The Geography of Coffee
The Coffee Belt
Situated between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn is the Coffee Belt, a region home to optimal environmental conditions for cultivating quality coffee beans. Coffee plants thrive in warm, tropical climates with nutrient-rich soil at moderate to high elevations. Generally, higher elevations produce coffee with more complex and nuanced flavors, due to the slower maturation of the coffee cherries. However, growing coffee at high elevations is more difficult and expensive, as the plants require more care and attention.
15-24°C (60-70°F)
900m to 1500m
pH between 6 and 6.5
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Coffee Harvesting
Once coffee cherries are ripe, usually from late October to February, they are harvested by hand or machine. The harvesting process begins when the fruit is soft and red, indicating the coffee beans inside have reached full maturity. Afterward, depending on the farm and region, workers will carefully collect each cherry from the branches and put them in baskets or bags, or the cherries will be removed from the plant by a harvesting machine. Once the cherries have been harvested and reach their processing destination, the beans inside are extracted using one of several methods available depending on local practices.
Manual Harvesting
Harvesting is completed by hand to only pick ripe cherries from the plant.
PROS:
- Only ripe cherries are picked, resulting in higher quality product as only the most mature beans are selected for processing.
- Less damage is done to other parts of the tree as workers carefully select ripe beans from each branch.
CONS
- Time consuming compared to machine harvesting as workers pick individual cherries.
Machine Harvesting
Harvesting is completed by machines, pulling all cherries from the plant.
PROS:
- More efficient than manual harvesting as machines can cover larger areas.
- Reduces the labour costs associated with picking cherries by hand.
CONS:
- Machines don’t distinguish between ripe and unripe cherries, leading to a lower quality product from prematurely harvested beans.
- The cost of the machine itself is high compared to manual harvesting methods.
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