Ivory Coast Coffee Beans | Côte d'Ivoire Coffee | Robusta Special Cultivation Environment and Brewing Reference

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Ivory Coast Coffee | Côte d'Ivoire Coffee Robusta Cultivation Environment and Brewing Reference?

Côte d'Ivoire is a coastal country on the eastern Atlantic coast with a coastline of 550 kilometers. The southeastern region is flat, the northern part has slight undulations, and the western area consists of mountains. The entire country has a tropical marine climate, divided into rainy and dry seasons throughout the year. May to July is the major rainy season, August to November is the minor rainy season, and the remaining months are the dry season. The average annual temperature is 27 degrees Celsius, with the south receiving more rainfall than the north, with an average annual precipitation of 1,400 millimeters. As coffee beans are Côte d'Ivoire's second-largest export commodity, the country's coffee industry is particularly important to the local economy. Côte d'Ivoire was Africa's largest coffee exporter during the 1970s to 1980s and remains one of the world's major Robusta coffee producers today.

Côte d'Ivoire has never produced the highest quality coffee, and very little of its coffee comes from Arabica trees. In the early 1980s, it was the world's third-largest coffee producer with an annual output of 5 million bags. Even today, it remains the world's fifth-largest coffee producer with an annual output of 4.4 million bags. In terms of Robusta coffee production, Côte d'Ivoire is second only to Indonesia (with an annual output of 6.8 million bags). Notably, Côte d'Ivoire is a major center for coffee smuggling, with as much as 2,600 tons of coffee being smuggled in 1993-1994, primarily through the neighboring countries of Mali and Guinea.

The cocoa and coffee production areas in Côte d'Ivoire are distributed in the forest regions of the eastern and western parts, with the western region currently being the main production area. Côte d'Ivoire's cocoa cultivation techniques were introduced from the eastern neighboring country of Ghana and gradually expanded from east to west, with the planting area reaching over 2.21 million hectares. The growth period of cocoa trees is generally about 40 years, with newly planted trees starting to bear fruit after 5-6 years, entering high-yield period after 8-10 years, beginning to age and reduce production after 30 years, and stopping fruit production after 40 years. The cocoa trees in the eastern region of Côte d'Ivoire have begun to age and reduce production. In 1978, Côte d'Ivoire replaced Ghana as the world's largest producer and exporter of cocoa. Currently, Côte d'Ivoire has about 620,000 family-owned plantations. In the early 1990s, the Côte d'Ivoire government encouraged the cooperative movement, and now about 30% of growers have organized cooperatives, with 50% participating in cooperative mutual aid activities. The cocoa yield in Côte d'Ivoire is about 400-700 kilograms per hectare, and coffee yield is about 200-300 kilograms. During the 1995/1996 harvest season, cocoa production exceeded 1 million tons and has basically remained above 1 million tons since then. In 2003, production reached 1.31 million tons, accounting for 42% of the world's total production of 3.1 million tons. Coffee production fluctuates greatly, ranging between 200,000 to 300,000 tons per year.

The Côte d'Ivoire government has begun to take active measures to reverse this situation. The National Coffee Management Committee has been reorganized and streamlined, transferring some production activities to private companies. The government provides minimum price guarantees for farmers producing high-quality coffee and encourages exporters to purchase directly from farmers. Now, 80% of exported coffee finds its market in European Community countries, with main buyers being France and Italy. It is worth noting that Côte d'Ivoire is a major center for coffee smuggling, with as much as 2,600 tons of coffee being smuggled in 1993-1994, primarily through the neighboring countries of Mali and Guinea.

Côte d'Ivoire Robusta Coffee Beans (located on the west coast of Africa)

Côte d'Ivoire is a country in West Africa, next to Guinea and Liberia. Côte d'Ivoire is a name derived from French meaning "Ivory Coast," while "Côte d'Ivoire" would be the direct transliteration from pronunciation. Under French rule in the past, to stimulate exports, coffee was extensively planted in coastal areas along with cocoa and palm. By the 1960s, coffee production had increased to make Côte d'Ivoire the third-largest coffee exporter after Brazil and Colombia. Côte d'Ivoire's coffee is almost entirely of the Robusta variety, with only a few experimental Arabica coffees.

As mentioned earlier, due to their special flavor and characteristics, Robusta coffees are mostly used for blended instant coffee or canned coffee and rarely consumed directly as single-origin specialty coffee. Therefore, they are not often mentioned among the coffee-producing countries we commonly refer to.

In the 1980s, coffee yield per hectare in Côte d'Ivoire was only 250 kilograms. This situation was partly due to poverty and the aging of coffee trees. Lack of investment and absence of long-term management plans also affected coffee production. The Côte d'Ivoire government has begun to take active measures to reverse this situation. The National Coffee Management Committee has been reorganized and streamlined, transferring some production activities to private companies. The government provides minimum price guarantees for farmers producing high-quality coffee and encourages exporters to purchase directly from farmers. Now, 80% of exported coffee finds its market in European Community countries, with main buyers being France and Italy.

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Brewing Method:

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 88°C

Grind Size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 4

Brewing Technique: Water to coffee ratio of 1:15, using 15g of coffee grounds. First pour 25g of water for a 25-second bloom. Second, pour to 120g and stop pouring. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to halfway, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g total. Extraction time is approximately 2:00 minutes.

Analysis: Using a three-stage brewing method to clearly define the front, middle, and back-end flavors of the coffee. Because V60 has many ribs and drains quickly, stopping the pour can extend the extraction time.

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