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Coffee 101: Life Cycle
Growing Conditions (Part 1)
The arabica plant is an evergreen. The wild variety of Arabica “Typica” grows to a height of up to 20 feet, (some trees have been known to topple 40 feet). When cultivated, trees are usually pruned to about 5 to 8 feet in order to make them easier to harvest. Coffee is self-pollinating, which is the primary reason species like typica and bourbon are still around. Depending on the growing region and the number of rainy or dry seasons, unripe fruit, and ripe fruit may exist on the same tree at the same time. In some ecuatorial regions that have two summers and winters, some tree limbs have both ripe and blossoming cherries!
The scent of a coffee plantation in bloom can be so strong that sailors have reported smelling the floral perfume up to three miles out at sea. Most cherries mature around the six month period, at which point they turn a bright red color (the exception being some cherries like those grown on “yellow Bourbon trees that turn bright yellow). Each tree can produce between one and twelve pounds of coffee per year, depending on soil, climate, and other factors. It is the actual cherry "pit" or seed inside the flesh of the cherry that is roasted and then brewed into the much sought after cup of coffee.So what is it in the growing process that makes one cup of coffee taste better than another. The answer to that is multi-faceted and could take the better part of a very long book to answer in full...but here's a nutshell.
The finest coffees around the world are grown in volcanic soil at high elevation. Volcanic soil contributes a rich array of minerals & nutrients to the plant in addition to extremely good irrigation. Higher elevations provide better drainage (due to the vertical incline)in addition to more consistant rainfall and temperatures. Coffee generally likes a consistant temperature of seventy degrees both day and night. Another key factor in the quality of coffee is the strain of Arabica (the most sought after strains of Typica & Bourbon have a sweeter, richer taste), the amount of rainfall during the growing season (too much or too little can have a profound damaging effect), and the care in which the plants are mulched and or pruned.The successful and unique combination of all of these attributes are rare yet extremely rewarding. There are many good coffees available on the market but very few are exceptional or even outstanding. It is these coffees that are the hallmark of Volcanos' success. In short, there just aren’t enough of the finest coffees to supply over-sized coffee chains. Additionally, it takes a tremendous amount of “Cupping” (tasting different lots of coffees), to identify a truly outstanding coffee. A very large common mistake is to assume that just because a coffee comes from a prized growing region or estate or even has the highest grading rating that it is going to be an exceptional cup. The truth is coffee can vary from year to year depending on the weather or even politics of the particular region. An estate that provides an outstanding cup one year may only be "ok" the next year due to something as simple as too much rain. In that instance the better cup may be found on an estate at the other side of the volcano where the weather pattern was slightly different.
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