Behind the Scenes of Coffee is a whole lot of work. Coffee tree maintenance and coffee beans to pick and dry. Sorted and roasted.
What is a coffee cherry and a bean
The coffee cherries have two beans that are together inside. These are the beans that are dried and roasted then ground and percolated for your coffee. The cherries are totally edible and each type of coffee bean has a different taste. This red cherry is an Bourbon Arabica coffee bean that has a sweater taste and is delicate and more popular.
Growing the coffee trees.
Planting the coffee beans for the growth of a new coffee tree.
The growing process takes approximately 3 months with daily watering to keep it damp.
Once the stem of the coffee plant immerges it will come up with the bean then the two leaves will come out. It usually will take a decent size plant to plant in the shaded field.
The Coffee Trees.
The coffee trees are planted under other trees for shade. Watered regular and tendered to.
Behind the scenes of coffee
Maintenance.
The trees grow in the shade of other trees, and are planted in rows and at least a good space apart. This will make it easier to walk between. Their should not be any old tree stumps or branches left amongst them. This is to prevent the trees from insects, like borer.
The Coffee cherry stages
The tree will flower once your cycle of picking the cherries are done.
Flowers
Pretty white flowers all down their stems. Pollinated by our bees. These flowers do not last long, only maybe 2 or 3 days. They have a beautiful aroma and this is what attracts the bees. This photo shows you a dried coffee bean that was left on the tree. A honey bee foraging on the flowers.
Pollination
Bees pollinating the coffee tree flowers.
The bees are attracted to the aromatic coffee bean flowers. That seems to be when the flowers are almost finishing. In a research they found that the flower has some caffeine in the nectar and this increases the bees long term memory. This way they remember where the flowers were. view the link for more info. Coffee Flowers give Bees a Buzz.
Once the flowers are finished, the bean immediately starts to grow.
Coffee Bean.
The green bean will grow from small to a larger size. This also depends on the water it gets given.
The green bean will then start to ripen and turn a light yellow reddish color. Some of the different types of trees produce the beans differently on the stem. One type will be in a cluster and the other sparingly on the branch. (will get into the type of trees )
The red cherry or yellow cherry beans will be ready to be picked once they are very dark red. A little soft on feel, and to my experience they come off easier. These cherry beans are from the Arabica, Bourbon and Typica trees.
The yellow cherry beans ones will be bright yellow. The Tree is called Arabica, Caturra Tree. This coffee is brown or dark yellow in color when brewed as the bean is roasted very briefly, so that the content of caffeine and water is higher. Mostly grown in Columbia.
There is a season for these coffee beans to be ripe. Although you may get select few during the year to pick.
All the coffee beans are select picked. That means only ripe cherry beans are picked. Below are green and red cherries. The red cherries are quit sweet.
Drying stages
Once the cherries are picked we need to dry them in the sun. Some coffee farmers skin their beans first, then dry the beans. With us leaving the skins on the bean it absorbs the flavor of the cherry.
Our drying method is to dry the picked red or yellow cherries on a galvanized mesh table. lifted at least table height of the ground and in the sun, so that a breeze can also keep them airated. Closed up when it rains.
The drying usually takes a week depending on the weather. If there is sunny days all week, then they dry easy. We also keep the same days pickings together as this makes it easier to know how long they have been drying for.
The different beans.
Red cherry coffee beans
Yellow cherry coffee beans, and dried ones at the back.
Once coffee beans are dried, they may be stored or sent for skinning.
The skins are very useful for chicken bedding or pig sty’s. They also make the soil acidic and may be used for fertilizer.
The peeled or skinned dry coffee bean. (called the green bean)
Then the beans get roasted to different roasts. Ready for sale.
A medium roast or a full roast.
Roasted and ground coffee beans. Now for some amazing coffee.
The Trees
The trees on the farm are different Arabic coffee trees. Also grow in higher altitudes and in the shade. Ecuador south is where the farm is. Good stable weather most of the year round.
Wonderful to be on the farm and experience all these different fruits and trees available.
Learn about coffee flowers and bees pollinating.
- Coffee flowers give bees a buzz
- Bees Pollinate aromatic coffee flowers
- Farm bees foraging coffee flowers
Other farm lifestyle and homesteading produce and fields.
Save the bees.
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