Overview of specialty coffee cultivation
Have you ever wondered about specialty coffee cultivation? Is it different from growing other coffee plants?
How do coffee beans germinate?
Is specialty coffee cultivation different from other plants?
The cultivation of Specialty coffee is fundamentally different from the cultivation of mass coffee. Everything from the selection of coffee varieties and habitats is done differently when it comes to maximum quality. Growing high-quality coffee requires much human effort, which is also reflected in the price.
Native to Ethiopia, the coffee tree (Coffea arabica) will flower in spring with small white flowers and bear fruit with half an inch long berries. Gradually, the coffee berries turn from green to dark red pods. Each coffee bean contains two green beans – nature’s wonderful gift that will extract the fragrant cups of coffee you enjoy every day.
In their native habitat, coffee plants grow into medium-sized trees. But growers regularly prune the tree to a more manageable size. Although coffee trees are vigorous plants, it usually takes several years before the trees mature to flower and bear their first harvest.
Coffee seedlings in the nursery at Fazenda Bella Epoca in Brazil
Optimal growth conditions for coffee plants
Altitude
Altitude is an important factor that has a great influence on the taste of coffee beans. Coffee trees growing at high altitudes with mild climate conditions can slow down the growth cycle and at the same time greatly limit the impact of harmful organisms, creating a good premise for complex sugars to mix. blend to help the attractive notes hidden deep. Therefore, most of the outstanding quality specialty coffees are usually grown on hillsides about 1000m above sea level.
Soil quality
Water retention and drainage are essential and extremely important factors for the growth of coffee plants. Soil needs to absorb water for maximum nutrients for the plant. The soil also needs good drainage so that the roots don’t rot.
High-quality coffee growers are very fond of choosing soil with high mineral content to cultivate this crop. During the growth process, coffee seedlings or mature coffee trees are always supplemented with nutrients through the thick soil layer by the cycle of regeneration and renewal of the soil.
The light
This is also an essential element to create the most delicious coffee. Good coffees are usually grown high up and in the shade. Because direct sunlight can make coffee cherries ripen too quickly. The most quintessential notes will be accumulated over time if the farmer can fulfill these important requirements.
A coffee farm grown in Hawaii
How to choose seeds?
There are many types of coffee. Some varieties are high quality but susceptible to diseases. Some give higher yields than others but are difficult to cultivate. Some are sweeter and some are only suitable for certain soil types.
So, how does a producer choose varieties that achieve the desired flavor?
That factor will vary from country to country, says ICFC Panama biologist and coffee value chain analyst Valentina Pedrotti. Climate, soil, altitude, humidity and local culture are often the defining characteristics of a producer’s choice as it influences the flavor of the final Arabica coffee.
Many people still just want to plant what has traditionally been popular in that area. Other farming options include cost, the expected market value of the beans, and pests which are also a big issue. So every choice should be decided wisely as well as in accordance with the conditions of the growing area.
How to plant seeds
For the first two stages of coffee growing, temperature is much more important than altitude, says Ricardo Alvarez, an agronomist at Finca Los Tres Potros in El Salvador. For example, the ideal temperature range of Arabica is 18°C - 21°C (64°F – 70°F). If the weather is hotter than this, the plant may be adversely affected in yield.
Alvarez does his seed incubation starting with a bed of treated sand to promote germination, growth, and disease prevention. He incubates coffee beans in seed beds for 70 days.
Next, he transplanted the seedlings into each bag filled with a fertile soil mixture. The young plants stay in this tiny nursery for 7 months to a whole year. He wrapped them with plastic wrap to better control the amount of light. At this stage, it is important to note that the main root must grow vertically to create stability and increase the life of the coffee plant being nursed.
Once that phase is done, the incubated coffee beans must be transferred to individual pots filled with carefully fertilized soil for optimal plant growth. The potted seedlings are shaded and watered regularly until they are strong enough to move to a large farmland area. According to Alvarez, it is best to plant coffee in the rainy season to ensure that the soil element remains moist because the roots have grown firmly.
A Nicaraguan farmer prunes coffee after harvesting cherries on the tree
Harvest
Depending on the specific coffee variety, it can be determined whether it will take about 3 or 4 years for the newly planted coffee bushes to bear fruit. Coffee berries, commonly known as cherries, depending on how ripe they are, will change from green to bright red or dark red. Unripe fruits will be green. Cherries will ripen faster under lower altitudes and higher temperatures than the standard Arabica coffee needs. But that will definitely affect the taste of the coffee beans.
Farmers can harvest coffee by hand to ensure that only ripe cherries are picked. Hand picking is a laborious and laborious process where everyone needs to carefully check the ripeness of each cherry one by one. To make matters worse, cherries can ripen at different times so it will take several pickings to clear a farm. It is hard work and time consuming, but that careful selection and perseverance helps ensure the highest quality coffee beans in the supply chain.
In countries like Brazil, where the land is flat and the coffee is grown on large farms, some places the cherries can be harvested by machine. But whether by machine or by man, it is also divided into 2 ways of harvesting:
– Strip picking: The cherries will be stripped from the branches by hand or by machine.
– Selective picking: Red cherries are picked and green ones are left on the branches until ripe. Picking will be done over a period of 10 days. Since this is a labor-intensive method, it is mainly used to harvest high-quality Arabica coffee.
In most other regions there is only one major harvest season per year. However, in some countries, such as Kenya and Colombia, there are still two harvest seasons; one season for the main crop and one season for the secondary crop. Coffee harvested at the beginning and end of the season can often have a much worse taste, while coffee picked in the middle of the season will achieve the best flavor. Savvy roasters will often buy their coffee mid-season.
Harvest is arguably the most stressful time. Because coffee trees bear fruit at an uneven rate
Factors affecting the growth of coffee plants
Coffee farms are a complex ecosystem, because specialty coffee almost never grows in monoculture systems. And for proper growth, coffee plants must be provided with proper shade, where farmers will use other plants to provide shade for the main commercial coffee tree. They are usually broad-canopy trees that grow quickly and provide shade to the lower coffee bushes. This method helps prevent sunburn and is the standard method used on the best farms. Newly harvested coffee trees should be shaded about 70%, after harvesting coffee, it is possible to prune the shade trees so that the coffee trees have more light, stimulating the “regeneration” process for autumn. next plan.
Another year-round activity on farms is weeding – the high soil fertility and favorable climatic conditions are ideal environments for the rapid growth of undesirable plants. They compete with coffee plants for space and nutrients. In addition, they grow very quickly and their removal is essential as well as part of the daily routine on the farm.
These are just a few of the many aspects that need to be taken into account when running a coffee farm that produces Specialty beans.
Coffee beans after preliminary processing at the farm
This is not all the coffee beans go through to be the best in your taste experience. Behind the growing and harvesting process is preliminary processing, roasting and delicate blending methods to reveal the fullest flavor. Come to 43 Factory Coffee Roaster to enjoy fragrant coffee beans.
