Coffea

This article discusses the coffee plant; for information on the beverage, see coffee.

Coffee
Coffea arabica trees in Brazil Coffea arabica trees in Brazil Mature fruit of a Coffea species Mature fruit of a Coffea species
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Gentianales Family: Rubiaceae Genus: Coffea L.
Species
Coffea arabica - Arabica Coffee Coffea benghalensis - Bengal coffee Coffea canephora - Robusta coffee Coffea congensis - Congo coffee Coffea dewevrei - Excelsa coffee Coffea excelsa - Liberian coffee Coffea gallienii Coffea bonnieri Coffea mogeneti Coffea liberica - Liberian coffee Coffea stenophylla - Sierra Leonian coffee

Coffea (coffee) is a genus of ten species of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. They are shrubs or small trees, native to subtropical Africa and southern Asia. Seeds of this plant are the source of a stimulating beverage called coffee. The seeds are called "beans" in the trade. Coffee beans are widely cultivated in tropical countries in plantations for both local consumption and export to temperate countries. Coffee ranks as one of the world's major commodity crops and is the major export product of some countries.

Botany

File:Detail of Coffea canephora branch and leaves.jpg

Robusta Coffee

When grown in the tropics coffee is a vigorous bush or small tree easily grown to a height of 3–3.5 m (10–12 feet). It is capable of withstanding severe pruning. It cannot be grown where there is a winter frost. Bushes grow best at high elevations. To produce a maximum yield of coffee berries (800-1400 kg per hectare), the plants need substantial amounts of water and fertilizer. Calcium carbonate and other lime minerals are sometimes used to reduce acidity in the soil, which can occur due to run off of minerals from the soil in mountainous areas. The caffeine content in coffee "beans" is a natural defense, the toxic substance repelling many creatures that would otherwise eat the seeds, as with nicotine in tobacco leaves.

There are several species of Coffee that may be grown for the beans, but Coffea arabica is considered to have the best quality. The other species (especially Coffea canephora (var. robusta)) are grown on land unsuitable for Coffea arabica. The tree produces red or purple fruits (drupes, or "coffee berries"), which contain two seeds (the "coffee beans", although not true beans). In about 5-10% of any crop of coffee cherries, the cherry will contain only a single bean, rather than the two usually found. This is called a 'peaberry' and contains a distinctly different flavor profile to the normal crop, with a higher concentration of the flavors, especially acidity, present due to the smaller sized bean. As such, it is usually removed from the yield and either sold separately (such as in New Guinea Peaberry), or discarded.

The coffee tree will grow fruits after 3–5 years, for about 50–60 years (although up to 100 years is possible). The blossom of the coffee tree is similar to jasmine in color and smell. The fruit takes about nine months to ripen. Worldwide, an estimate of 15 billion coffee trees are growing on 100,000 km² of land.

Coffee is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Dalcera abrasa, Turnip Moth and some members of the genus Endoclita including E. damor and E. malabaricus.

Processing

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Fresh, dark-roasted coffee beans (approximately 11 mm × 8 mm × 5 mm)

Template:See details After picking, the coffee beans are pulped (usually using a mechanical pulper) to remove the bulk of the soft flesh, and then the beans are fermented (by one of several means, most often wet fermentation in water for 10 to 36 hours), then washed (to remove the last of the sticky mucilage not removed by fermentation) and dried (usually in the sun). This process is time-consuming, expensive and, for most growers, labour-intensive. Coffee beans at this stage are known as milled beans.

Once the raw ('green') coffee beans arrive in their destination country, they are roasted; this darkens their color and alters the internal chemistry of the beans and therefore their flavor and aroma. Blending can occur before or after roasting and is often performed to ensure a consistent flavor. Once the beans are roasted, they become much more perishable.

File:Coffee Immature.jpg

Coffee (Coffea arabica) branch with immature fruit - Brazil

The economics of growing coffee

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Coffee-making in Indonesia.

It is very questionable whether small growers can generate a high return on capital growing coffee if they have less than 1.2 ha (3 acres or 12,000 m²) and if they are based in the United States. The retail price of the beans varies between about 1 USD/pound for ripe berries to 9 USD/pound for Kona milled beans, and there are many costs including fertiliser, irrigation, labour (e.g. picking and pruning) and land value. Integrated operations that capture much or all of the available revenue (by controlling the whole process from growing to retail) may generate higher returns.

It is estimated that 10 million people are working on plantations in the source lands of coffee. A single worker can harvest 50–100 kg of fruits per day, which results in 10–20 kg of raw coffee. Crops from Brazil (30%) and Colombia (10%) comprise 40% of the worldwide coffee production. As of 1998, the world's coffee production equals about 100 million sacks of coffee.

Many farmers receive a low price for their coffee because of a global market slump. This has led to coffee being available as a 'fair trade' labelled item in many countries.

File:Eth1 coffeelady.jpg

Coffee farmer in Ethiopia.

Shade Grown Coffee

In its natural environment, coffea grows under the shade.[1] Most coffee is produced on full-sun plantations, some of which were prepared through deforestation.[2] Shade grown coffee naturally mulches its environment, lives twice as long as sun grown varieties, and depletes less of the soil's resources.[3] Shade grown coffee is also believed by some to be of higher quality than sun grown varieties, as the cherries produced by the coffea plants under the shade are not as large as commercial varieties.[4] Some believe that this smaller cherry concentrates the flavors of the cherry into the seed (bean) itself.[5]

Shade grown coffee is also associated with environmentally friendly ecosystems that provide a wider variety and number of migratory birds than those of sun grown coffea farms.[6]

See also

• Coffee (drink)
• Kopi Luwak
• Colombian coffee
• List of coffee companies

External links

• Coffee & Conservation - Many resources on sustainable coffee, including reviews, especially shade coffee and biodiversity
• Just About Coffee — General information webpage about the coffee tree subject.
• Coffea arabica by James A. Duke — detailed information about this species.
• Excellent article about the nutritional needs of coffee plants (written by an expert in Hawaii).
• University of Hawaii spreadsheets dealing with costs of production including those of coffee growing in Hawaii.
• Farmers Bookshelf guide to coffee growing and processing in Hawaii.
• Coffee Forums (offers open discussion about coffee, the beans, machines and effects).
• How To Brew Coffee (consists of coffee information and tutorials on various types of brewing including Turkish and Vietnamese).
• United States Department of Agriculture — Foreign Agriculture Service (a valuable source of coffee (and other commodities) production and consumption data).
• TooMuchCoffee: The European Coffee and Espresso Resource (offers non-commercial articles and discussion about coffee, coffee preparations and homeroasting; interesting documentary (15 MB) about coffee planters in Nicaragua available for free download).
• The etymology of the word coffee
• Shade Grown Coffee

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