrose. As a beverage, coffee is not only mellow and delicious, slightly bitter and sweet, but also can excite nerves and dispel fatigue. In medicine, caffeine can be used as an anesthetic, stimulant, diuretic and cardiotonic, as well as to help digestion and promote metabolism. The pulp of coffee is rich in sugar and can be used to make sugar and alcohol. Coffee flowers contain essential oils that can be used to extract high-grade spices. [2]

Growth habit editor

Coffee trees [2] prefer mild temperatures during the day and less than two hours of direct sunshine.

Coffee tree

Coffee tree

So if there is a lack of afternoon showers or fog to check in every day, local farmers will have to plant many taller trees in the coffee garden for shade. At night, they want an environment of about ten degrees Celsius but not too low, because too warm will make the coffee berries grow too fast to produce small, strong, hard and high-quality coffee beans; in case it is too cold to frost, the coffee trees will freeze to death.

Based on these characteristics, the promised land suitable for Arabica coffee is mostly located in countries with alpine terrain between the Tropic of Cancer, which is also known as the coffee belt (Coffee Zone/Coffee belt).

As an elegant, fashionable and high-grade beverage, coffee has long been popular all over the world, and it has been listed as the first of the three major beverages (coffee, tea and cocoa) in the world. Coffee has been planted in 76 countries and regions all over the world. In 1983-1984 alone, the world's coffee output reached as much as 5.5 million tons, with an export volume of 4.2 million tons, of which Brazil in South America, known as the "coffee kingdom", produced and exported the most. In spite of this, the hometown of coffee is not in Brazil, but in Ethiopia in Africa. to this day, there is still a large area of wild coffee forest in the dense jungle of the southwestern province of Cafa. The word "coffee" comes from the place name "Kafa". [3]

Geographical distribution editing

Coffee grows mostly in countries with alpine terrain between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Cancer. It is native to tropical Africa and is introduced and cultivated in South and Southwest China. [2]

Cultivation technique editor

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The origin of coffee tree [4] is in 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.

Conditions

The ideal planting conditions for coffee trees are as follows: the temperature is between 15 and 25 ℃, and

Coffee tree

Coffee tree

The annual rainfall must reach 1500 to 2000 mm, and the rainfall time should be in line with the flowering cycle of the coffee tree. 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. [2]

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.

Harvesting and storage

Coffee beans

Coffee beans

The pericarp can be harvested as soon as it begins to turn red. The fruit harvest period varies with species, small seed from September to November, full fruit from September to October, medium grain from November to June of the following year, and full fruit from February to April. There are two processing methods:

1. Dry method: after the fresh fruit is dried or dried, remove the pericarp and seed coat with a sheller and sift out the impurities.

2. Wet method: this method is used for mass production. Peel the fresh fruit with a peeling machine, separate the bean grains from the pericarp, soak the peeled beans in water, wash, dry, and then remove the seed coat to get commercial coffee beans.