Page 47 - #51 English

The Coffee Plant The Tree
What is more interesting than the growing location, its Coffee tree starts its life as a seed and after 4 to 8 weeks it
varietal! Progressive baristas nowadays are to determine to know develops into a seedling. Coffee trees are normally a small tree of
the exact varietal of coffee they are roasting or serving as each 2 to 8 meters tall, though its width and height may differ accord-
of its taste experiences are totally unique. Researches from ing to their varietals or the place they were grown. Its leaves are
different sources have been even more serious about coffee than evergreen and usually shiny, some large, some small.The flowers
ever. The word “Varietal” or cultivated varietal, hence “Culti- are sweet - scented, white, tubular, and normally with 5 lobes.
var” are commonly used interchangeably in the world of coffee. The fruits are usually red but sometimes yellow or purple at
It simply describes the type or the variety of the bean. Just like maturity depending on their varietals. The outer layer is soft,
any fruits, the trees will look different, the leaves, the fruit, and sweet tasting, and containing two or sometimes one ‘seed’,
of course, the coffee profile.There is enormous number of coffee generallycalled “peaberry”. At about 3 to 5 years of age, the
diversities over the world. It all started from seedlings to stand- cherries are ideally hand picked when they ripe, where they
ing variation, to adaptation, and to the gene exchanges, which normally turn red. Some say that a coffee tree that is younger
arecritical to coffee survival.However, only some varietals are than 10 years is considereda baby, and it would taste different
grown economically around the world, there are many more than when it is older, again depending on its varietals. The
wild varietals to be revealed. picking can be only once a year at different times or at some
location or with some higher yields, they may be able to pick
several times a year. The categorization can be very delicate up
to the point that picking at different level of the trees result in
different quality of the taste profile. Coffee can grow to very
old age to about 50 - 60 years, and even a 100 years old coffee
tree was evidenced, and still producing good cherries if they are
taken care of properly.

Historic Distribution of Coffee Arabica poster re - printed with permission by the Specialty Coffee Association of America. Poster may be purchased at www.scaa.org/store

The Species and its History

Arabica species makes up approximately 70% of the 125 coffee species in the world, the more exploration, the more
world’s coffee production. Other species include C. canephora researchers understand and if they are moved around to where
(also commonly called “Robusta”), C. liberica, and C. excelsa. they can optimize their tastes. There are much more to coffee
Other species are less talked about, though there are more than varietals in the world that we can all be looking forward to.
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