The coffee plant Coffea

A special genus of plants

Everyone knows the brown, fragrant beans – but where do they actually grow? And how?
A brief overview of Coffee, the extraordinary genus of plants that has enlivened, stimulated and inspired humanity for over a millennium.

Coffee belongs to the Rubiaceae family (Rubiaceae) and comprises over one hundred subspecies worldwide. Although the diversity is great, around 98 percent of global coffee production comes from just two species: Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora – better known as Arabica and Robusta.

Types of coffee plant

Regarding the plant genus Coffee These include four economically relevant species:

• Arabica (Coffea arabica)
• Robusta (Coffea canephora)
• Liberica (Coffea liberica)
• Excelsa (Coffea excelsa)

With a share of approximately Arabica beans dominate the world market, accounting for 60%. Robusta makes up about 36%, while Liberica and Excelsa together account for 3–4%.

Appearance of the coffee plant

The evergreen coffee plant has robust, dark green leaves with slightly wavy edges, reminiscent of bay leaves. Depending on the variety, it can grow up to 12 meters tall, but on plantations it is usually pruned back to 2–3 meters for easier maintenance.

The 10–15 cm long, oval leaves grow in pairs at small forks, where the white, clustered flowers also form. These reach a diameter of about two centimeters and emit an intense, pleasant fragrance.

While Coffea arabica – especially at higher altitudes – can self-pollinate, Coffea canephora relies on cross-pollination. After a few days, the flowers wither, and the so-called coffee cherries develop from the ovaries.

Depending on the variety, the ripe fruits display a red, yellow, gray-blue, or almost black color. Beneath the firm, glossy outer skin lies the sweet, but inedible, pulp. Embedded within this pulp are the coffee beans, which are usually arranged in pairs and are botanically speaking, seeds. They are initially greenish to beige and only acquire their characteristic brown color during the roasting process.

Origin of the coffee plant

Almost all Coffee-Species originate from the tropical regions of Africa, Madagascar and the Mascarene Islands.
The Arabica variety originates from the mountains of Ethiopia and prefers humid, frost-free high altitudes. Canephora, on the other hand, is more robust and tolerates greater temperature fluctuations.

To this day, most – around 90% – of the uncultivated Coffee-Species still exist in the wild. Real wild coffee can be enjoyed in places like Ethiopia or Madagascar.

Current growing areas

The colonial spread of coffee led to Coffee today in about It is cultivated in 80 countries, and plays a significant economic role in about 50 of them.

Optimal conditions are provided by temperatures between 17 °C and 30 °C and annual rainfall of 1,200–2,000 mm.
The most important growing areas lie within a belt approximately 5,000 km wide around the equator – including Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica, Mexico, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, India, China, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Madagascar.