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For a tree grown in over 70 countries, from
Indonesia to Brazil, it's curious how narrow a range of conditions is required
to produce quality 'beans' and how relatively small the total output is.
The word 'beans' is deliberately in single-quote marks, since the thing that
gets roasted and ground to make the drink isn't really a bean at all, it's a
seed.
In particular, it's the seed of a fruit that grows on trees that can easily
reach twenty feet or more. Some wild varieties grow to over 45 feet or 15m. Most
of those seeds come in a pair, though there is a variety that produces only one
(the peaberry). The berry resembles a cranberry, with a sweet pulp covered by a
membrane called a silverskin.
In a band around the equator from approximately 25 degrees north or south, comes
the overwhelming majority of the world's coffee output. Temperatures of between
60F (15C) and 70F (21C) are best as is rainfall of six inches per month or more.
Loamy, good-draining soil is needed and also helpful is high humidity - plenty
of mist and cloud at the high elevations, over 3000 ft (915m) for the good
stuff. At these elevations the oxygen content is lower, so the trees take longer
to mature.
The robusta, or coffea canephora, goes into making the majority of coffee
because it can be grown at lower altitudes and is more disease resistant. But
it's the high-altitude coffea arabica that forms the base of a gourmet cup.
Diffuse light and moderate winds are helpful, both of which are sometimes
produced by deliberately growing in the shelter and shade. By contrast, wine
grapes like hot sun and lots of it.
two pounds of coffee
Once planted, the tree takes about five years to mature to first crop and even
then a single tree will only make enough for about two pounds (1 kilogram) of
coffee.
Those two pounds equal about 2,000 beans (correct or not, it's the standard
term), usually hand-picked by manual laborers. Manual they may be, but ignorant
they are not. Coffee bean harvesting is a skill developed over time, where the
picker learns to select good beans and discard the bad ... bean by individual bean.
That's only one reason coffee is high priced.
The trees have broad, dark green leaves and produce a flower that resembles
Jasmine. Some -- in Brazil and Mexico, for example -- blossom over a six to eight
week period. In countries that lie along the equator such as Kenya and Colombia,
though, a tree can have mature berries growing alongside still ripening ones.
That's part of what makes picking such a labor-intensive specialty.
nine months from blossom to brew
Blossom to harvest may cover a period of up to nine months depending on the
weather and other factors, and the cycle will be carried out for the life of the
tree -- about 20-25 years. With the best cultivation technology, a good harvest
will be between 6,600 lbs (3,000 kg) and 8,800 lbs (4,000 kg) per hectare. (One
hectare is about 2.47 acres.)
From these inaccessible regions, where conditions are harsh, the berries are
brought down and processed to make up the world's second largest commodity (by
annual dollar volume).
So, the next time you savor that rich, fragrant brew, give some thought to the long journey it
traveled to reach your cup. It might make that high price seem less steep.
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