What is coffee?

Coffee is grown on coffee trees, which are evergreen shrubs believed to have originated in the highlands of Ethiopia and tropical Africa. They belong to the genus Coffea and are part of the Rubiaceae family.

There are currently 80 taxa (or species) of coffee trees, but we generally only consume two: Coffea arabica (historically the oldest cultivated variety) and Coffea canephora (Robusta coffee).

Coffee trees produce white flowers that develop into fleshy red, purple, or yellow fruits called coffee cherries. Each fruit measures between 1 and 2 cm in length and contains two pits, each holding a green coffee bean. The cinnamon, brown, or black color is due to roasting the beans. A fascinating subject that we will cover in a future article.

It takes several months (6 to 8 for Arabica and 9 to 11 for Robusta) after flowering for the fruits to reach sufficient maturity for coffee harvesting.

Regarding harvesting, two methods can be used:

• Hand-picking, which involves manually picking only the perfectly ripe cherries. This is the most expensive technique, but it ensures high-quality coffee. It lasts an average of 3 months. Or
• Stripping, which involves scraping all the cherries from the branch whether they are ripe or not, resulting in a more acidic coffee due to the presence of still-green fruits. This method, on the other hand, can be mechanized.

At Shoukâ

We have chosen to roast hand-picked coffees to ensure the high quality of the specialty coffee we produce.

Specialty coffee (also known as fine or rare coffee) is a gourmet coffee with no defects. It comes from a terroir that has its own identity, whether through its origins, its flavors (acidity, bitterness, sweetness...), or its aromas (fruity, gourmand, spicy...).

Want to learn more about specialty coffee? We will cover it in greater depth in upcoming articles.

Did you know?

Coffee cultivation has a unique characteristic that sets it apart from others. It is not seasonal. Indeed, coffee trees have the particularity of being able to produce fruit all year round, as flowers, green cherries, and red cherries can all be found on the same branch.

Coffee trees can reach 6m to 8m depending on the variety, but are generally kept around 4m to allow for easier harvesting when cultivated.

Furthermore, keeping a coffee tree to the size of a small shrub allows it to maintain high productivity for more than 30 years. However, it takes about 3 years for a coffee tree to reach a sufficient size to produce fruit, and another 2 to 3 years before it yields its first harvest.