The Plants - origin and growing

From a botanical point of view, the coffee plant is a tree, not a bush. It can grow up to a height of 10 metres as a wild tropical plant. In coffee plantations, it is constantly cut back to form a bush of 1.5-3 metres in order to facility plucking work.

It is 3-4 years between planting and the first harvest. A coffee plant achieves maximum fertility after 6-8 years, when it bears up to 8 kilograms of coffee berries, from which approx. 2 kilograms of coffee beans can be obtained.

The coffee plant thrives best in the same temperature zones in which humans also feel climatically comfortable. Warm, not too hot days, cool but not too cold nights. These temperatures are found in equatorial countries and higher mountainous regions.

Only two plant varieties are of economic importance: The longest known and most widespread variety is the Arabica (Coffea Arabica). It originates in Ethiopia and makes up approx. 75% of world production. The second most common variety is Coffea Canephora – also known as Robusta. The Coffea Robusta originally comes from Uganda, and its beans have a strong, slightly earthy, bitter taste.

Air humidity, sunshine, shade and rainfall play an important role for the plants, as they all affect the taste of all the bean varieties.

Due to the various plant varieties in the regions, different growing altitudes, and other growing conditions, each coffee has its own typical, origin-based flavour, which, if tasted consciously by interested persons, is unmistakable.