The coffee tree

The coffea plant is a member of the Rubiaceae family, which includes many species. Despite this the most popular plant is coffea and only two strains have any commercial value: Coffea Arabica and Coffea Canephora (Robusta).
The coffee tree grows in wet areas with no icing and average temperature between 18-24°C. The tree will die if it encounters frost, and sudden heat fluctuations also damage the tree. Since the coffee tree flourishes in humid conditions, it must be grown in tropical regions with regular rainfall.

Resembling the Camellia bush, the coffee tree sports dark, shiny and pointed leaves. When left to grow naturally, some varieties will grow up to 18 meters tall. However, coffee plantations generally keep the trees from growing higher than 2-3 meters in order to ease harvesting.

The coffee tree's delicate white blossom exudes a distinctive fragrance, resembling that of the jasmine flower both in terms of appearance and odour. This flower bears a green fruit. It takes 3-4 years for a sapling to begin to yield fruit. The grains are brought in several times a year.

The coffee blossom

Two or three times a year, after heavy rains, the coffee tree bears wonderful, pure white flowers. The blossom's heady fragrance has been likened to that of jasmine or the orange blossom. A tree that has recently matured will bear 20-30,000 flowers a year. The coffee blossom begins to wilt within a few hours of opening, already preparing to produce fruit.

The coffee cherry and bean

The coffee blossom is white and smells like jasmine. Due to its similar size, shape and colour, the fruit of the coffee tree is known as a "cherry." Within the fruit are two beans. The sides of the beans that face each other are flat, while the beans' outward facing sides are curved. The coffee beans are encased in a protective jacket or parchment that has the same shape. The flat side of each bean sports a deep crack or crevice filled with hard endosperm covered in a thin membrane. The membrane is encased in a harder shell. If the coffee bean is to be used as seed, then the seeds will not be separated from their protective shell.

The fruit of some coffee trees only bear one bean rather than two. This bean (a peaberry) is much rounder than normal coffee beans. These beans are processed separately and generally fetch a much higher price than normal beans.

Coffee cherries must be carefully monitored as upon ripening they will begin to rot within 14 days.