Saturday, October 11, 2008

What You Didn't Know About Coffee Beans

By Leroy Calstard

Researchers and experts have always wondered since ages on the marvel of the concept of bean plantation. It is indeed a contradiction that a tree which is grown in more than 70 countries, right from Indonesia to Brazil has an immensely narrow range of accompanying conditions that govern the production of quality beans. The amazingly small amount of output that emerges from the extensive procedure is another unusual fact.

The Seed

Specialists on the subject point out that what appears to be a bean is actually a seed that is ground to make the drink. This seed is basically known to grow on trees that reach up to a height of a whopping twenty feet or even more. In fact, there are some wild varieties that might grow over 45 feet or 15 mm also. The ideal temperature for this particular seed is between 15C (60F) and 21C (70F), along with a rainfall of six inches or more. A loamy, good-draining soil and high humidity are also helpful factors. In addition, since diffuse light and moderate winds are also effective, at times such conditions are deliberately created by growing the seed in shelter and shade.

Once plantation has been done, the tree generally takes up to five years to mature to the first crop. Such trees normally have broad, dark green leaves and generally blossom over a six to eight week period. It is another amazing fact that one such tree will only make about two pounds or one kilogram of coffee. Picking of the beans by manual laborers is the next step in this process. This is done by leaving out the bad beans, which also accounts for the high price of the drink. On an average, a good harvest will bring around 6,600 lbs and 8,800 lbs per hectare.

In all, there is usually a gap of nine months between blossom to harvest, which might vary in accordance with the weather and other such factors. The berries thus produced are then brought down and processed to manufacture the popular drink. A series of state-of-the art techniques and machinery is used for the processing of beans, before it is ready for your coffee maker.

The likes of robusta or coffea canephora are used to produce to the maximum amount of coffee, basically due to the fact that these can be grown at lower altitudes and are more resistant to disease.

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