What is coffee?

The word coffee comes from the Latin biologically generic name coffea. This genus is a member of the Rubiaceae family. It has more than 500 species and 6000 varieties, most of which are tropical trees and shrubs.

Carolus Linnaeus, a Swedish botanist in the 18th century, described the genus, but botanists disagreed on its precise classification. There may be at least 25 major varieties of coffee, all of which are native to tropical Africa and some islands in the Indian Ocean. But because of the variants of trees and seeds, they are also different. All kinds of Coffea are woody plants, but they may be low shrubs or trees higher than 10 meters, and the leaves vary in color from light yellow to purple. From the point of view of coffee drinkers, there are two primary and secondary varieties of this kind of coffee. In 1753 Linnaeus established the taxonomic position of Coffea arabica, which can produce arabica beans, is high quality coffee in the world, and is the only coffee that can be drunk without any ingredients. Arabica coffee is sometimes said to be Brazilian coffee (from Brazil) or mixed coffee (from other places). Coffea canephora, or more precisely C.canephora, var.robusta, can produce Robbins coffee beans and is often used as a supplement to Arabica beans. The two secondary varieties of the coffee family are C.liberica and C.excelsa, which form Lieberica beans and Exelsa beans respectively.

The two best varieties of Arabica coffee are Typica and Bourbon. But many other varieties have also come a long way, including Caturra (grown in Brazil and Colombia), Mundo (from Brazil), Tico (widely cultivated in Central America), San Ramon (a small plant) and the famous Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee (Jamaican Blue Mountain). Arabica coffee is usually a large shrub with green, oval leaves and oval fruit. It usually has two flat seeds. If only one seed germinates, it is called pea-shaped coffee bean (peaberry).

In fact, the word "robustra" comes from the most widely grown variety of Canifra coffee. "Luobashi" is a very strong shrub or small tree, more than 10 meters high, but its roots are very shallow. Its fruit is round, its ripening period is up to 11 months, and its seeds are oval, smaller than Arabica coffee beans. Robbins Coffee is grown in central and western Africa, throughout Southeast Asia, and in a more Conion region of Brazil.

The Liberica coffee tree is tall and strong, 18 meters tall, its leaves are large and tough, and its fruits and beans are also very large. Lieberica coffee is grown in Malaysia (Malaysia) and West Africa, and is produced in small quantities because of its unique taste and low demand.

At present, Arabica coffee accounts for about 70% of the world's total coffee production, but the proportion of Robbert coffee is increasing, mainly because of its better fruit quality and, it is less susceptible to diseases and insect pests than Arabica coffee.

Arabica coffee and Robbite coffee are harvested once every 3 to 4 years, and their lifespan varies due to different production conditions and different degrees of care (usually 20 to 30 years, after which they have to be replanted). Both varieties need plenty of sunlight and moisture. Arabian coffee trees prefer a seasonal climate of 15 ~ 24 °C; Robbins prefer warm equatorial temperatures, which are stable in the range of 24 ~ 29 °C. Both trees freeze to death when the temperature drops below zero (although Arabica coffee trees are hardy), and they need about 152.4 centimeters of rainfall each year.

The traditional method of growing coffee trees is to plant trees of similar varieties near them in order to shade the coffee trees and protect their fruits from strong light. In addition to reducing the damage caused by direct exposure to the sun, these trees also help to retain moisture in the soil. Irrigation and utilization

The use of chemical fertilizers is a more modern method, but they require financial investment, which requires economical production and income, so it is only used in commercial plantations.

Coffee can be grown on vast estates, farms of different sizes, or on small plots of land opened up in forests or farms. In Brazil and Guatemala, for example, many large estates are dedicated to growing coffee, while in Brazil, more and more people are using mechanical harvesters. Large-area farming has high yields, but also high inputs and costs; small-scale farms have small yields but lower costs.

The main factors of cost change in the process of coffee growth are labor cost and land cost. The problem of high labour costs can be solved through the use of advanced technologies, the use of fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides and mechanized growth and irrigation, but all of these methods require financial investment.