Coffee
is a beverage made from coffee beans, which are the seeds
of the coffee cherry. The coffee bush, which produces
the cherries, grows around the world in a narrow subtropical
belt between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn
at elevations varying between 2,200 and 6.000 feet above
sea level.
The coffee bush is a tropical evergreen and would naturally
grow up to 20-30 feet tall., however, bushes are
typically
trimmed to 3-7 feet to accommodate hand picking of the
cherries. Each coffee cherry produces 2 green beans and
it takes approximately 2,000 cherries of 4,000 beans to
produce one pound of coffee.
Each coffee bush on average produces approximately 1-2lbs
of roasted coffee per year. It takes a young coffee bush
4-5 years to produce it's first crop.
There are two primary species of coffee beans produced
around the world.
Coffea Arabica (Arabica) beans represent 70% of the world's
coffee products and are grown at altitudes over 2,000
feet above sea level. Arabica beans produce a higher quality
more flavourful and aromatic coffee with approximately
half the caffeine content of the Robusta bean.
Coffea
Robusta (Robusta) beans are grown at altitudes under
2,000 feet above sea level and are easier to grow. The
coffee bushes produce higher crop yields and are more
disease resistant.
