When it comes to coffee cultivation, there are parallels to wine
The composition of the soil and the amount of sun and rainfall during the ripening period have a strong effect on the taste of the coffee. The sensitive coffee plants need a balanced climate all year round, day and night, without extreme heat or cold, as well as sufficient rainfall and plenty of shade.
Soil quality plays a major role, as the coffee plant needs nutrient-rich soil. Ideally, this has a pH value between 5 and 6, meaning it is slightly acidic. The volcanic soils that are very common in Ethiopia in particular have this property and are also very nutrient-rich. As with wine, the soil composition is referred to as the terroir.
Coffee bushes grow up to 3.5 meters tall and are only found in the wild in Ethiopia. The bushes bear fruit that we call coffee cherries. Coffee beans are the seeds of these cherries. Unlike local cherries, the kernel consists of two parts, or two coffee beans.
There are more than 60 types of coffee and countless varieties
We distinguish between around 60 different types of coffee, but only two of them are important for the world market. One is “Coffea Arabica” and the other is “Coffea Canephora”, the most important sub-genus of which is “Robusta”. Arabica plants now make up around 70% of global coffee crops. There are numerous Arabica varieties such as Magaogype (also called elephant beans because of their size) or Bourbon. The Robusta share amounts to just over 30% of global coffee crops. Arabica plants are highland plants and thrive best at altitudes above 900 meters, at an average temperature of 18° - 22 °C. Coffee cherries ripen more slowly at cool altitudes. This leads to more pronounced aromas.
The higher the cultivation area, the lower the average temperature and the slower the coffee cherry grows. With slow growth, the bush, just like wine, has more time to grow and develop its cherries. This has a positive effect on the strength and variety of aromas in the coffee beans. Since Robusta plants can tolerate higher temperatures and larger temperature fluctuations than Arabica plants, they can also be cultivated in lowlands - for example on plantations in Brazil and Vietnam, the two largest coffee producers in the world. The maximum possible average temperature for Robusta plants is 24° - 26°C.
