Coffee Facts
We gathered these coffee facts for you and we hope you find them interesting and fun to read.
Varietals is the term used to describe coffee that comes from a specific geographical region. Like wine, the taste of coffee is also affected by different climates, soils, and cultivation methods.
Coffee grown in South America is medium bodied and mild in acidity.
Coffee grown in Central American has good acidity is medium bodied and has a full aroma.
Hawaii is the only North American coffee produced in commercial quantities and it is a favorite of many coffee drinkers with it's earthy taste and almost sweet aroma.
Coffees grown in the Pacific are unblended and pure, perfectly balanced, taste sweet and spicy, are low in acidity and full bodied.
Coffees grown in Africa often have a winey flavor, are well balanced in acidity and are medium to full bodied.
The style of coffee refers to how the coffee is actually roasted. These are the most popular roasts.
Light roasts which also consists of Cinnamon or Half City roasts.
Medium roasts which are Full City, American, Regular or Breakfast.
Dark roasts which are Continental, New Orleans or Vienna, which is most of Starbucks roasts.
Darkest roasts which are French, Italian or Espresso, which is a lot of Peets Blends.
Coffees, like wine grapes, get much of their flavor from specific growing conditions and preparation methods of each producing region.
Ideal growing conditions include: volcanic rich soil, cool temperatures, tropical rains and a high altitude.
Coffee is grown at numerous elevations along mountains up to about 7000 feet. Midway up the mountains, 4500' plus, is where the best quality beans are grown. These are called "strictly hard beans".
Coffee grows on trees. Individual trees take approximately five years to mature. The average height of a coffee tree is kept trimmed from 4 - 6 feet. This eases picking and maintains quality.
Of course, as with fruit trees, the best quality fruit is found at the center of the tree.
Crops begin with the flowering of the trees, and approximately 5 to 6 months later the fruit is ripe for harvesting. It takes 5 years for a tree to bear its first crop.
Bright white flowers signal the beginning of the growing season. The fruit matures to a bright red cherry. These cherries are harvested by hand and sent to a processing facility where they are milled, washed, sorted and dried.
At this point, they are ready for exporting. Coffee beans are shipped to roasting facilities in burlap bags.
A coffee tree will yield, on average, one pound of coffee per year. Interestingly, about 3,500 coffee beans are needed to produce one pound of roasted coffee.
