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
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.
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 specialty.
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 brew, give a thought to the long journey it traveled to reach your cup. It might make that high price seem less steep.
Filed under Coffee, Coffee Beans by . 3 Comments. 
Or How to Buy A Coffee
How can you go to work with out that cup ‘o joe in your hands. For many office dwellers each day, coffee is an ever increasingly important ritual to their day. Most offices supply coffee today to keep their employees awake usually during the early part of the afternoon.
If you want to help your fellow employees remain productive during the day, than consider buying a Krups
Many studies done in offices that offer free coffee to their employees find that they are far more productive when compared to offices that don’t have a bottomless cup rule.
It is important to note that coffee will not be the only thing that is keeping the office awake but it goes a long way when it comes to keeping people and ideas flowing around the office.
The Right Krups Coffee Maker
You may already know Krups as a leading manufacturer of espresso
You want to take time to review and learn about the varying models of coffee makers Krups offers. In order to assist you with making this choice of the right Krups coffee maker, I want you to take a closer look at your office set up.
How many people work in your office? How many hours do they work? For a large office with many employees, you should of course consider one of the heavy duty models of Krups coffee maker.
As you can guess, the heavy duty Krups coffee maker is a tad expensive but it is a worthwhile investment for your money. When you get a heavy duty coffee maker it will be able to survive the inevitable heavy battering it will get so it can last you a few years before you need to replace it. Bottom line, the heavy duty style Krups coffee makers comes with an energy saving system so you use less energy to produce the coffee your employees desire.
How to Install Your Krups Coffee Maker
The best part is that installing your Krups coffee maker in your office is far from difficult. First you just need to find an good and accessible spot to put your coffee maker. It should be near an electrical power plug as well as close to a water supply. Many offices have special coffee areas or a small kitchen where they put up their coffee maker.
Now the work begins. In order to keep the coffee flowing through out the day you will need to purchase a few bags coffee…ground or as beans. This will greatly depend on how large your office is and if someone is up to grinding the beans. There are companies that keep you supplied by delivering each week. You should store the coffee beans
Someone will need to be accountable to make coffee everyday. It is nice to share this task around several people so it does not become a chore. That person should check the coffee maker regularly to make sure that there is freshly brewed coffee and that it does not run out in the middle of the day.
Over time you will adjust to the wonderful hum and social atmosphere that will pop up in your office and the smiling happy faces of the employees.
Filed under Coffee Machines, Espresso Machines by . Comment.
