1. Country of Origin
Over 70 countries situated between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn grow coffee
for export. Most fall into three continents: Africa, South Asia and Latin America. 2. Arabica Coffee
There are two main commercial varieties of coffee: Arabica and Robusta. Arabica
coffee, from the coffea arabica shrub (indigenous only to Ethiopia), is the
highest in quality. Arabica coffee grows best in equatorial rainforests, at altitudes
of 3,500 to 6,000 feet above sea level, in regions with rich soil and heavy rainfall.
Robusta is a hardy low altitude coffee with inferior taste characteristics. 3. Green Beans
A green "unroasted" coffee bean looks like any other coffee bean except that it's
green, tasteless and practically odourless. If kept dry, the shelf life of a green
bean, depending on country of origin, ranges from 2 to 10 years. There are several
types of arabica coffee beans: typica, caturra, catuai, bourbon, catimor. 4. Growing
The arabica coffee shrub produces its first crop of cherries + 5 years of age. During
the harvest (a season that last 3 to 4 months), delicate white and yellow flowers give
way to an abundance of red or yellow coffee cherries (a fruit). Each cherry contains
two green beans. Coffee cherries must be picked at the precise moment of ripeness - a
single 'over-ripe' or 'under-ripe' cherry can spoil an entire pot of coffee. On average,
the arabica coffee tree stands 6 to 8 feet in height and one tree produces a one pound
of beans per harvest. 5. Processing
After picking, coffee cherries are transported by foot, mule, or truck to mills for
processing. The objective is to remove and dry the green beans to 12% moisture. Once
dry the beans are ready for export and roasting. Coffee immediately begins to
deteriorate (spoil) after picking. Processing must not be delayed. There are two
methods used to process coffee cherries: Dry Method
Common in Indonesia, Brazil and parts of Africa where water is scarce. The entire
coffee cherry is dried on patios, grass mats, wooden racks under the sun for a period
of 2 to 3 weeks. Once dry, milling machines remove the outer layers of fruit pulp and
parchment to expose the green beans (called husking) which are then sorted, graded
and bagged. The dry process adds an exotic dark look to the coffee bean. Wet Method
Common in Latin America and parts of Africa and Indonesia. The coffee cherry is
depulped (grated-off) by milling machines to expose the green beans. The beans are
then soaked and washed in an interconnected system of water channels and reservoirs
and dried on patios under the sun and/or in wood burning mechanical driers. The beans
are sorted, graded and bagged. Patio drying is better for green bean quality but labour
and time intensive (beans require constant raking by hand over a period of 2 to 3
weeks to prevent spoilage). Mechanical driers produce higher temperatures that reduce
drying times from weeks to 24 hours, but often damage green bean quality. 6. Traditional Versus Modern Production
Traditionally, coffee is grown on small farms, beneath a canopy of shade trees in a
biodiverse ecosystem, where birds, animals, and a variety of flora (native and
commercial tree species such as nut, fruit and hardwoods) naturally enrich the soil
and protect coffee from pests and disease. Coffee cherries are picked by hand and
processed on-site by farmers who care about quality and get paid for it.
Over the past 50 years, traditional coffee production has largely been replaced by
technified coffee production, where rainforests are cleared to create a sun-drenched
environment for monoagricultural coffee production and machine harvesting. Coffee
cherries are transported to large centralized facilities for milling and high
temperature drying. Quality of taste is sacrificed for low price point.
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