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 The map above shows where the coffee we roast is grown, though it originates in these places the only ports in the U.S. where it is received are San Francisco, New York and New Orleans. As you can see from the map, most coffee is grown along the equator, the rest being grown mainly between the tropics which are at 23° N and 23° S of the equator. Here along 'the middle of the world' the climate is warmer and more humid, more suitable for the sensitive coffee plants. All in all, it is grown in over 50 countries across the globe and thirty of those countries yield over 5,000,000 tons per year. For many of these countries, these crops are a pivotal part of their economic infrastructure. Their are over 60 varieties of coffee that grown around the world, yet only two are commercially harvested; Arabica and Robusta. Arabica beans are of a higher quality, and naturally lower in caffeine then the Robusta beans. Because Arabica beans are not as hardy as Robusta, they are grown at elevations between 3,000 and 6,000 feet or more where frost is rare. One coffee tree produces only about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of coffee per year season, but since they are higher quality then Robusta, gourmet coffee distributors like Pierce Brothers Coffee Roasters™ only use this type of bean. Robusta beans are more resilient to disease and drought, so are grown at lower elevations of 2000 feet down to sea level. Robusta trees produce almost double the amount of beans per season, but produce a coffee that is of lesser quality. Therefore, companies that use these beans often blend them with Arabica for their canned and instant coffees. Also, just a little fun fact, Hawaii is the only U.S. state that grows coffee. Americans drink over 1/3 of all coffee produced around the world. Although Colombia is where most people think of as growing coffee, it's neighbor, Brazil actually produces more, with Colombia producing only about 2/3 of Brazil's crops. |
Coffee actually is a fruit, a little red berry much resembling cherries. The branches you see to the left start out forming delicate white, jasmine-like blossoms that last for a little more than a day, then give way to the berries you see here. Though that being said, the berries you see aren't the coffee you drink, they only house the beans. The outer skin of the berry is very thick and be
either red, or yellow or even brown in color, yet all enclose a layer of sugary, jelly-like flesh or pulp.Think of a coffee bean as being like a peanut, their are many layers of protective 'skin' before you get to the part we consume. You have the outer shell that is sometimes already removed, then there is the 'skin' on the peanut, which many people ignore and eat anyway, then there is the actual meat of the nut. A coffee bean is very much the same idea. The outer skin of a coffee bean is called the pulp, this is followed by a thin protective around the beans called the parchment. Inside the parchment there is yet another covering over the beans called the silver skin. Before farmers ship the coffee to distributors the pulp and the parchment must be removed. The silver skin or chaff though is often left on, which in drum roasters would catch fire and burn to the bean, but here at Pierce Brothers Coffee Roasters™ our air-roaster removes the silver skin. Harvesting is done either by handpicking or by machine stripping. When done by hand, cherries are picked off the tree or from the ground. Since only the ripe coffee cherries are picked, each tree can be picked numerous times during a season. The stripping method strips the tree of all its cherries at once and is done when most of its cherries are ripe. Most coffee is still picked by hand. Arabica coffee plants do best in high elevations, in rich volcanic mountain soils. The higher elevations cause the plant to grow more slowly, leading to a more aromatic and flavorful coffee. It takes 3 to 5 years for the plants to begin producing and that is only possible with the proper combination of climate, rain, sunshine and shade. |