Coffee

Family - Rubiaceae
Genus - Coffea
Species - arabica and canephora
 Two Types of Coffee
About 90 Coffea spp in Africa

 Arabica, C. arabica  Robusta, C. canephora

 Tetraploid, self fertile  Diploid, self incompatible
 Ethiopia highlands  Rain forest of Congo basin
– >1600m – <750m
– 15-24°C – 24-30°C
– 1300 mm – 1550 mm
 Best quality  Less flavor, acidity
 Susceptible to rust  Resistant to rust

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 Two Types of Coffee
About 90 Coffea spp in Africa

 Arabica, C. arabica  Robusta, C. canephora

 Medium size tree  Medium to large tree
– 14-20’ tall – Up to 32’ tall
 Medium vigor  Vigorous
 Leaves  Leaves
– Smaller – Larger
– Thinner – Thicker
 Seedlings uniform  Seedlings variable

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Distribution of Cultivated Coffee

Amsterdam
Paris

1725
Martinique Yemen
arabica 1700
1690
canephora
1900 Java
1710

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Coffee Production and Yield

0.7 0.7
0.65
0.6 0.56
0.5
0.42
0.4 0.36
0.3

S. America
S. America

0.2 0.19 0.19

C. Amer
C. Amer

0.2

Africa
Africa

Asia
Asia

0.1

0
% Production MT/ha

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 World Coffee Production
 Brazil
– 21.1%, arabica
– Only country with frost possibility in coffee zone
 Colombia
– 13.9%, arabica
 Indonesia
– 7.3%, robusta
 Other important producing countries
– Vietnam, Mexico, Ethiopia, India, Guatemala, Ivory
Coast, Uganda

1996 data from Wilson, 1999. Coffee, Cocoa, and Tea. CABI Publishing.

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 Major Consumers
 High proportion imported by
developed countries
– USA 23%
– EEC 39%

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The Seed of the Fruit is the Economic Part
A Drupe like a Peach

 Both begin bearing in 3-

4 years
 Time to mature fruit
– Arabica, 7-8 months
– Robusta, 11-12 months
 Productive for 20-30
years
 Both need pruning for
best production

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The Coffee Fruit is called a Cherry

 Exocarp
– Red skin
 Mesocarp
– Sweet pulp
 Endocarp, hull
– Testa (silvery)
– Bean (embryo and
cotyledons)

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 The Coffee Fruit is called a Cherry
 Exocarp
– Red skin
 Mesocarp
– Sweet pulp
 Endocarp, hull
– Testa (silvery)
– Bean (embryo and
cotyledons)
– Parchment coffee is the bean,
testa, endocarp
From Wilson, 1999. Coffee, Cocoa, and Tea, CABI Publishing.

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Coffee Tree Growth Cycle
 Dry and/or cool season
– Floral initiation
– Reduced vegetative growth
 Wet season
– Flowers open, fruit set and begin development
– Active vegetative growth
 Dry and/or cool season
– Fruit ripen
– Flower buds initiate
– Reduced vegetative growth

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 Coffee Tree Growth Habit
 Orthotropic stem
– Erect growth
 Plagiotropic stems
– Horizontal secondary
stems growing off of
orthotropic stems
– These are the fruiting
wood

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 Coffee Farmers

 Grown under many conditions

– Plantations and smaller farmers
– Under shade and in full sun
– Monoculture and mixed farming
systems

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 Coffee Production
 Propagation
– For arabica
 Most is done by seed
– Clonal propagation
 Hybrids
 Robusta types

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 Coffee Production
 Planting
– Slightly acid (pH 5.2 to 6.3) well drained soil
– Beginning of wet season
– Vertical position or 30° angle
 Spacing - need light for fruit ripening
– Arabica, 1350 trees/ha
– Robusta, 900-1000 trees/ha
 Time to fruiting
– Take 3-4 years to obtain mature plant
– Fruit on year old wood

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Shade and Coffee Production

 Both species are understorey trees

– Well adapted to shade
– Initially coffee was planted under
shade
– Small holders may use mixed farming
 Later unshaded plants were shown
to produce higher yields

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Shade and Coffee Production
8
7
6
5
4 Fertilized
3 No fertilizer
2
1
0
Shaded Unshaded
Data from Wilson, 1999. Coffee, Cocoa, and Tea, Figure 6.4.

Conclusion:
High input system - better with fertilizer
Low input system - not as essential
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 Coffee Production
 Training/Pruning objectives
– Maximize # plagiotrophic stems (fruiting
wood)
– Shape trees
 Maximize use of space
 Ease of management
– Maintain open tree to allow good light
penetration
– Minimize biennial bearing
– Remove diseased and dead wood

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 Single Stem Training
(Central leader)

 Cut back orthotropic stem

– Encourages plagiotropic
stem formation
 Repeat for 3-5 years
– With each cycle the tree gets
bigger
– Lower limbs die due to lack
of light
 Rejuvenate after 3-5 years
– To reduce size of tree
– Cut back to 40-50 cm height

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 Single Stem Training
(Central leader)

 Cut back orthotropic stem

– Encourages plagiotropic stem
formation
– Select one orthotropic as new
leader
 Repeat for 3-5 years
– With each cycle the tree gets
bigger
– Lower limbs die due to lack of light
 Rejuvenate after 3-5 years
– To reduce size of tree
– Cut back to 40-50 cm height

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 Single Stem Training
(Central leader)

 Cut back orthotropic stem

– Encourages plagiotropic stem
formation
– Select one orthotropic as new
leader
 Repeat for 3-5 years
– With each cycle the tree gets
bigger
– Lower limbs die due to lack of light
 Rejuvenate after 3-5 years
– To reduce size of tree
– Cut back to 40-50 cm height

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 Multiple Stem Training
(Modified Central Leader)

 Leave 2-8 orthotropic stems

 Pruning
– Cut back (or bend) orthotropic
stem
 Encourages orthotropic

stem formation
 Select several orthotropic

stems to be new leaders

– Eliminate growth in center of
tree

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 Multiple Stem Training
(Modified Central Leader)

 Leave 2-8 orthotropic stems

 Pruning
– Eliminate growth in center
of tree
– Continues growing taller
– Cropping area moves higher

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 Multiple Stem Training
(Modified Central Leader)
 Leave 2-8 orthotropic stems
 Pruning
– Cut out wood in center
– Continues growing taller
– Cropping area moves higher

 Rejuvenation every 4-6

years
– Need to lower fruiting
surface
– Allow basal suckers to grow

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 Multiple Stem Training
(Modified Central Leader)
 Rejuvenation every 4-6
years
– Allow suckers to grow
 Remove old branches
– Stump with “lung”
 Once suckers begin to
grow remove “lung”

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Harvest

 Most done by hand

– Ripe berries only
 Pick every 8-10 days
– In Brazil, allow cherries
to dry on tree
 Machine harvest in
Brazil
– Oscillating fingers
– 7-9% immature fruit
From Wilson, 1999. Coffee, Cocoa, and Tea, CABI Publishing.

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 Disease and Pests Problems
 Losses due to diseases
– Africa 15%
– Asia 10%
– S. Am. 12%
 Coffee rust (Hemeleia vastatrix)
– History
 First in Sri Lanka in 1880
 Now throughout world
– Control
 Robusta/hybrids resistant
 Less serious above 1700 m
 Cu fungicides
 Coffee Berry Disease (Colletotrichum)
– Cause berry rot

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 Disease and Pests Problems
 Losses due to pests
– Africa 20%
– Asia
– S. Am.
15%
15%
 Insert Fig
 Coffee Berry Borer 8.4, p 87
– History
 Originate in Africa
 Now throughout world
– Damage
 Larvae feed on bean
– Control
 Berry removal
 Chemicals
 IPM
 Monkeys, birds From Wilson, 1999. Coffee, Cocoa, and Tea, CABI Publishing.

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 Coffee Processing

Bean Processing done on the

Farm
 Wet Method
 Start on Harvest Day
– Separate trash and defective berries
by flotation
– Good berries are depulped same day
 Fermentation
– Only to remove mucilaginous covering
– Excessive heat destroys flavor

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 Wet Method
 Washed
– Water under pressure
 Dried - spread out to
dry
– Sun
– Artificial heat
 Best quality
– Gives coffee that is cleaner,
brighter, fruitier, better acidity

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 Dry Method (Natural Method)
(Most traditional and least expensive)
 Drying (Indonesia, Ethiopia, Brazil, Yemen)
– Initial drying done on trees
– Spread on concrete, tile or matted
surface
 2” thick and constantly raked
 3-15 days until specific moisture
 Pergamino is dry and crumbly

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 Dry Method
(Most traditional and least expensive)
 Remove pericarp
– Mortar and pestle or machine
 Chaff removed via winnowing and picking
 Sorted by size, shape, density and color
 Packed in 60 kg bags for processing

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 Industrial Processing
(Usually by importing company)
 Grading process
– Redry and clean the parchment beans before using
– Remove testa (hulling and polishing)
– Sort on size and density
 Roasting (370°F to 540°F)
– Removes moisture
 Light roast lose 3-5% moisture
 Dark roast lose 8-14% moisture
– Time (up to 30 min) determines flavor
 Decreasing the amount of
– Chlorogenic acid
– Trigonelline
 Grinding

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 Industrial Processing
(Usually by importing company)

 Caffeine Reduction
– Add water to beans
– Extract with
 Methylene chloride and ethyl acetate
 Residual solvent removed via low level
steam drying
– Caffeine can be recovered with
water extraction of organic solvent

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 Industrial Processing
(Usually by importing company)

 Once ground the beans lose flavor

rapidly
 Grinding
– Coarse to medium (600-1100 μm)
 Home percolators
– Fine grinds (Automatic percolators)
 Europe (400-500 μm)
 USA (600-700 μm)

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 Industrial Processing
(Usually by importing company)

 Instant Coffee
– Extract soluble solids, volatile aroma and
flavor with water
 Drying
– Drum drying - poor appearance
– Spray drying - loses flavor volatiles
– Freeze drying - best product
 Best retention of flavor
 Produces granules
 No evaporation so no loss of flavor
 Coffee oil for head space aroma

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Any Questions?