Coffee Plant

When we fix our morning cup of Joe, we seldom, if ever, ponder the origin of the delicious brew. We all know it's an expensive but, for most, a necessary luxury, which we pick up at the grocery in bags or cans. Do you know what the coffee plant looks like? Do you imagine coffee beans bristling off the branches? Just how does it end up as the tasty beverage we all love? The story of the coffee plant is interesting indeed.

The coffee plant originated in Africa's tropical forests. Some say the first coffee drinker was an Ethiopian goat herder, who upon noticing his herds' frisky behavior following consumption of the coffee berries, decided to try some for himself. The rest is history.

Although there are about 25 species of the genus Coffea, only two are grown commercially and destined for our coffee cups. These two are the Arabica and Robusta coffee plants. Of the other species, some are available as indoor plants, more as a conversation piece than anything else.

The Arabica coffee plant grows in a tree-like fashion, with a single trunk, with branches growing outward from the central trunk. The smaller of the two plants, the Arabica produces a superior bean, richer in flavor and complexity of taste.

The Robusta coffee plant is more shrub-like in its appearance, with many minor trunks. The beans of the Robusta coffee plant lack the fine complex taste of the Arabica. While the Robusta coffee bean contains more caffeine, it tends to have bitter flavor notes which are generally undesirable.

If left unchecked, coffee plants grow well over 30 feet high. To enable manageable harvesting, commercial growers prune the plants to a height of just eight to fifteen feet.

Coffee plants, grown in ideal conditions, have large, dark green leaves, with a waxy surface, about four to six inches long and about half as wide. The flowers are white, fragrant and are produced in thick clusters along the branches.

It takes more than eight months from flowering to produce a ripe coffee “cherry” suitable for harvest. The cherries usually contain two beans. The cherry is ripe for picking when the cherry attains a bright red hue. Coffee beans do not ripen all at once, so great attention and several harvests are required to pick one tree's bounty at a state of perfection. This accounts, in great part,for the high cost of the finished product.

Large commercial growers, producing the run-of-the-mill canned coffees generally mix the two types of beans, looking for a satisfactory balance between good taste and reduced cost of production. You'll find that the so-called “gourmet” coffees are usually labeled “100% Arabica”. While they're more expensive, there's a world of difference in the taste. Ounce-for-ounce, you may find the Arabica product just as affordable.

When you think of this luxury, remember: one coffee plant produces just one pound of coffee each year! Bon Appetit!

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