Harvesting Coffee Coffee trees are the evergreen trees of the Rubiceae family (Genus Coffea). They produce berries, called coffee cherries, which turn bright red when they are ripe and ready to pick. A coffee bean is actually the seed of a coffee cherry, not a bean. Much of the coffee grown in the world is of the arabica species, but only a fraction meets standard set by the Specialty Coffee Association of America. There is usually one coffee harvest per year each tree only produces about one kilogram of coffee. The time varies according to geographic zone, but generally, north of the Equator, harvest takes place between September and March, and south of the equator between April and May. The cherries ripen at different times, and the harvesting period varies, as pickers must harvest at intervals, handpicking only the red berries from each cluster and returning as the cherries ripen. Cherries can also be "stripped" from the tree with both unripe and overripe cherries. Stripping is used effectively in Brazil, due to the uniform ripening of Brazilian coffee cherries with 75% of the crop being perfectly ripe. There are usually two beans found in each cherry except for peaberries, which only contain one bean within the cherry (for example, Kenya Peaberry). There are 2 species of coffee, Coffea Robusta and Coffea Arabica. Robusta Robusta coffee is a lower grade of coffee that is grown at lower altitudes. It has a harsh and dirty flavour and contains higher caffeine content. The robusta trees are cheaper to grow and more disease-resistant, and they produce a higher yield. This type of coffee is typically used for instant coffees, added into blends for its high caffeine level, and to add crema to blends. Arabica Arabica coffee is considered a higher-quality bean and composes nearly 70% of the world's coffee production. It requires rich soil and consistent temperature and is grown at altitudes between 2,000 and 6,000 feet (610 and 1,829 m) above sea level, therefore more expensive to grow compared to robusta. It contains about half of the caffeine of robusta and has more desirable flavours and aromatic properties. |
