The Ultimate Cup
Coffee is the seed of a cherry-like fruit that grows on a tree. The way that coffee trees are grown is crucial to the quality of the raw coffee that hey produce.
In order to produce a world-class coffee, a farm must be blessed with the proper growing conditions. Climate, altitude and soil greatly influence the character and quality of coffee. However, even if the right conditions exist, it takes a remarkably large amount of planning, labor and care to create superior raw coffee.
At its best, coffee growing is a marriage of craft and technology. A farmer must combine the husbandry of the old ways with modern, scientific knowledge to produce a product that is satisfying to discriminating consumers and economically practical.
The first decision a farmer makes is which variety of coffee to propagate. Specialty coffee is of the Arabica variety, while most commercial (canned) coffee is a high-production, disease resistant variety, called Robusta.
There are many different Arabica strains from which to choose. On our farm, La Minita in Costa Rica, we grow four types of Arabica tree: Hibrido, Caturra, Red Catuai, and Yellow Catuai. Caturra is the coffee tree variety most widely used in Central and South America. Cup quality, productivity, and disease resistance are important factors to consider when deciding which strain to plant. Seed can be made on the farm from particularly fertile trees, as we do at La Minita, or bought from government agencies.
Once seed is selected, it is placed in a moist mulch to germinate. This takes about 30 days. The new seedlings are moved to a protected nursery where they are carefully grown for a year. The best specimens are then transplanted to the farm proper. It takes another two years for the trees to produce a significant amount of fruit. At five years of age, a tree is fully productive, bearing approximately 1000 fruit. This makes about one pound of raw coffee.
Trees are planted in terraced rows, approximately 2500 to the acre. On established farms, older trees are dug up and replaced with seedlings. At La Minita, trees have a life of 15 years, though on many farms they are allowed to produce much longer. Pruning is important to high-productivity and ease of harvest. A tree is rejuvenated when pruned and is able to devote its energy into producing fruit rather than wood and bark. Pruning also limits growth, making the fruit easier to reach and pick. Each year we prune one row of trees out of five to a height of 50 cm to maintain consistent production. Most modern farms use a similar system, but some farms spot prune which causes boom and bust cycles.
Coffee trees must be fertilized in order to produce enough fruit to be economical for the farmer. Nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium are added to the soil around the plant base three times per year. Also, minor elements like zinc and boron are sprayed on the undersides of leaves each year.
Weed and pest control must also be addressed. La Minita still weeds manually with machetes but due to economic pressures most farmers use, and often over-use, herbicides. Pests include boring worms (a large concern in olombia), spiders, molds and fungi.
Farmers who grow superior product must also consider shade for the coffee plants. Shade trees protect the coffee trees from direct sunlight and allow for slower warming up periods during the day and a slower cooling phase at night. The result is a better coffee at the cost of some production. We use the Poro tree which has wide, easily shaped leaves. This tree is also nitorgen fixing, meaning its roots convert atmospheric nitrogen into a food the coffee plants can use.
Smaller farms often use banana or orange trees which provide a secondary cash crop but rob the soil of nutrients.
The coffee fruit ripens gradually from green to yellow to a mature yellow or red depending on the variety. This does not happen all at once, so each tree must be picked at least four times by hand.
After the coffee is picked, the outer skin and fruit, or mucilage, must be removed to free the two seeds inside which we know as the coffee bean. This is accomplished in one of two ways depending primarily on the origin. Most of the coffees we offer are washed coffees. They are processed with the use of water and produce the cleanest cup. The coffee must be peeled, fermented, washed, dried, peeled again, polished, mixed, and finally bagged for shipment. At each step of the way it is being consistently scored for quality. Every part of the process is critical. A mistake in judgment or a lapse in attention could spoil a lot of coffee.
Other coffees come from areas that use the dry processing method. This entails drying the whole fruit in the sun until it can be hulled (removal of the outer skin and mucilage). This process takes between 12 and 20 days. Throughout this period, the fruit must be spread out on patios, to a specific depth, and periodically turned, to ensure uniform drying during the day, then piled and covered at night to retain heat and reduce moisture pick-up from dew. During this drying process the likelihood of either mold formation, or uncontrolled fermentation, is great. As a result, many of these coffees develop a dirty flavor in the cup. This makes it very difficult for us to obtain examples that meet our exacting standards. Roasting of the nearly tasteless, odorless, green coffee seeds is, after processing the fruit, probably the most important and difficult step on the road to the ultimate cup.
The origin, moisture content, and age of the raw coffee, are just a few of the variables that the roastmaster must consider. If all coffees are simply roasted to one specific color, without regard for their inherent differences, the subtle nuances of flavor can be lost. That is why our roastmaster and other staff members constantly cup our roasts. These continuous quality checks allow us to make any necessary adjustments so that our clients and their customers always receive a perfectly roasted coffee. For more on the roasting process, as well as information about the importance of correct packaging, see the following articles, "Profile of a Perfect Roast" and "Packaging for Profit."
In order to produce a world-class coffee, a farm must be blessed with the proper growing conditions. Climate, altitude and soil greatly influence the character and quality of coffee. However, even if the right conditions exist, it takes a remarkably large amount of planning, labor and care to create superior raw coffee.
At its best, coffee growing is a marriage of craft and technology. A farmer must combine the husbandry of the old ways with modern, scientific knowledge to produce a product that is satisfying to discriminating consumers and economically practical.
The first decision a farmer makes is which variety of coffee to propagate. Specialty coffee is of the Arabica variety, while most commercial (canned) coffee is a high-production, disease resistant variety, called Robusta.
There are many different Arabica strains from which to choose. On our farm, La Minita in Costa Rica, we grow four types of Arabica tree: Hibrido, Caturra, Red Catuai, and Yellow Catuai. Caturra is the coffee tree variety most widely used in Central and South America. Cup quality, productivity, and disease resistance are important factors to consider when deciding which strain to plant. Seed can be made on the farm from particularly fertile trees, as we do at La Minita, or bought from government agencies.
Once seed is selected, it is placed in a moist mulch to germinate. This takes about 30 days. The new seedlings are moved to a protected nursery where they are carefully grown for a year. The best specimens are then transplanted to the farm proper. It takes another two years for the trees to produce a significant amount of fruit. At five years of age, a tree is fully productive, bearing approximately 1000 fruit. This makes about one pound of raw coffee.
Trees are planted in terraced rows, approximately 2500 to the acre. On established farms, older trees are dug up and replaced with seedlings. At La Minita, trees have a life of 15 years, though on many farms they are allowed to produce much longer. Pruning is important to high-productivity and ease of harvest. A tree is rejuvenated when pruned and is able to devote its energy into producing fruit rather than wood and bark. Pruning also limits growth, making the fruit easier to reach and pick. Each year we prune one row of trees out of five to a height of 50 cm to maintain consistent production. Most modern farms use a similar system, but some farms spot prune which causes boom and bust cycles.
Coffee trees must be fertilized in order to produce enough fruit to be economical for the farmer. Nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium are added to the soil around the plant base three times per year. Also, minor elements like zinc and boron are sprayed on the undersides of leaves each year.
Weed and pest control must also be addressed. La Minita still weeds manually with machetes but due to economic pressures most farmers use, and often over-use, herbicides. Pests include boring worms (a large concern in olombia), spiders, molds and fungi.
Farmers who grow superior product must also consider shade for the coffee plants. Shade trees protect the coffee trees from direct sunlight and allow for slower warming up periods during the day and a slower cooling phase at night. The result is a better coffee at the cost of some production. We use the Poro tree which has wide, easily shaped leaves. This tree is also nitorgen fixing, meaning its roots convert atmospheric nitrogen into a food the coffee plants can use.
Smaller farms often use banana or orange trees which provide a secondary cash crop but rob the soil of nutrients.
The coffee fruit ripens gradually from green to yellow to a mature yellow or red depending on the variety. This does not happen all at once, so each tree must be picked at least four times by hand.
After the coffee is picked, the outer skin and fruit, or mucilage, must be removed to free the two seeds inside which we know as the coffee bean. This is accomplished in one of two ways depending primarily on the origin. Most of the coffees we offer are washed coffees. They are processed with the use of water and produce the cleanest cup. The coffee must be peeled, fermented, washed, dried, peeled again, polished, mixed, and finally bagged for shipment. At each step of the way it is being consistently scored for quality. Every part of the process is critical. A mistake in judgment or a lapse in attention could spoil a lot of coffee.
Other coffees come from areas that use the dry processing method. This entails drying the whole fruit in the sun until it can be hulled (removal of the outer skin and mucilage). This process takes between 12 and 20 days. Throughout this period, the fruit must be spread out on patios, to a specific depth, and periodically turned, to ensure uniform drying during the day, then piled and covered at night to retain heat and reduce moisture pick-up from dew. During this drying process the likelihood of either mold formation, or uncontrolled fermentation, is great. As a result, many of these coffees develop a dirty flavor in the cup. This makes it very difficult for us to obtain examples that meet our exacting standards. Roasting of the nearly tasteless, odorless, green coffee seeds is, after processing the fruit, probably the most important and difficult step on the road to the ultimate cup.
The origin, moisture content, and age of the raw coffee, are just a few of the variables that the roastmaster must consider. If all coffees are simply roasted to one specific color, without regard for their inherent differences, the subtle nuances of flavor can be lost. That is why our roastmaster and other staff members constantly cup our roasts. These continuous quality checks allow us to make any necessary adjustments so that our clients and their customers always receive a perfectly roasted coffee. For more on the roasting process, as well as information about the importance of correct packaging, see the following articles, "Profile of a Perfect Roast" and "Packaging for Profit."