It grows on an evergreen shrub in hot climates. Two seeds or beans grow inside a red cherry-like fruit. These beans are roasted and then ground to make coffee.
Coffee farmers must be careful to protect their trees from sunlight, because coffee trees haven’t evolved to withstand direct sunlight for extended periods of time. Even an unpruned, 16-foot coffee tree would sit well below the forest’s canopy, so taller plants would filter out any direct sunlight.
Most coffee-growing countries have distinct dry and rainy seasons. Trees are planted during the wet season, because it’s easier to dig holes, and the roots are able to spread through the moist soil. Traditionally, farmers would dig a hole during the rainy season and place 20 unprocessed seeds in the hole. About half of these seeds would germinate, and the farmer would select the healthiest sapling of the bunch. More recently, seedlings are started indoors in greenhouses and then transplanted into fields. This method has a higher success rate.
Farmers won’t see crops from new trees for 3 to 4 years, and the total life span of a tree is between 25 and 30 years. When it’s at its peak, a coffee tree will produce 1 to 1½ pounds of roasted coffee a year.
Credit : Driftaway
Picture Credit : Google
