COFFEE family rubicacee
GENUS Coffeea
The two most important species are Robusta and Arabica.
Both prefer the hot climate of the Tropical zone along the equator. Arabica is grown on mountain sides at between 900 and 2000 meters while Robusta is grown between 200 and 600 Arabica reaches 3-5 m. in height and has a trunk with long, thin and flexible branches. It has lanceolate and leathery leaves. Robusta is a tree that grows between 7 to 13 m. in height and has narrow, oval leaves with rounded, showy fruit. Harvesting: the uneven ripening of the beans on the same tree influences the method of picking used by farmers: picking or stripping?
The first is more expensive because it can only be done by hand. The pickers carefully select only the red, ripe cherries, which means they have to cover the same field several times within a few weeks. Stripping is more brutal: it involves letting the twig run through the fingers, stripping whatever come off the twig. Continue to read