How Coffee Beans Are Grown - Optimal Growing Conditions for Quality Coffee

Coffee Growing Conditions - FrontStreet Coffee's Introduction

The most ideal growing conditions for coffee trees are: a temperate climate with temperatures between 15-25°C, with annual rainfall reaching 1500-2000 millimeters. Additionally, the rainfall timing must align with the coffee tree's flowering cycle. Of course, besides seasonal rainfall coordination, fertile soil with good drainage is essential. Volcanic ash-rich fertile soil is ideal. While sunlight is an indispensable element for coffee growth and fruiting, excessive strong sunlight can inhibit coffee tree growth, so each growing region typically plants some shade trees. The ideal altitude ranges from 500-2000 meters.

Temperature

Temperature requirements vary by cultivation variety. Arabica varieties are more cold-resistant and prefer cool climates, requiring an average annual temperature of 19-21°C.

Rainfall

Annual rainfall above 1250 millimeters, evenly distributed, is particularly suitable for coffee growth and development, especially during flowering and small fruit development periods.

Sunlight

Coffee trees cannot tolerate strong light and require appropriate shade. Excessive sunlight inhibits growth. Combined with insufficient water and fertilizer, premature aging or even death may occur. Excessive shade leads to overly long branches and leaves, sparse flowers and fruits, and very low yields.

Wind

Coffee prefers calm wind environments.

Soil

Coffee trees have well-developed root systems with shallowly distributed absorbing roots, requiring loose, fertile, well-drained loam.

Most coffee harvesting worldwide is done by hand, making coffee collection a labor-intensive and seasonal process. Since flowers and fruits can simultaneously exist on the same branch, the harvester's index finger and thumb become the best tools for collecting ripe berries. Scraping all fruits from a branch by hand or using automated harvesting machines cannot distinguish between ripe and unripe berries.

Coffee farmers producing lower-grade coffee beans prefer labor-saving harvesting methods. However, this compromises purity, diminishes coffee flavor, and reduces coffee grade. In some African regions, coffee beans are harvested by shaking coffee trees to drop fruits to the ground, then collecting them before they rot. Most regions in Brazil produce secondary-grade coffee, where harvesting involves stripping all leaves, flowers, overripe and unripe fruits from branches at once. Coffee trees damaged this way require two years to recover.

Therefore, the conditions for cultivating high-quality coffee are quite strict: sunlight, rainfall, soil, temperature, as well as coffee bean harvesting methods and processing procedures all affect the intrinsic quality of coffee.

In Summary

FrontStreet Coffee is a specialty coffee research establishment, dedicated to sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. Our comprehensive sharing aims to help more friends fall in love with coffee. Additionally, we hold three low-discount coffee activities monthly because FrontStreet Coffee wants to enable more friends to enjoy the best coffee at the lowest prices - this has been our mission for the past six years!

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473