Coffee plantations: crop production, varieties and types

The coffee It is the drink obtained from infusing the roasted and ground beans of the coffee plant, also known as the coffee plant. Most of us drink this stimulating drink daily, but do we really know its origin and do we know the properties ofWhat type of coffee are we consuming?

Since Incapto We want to resolve all your doubts and explain all the curiosities of coffee plantations, from the moment the seed comes into contact with the earth, until your palate tastes the acidic and bitter notes of this world-famous drink.

What are the coffee plantations like?

The coffee cultivation It is an art called coffee growing and it has certain characteristics that make this type of plantation different from all other types of cultivation. To know the coffee production process, the first thing we must know are the areas where it is possible to grow it.

You have probably never seen a specimen of this tree called coffee, since it is grown in places with very specific climatic conditions, in which factors such as altitude, humidity and temperature intervene. These very specific circumstances only occur in some tropical regions of Africa, America and Asia.

There are some coffee growing areas in the Canary Islands, but its production is minimal, as is the case in some strips of the Portuguese islands.

What is the coffee plant like?

The coffee plant is called coffee tree, as we mentioned previously, and grows in the form of a shrub or small tree, measuring between 4 and 10 meters in height. One of the main characteristics of this tropical species is that, unlike most trees, they can produce flowers and fruit at the same time and with a different degree of maturity.

The seed that is hidden inside the fruits of the coffee tree (coffee cherries) is what we know as a coffee bean The fruits of the coffee tree have this characteristic name because they are similar to cherries and each of them has two seeds inside.

To be able plant a coffee tree Seeds from a recent harvest should be used. These seeds will be sown in pots, to be able to control that they germinate correctly, so that seedlings are obtained. The pots must be nourished daily and watered with just the necessary water.

After about 7 months We will get a plant strong enough to be transplanted to a coffee plantation (coffee planting field).

Coffee varieties and types

There are more than 80 different types of coffee, but currently only 2 predominate, which are the ones we consume daily.

Arabica Coffee

Coffee Arabica It is a type of grain with indigenous origins, coming from the mountains of Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula, this is the reason why it got its name. But, the truth is that plantations of this coffee variety can also be found in the highlands of southwestern Ethiopia and southeastern Sudan.

You can find it under other names when purchasing it: Arabian coffee, mountain coffee or Arabica coffee. This is believed to be the first type of coffee that was cultivated, since its plantations date back more than 1,000 years, in southwestern Saudi Arabia. It is considered as the purer coffee production, compared to the other varieties that we can find, especially compared to Robusta coffee.

The coffee drink that is extracted from these seeds has a lower concentration of caffeine than any other coffee variety sold on the market. Its flavor is more aromatic and less bitter. The grain is elongated with a curved incision and its maturation lasts between 9 and 11 months.

Coffea canephora or Robusta

Coffea canephora is better known as Robusta coffee and is a variety of coffee that has its origins in central and western sub-Saharan Africa. Its main crops are currently in Africa and Brazil, where they often also call this type, Conillon.

Some plantations can also be found in Southeast Asia, since the French introduced this crop in the 19th century. Although we have to say that the production of Robusta coffee in recent years has given way to great power: Vietnam. This Asian country has been able to surpass Brazil and Africa in its production of Robusta coffee, becoming the most powerful exporting country of this product in the world.

The production of Robusta represents a 40% of world production of coffee and the other 60% goes to Arabica coffee. This type of coffee is much easier to care for than the one that comes from Arabia, which means that the plantations are much cheaper, although they offer lower quality.

Robusta beans are considered smaller than the other variety, which is why their use is intended, most of the time, to be used as filling in coffee blends of low quality. It is also used to produce instant coffee and is mixed with espresso to give it a creamy texture. Robusta coffee has approximately twice as much caffeine as Arabica coffee. In Incapto We always sell and recommend the Arabica variety rather than the Robusta since it is of higher quality.

We hope that this article has been able to resolve all the doubts you had about the coffee plantations, what is their cultivation and what are the varieties and types that exist. Take a look at our website Incapto, where you will find detailed information about the coffee we consume today and we will give you the tools to buy the highest quality beans.

Bibliography:

• Julca-Otiniano, A., Alarcón-Águila, G., Alvarado-Huamán, L., Borjas-Ventura, R., & Castro-Cepero, V. (2018). Behavior of three coffee cultivars (Catimor, Colombia and Costa Rica 95) in the El Perené valley, Junín, Peru. Chilean journal of agricultural & animal sciences, 34(3), 205-215.
• Aguilar, M. E., Ortiz, J. L., Mesén, F., Jimenez, L., & Altmann, F. (2018). Cafe Arabica Coffea arabica L. In Step Wise Protocols for Somatic Embryogenesis of Important Woody Plants (pp. 39-62). Springer, Cham.