As a coffee snob who’s always curious about your caffeine, you are certainly wondering where do coffee beans come from or how to produce coffee beans with the best quality. Check out this article to get more information about where coffee beans grow and what conditions enable a coffee producer to produce high-quality coffee.
What Plants Grow Coffee Beans?
The types of plants that produce coffee beans are generally divided into two. The first genus is Robusta or widely known as Coffea canephora. 75-80 percent of the world’s coffee production comes from this coffee plant species. At the same time, the second genus that is popular in the world is Arabica coffee. Both coffee plants can grow up to 10 meters, but most coffee producers keep their coffee plants shorter to make harvesting easier.
Coffee Beans Growing on Plants or Trees?
Coffee beans develop actually inside a “cherry fruit” that grows in coffee plants. It usually needs coffee plants with ages of between two and four years old to get perfectly ripe coffee beans. You will also find 2 seeds in each cherry-like fruit of the coffee plant.
The coffee producer will pick the cherries when their level of ripeness is sufficient for the good-quality coffee characteristics. However, it should be noted that each type of coffee beans has its own specific ripeness and harvesting process.
After the coffee cherries are picked, the coffee producer will extract the beans from the fruit and roast them. In the next stage, the roasted coffee seeds will become the dark brown beans we usually know.
The Best Areas for Growing Coffee Beans in The World
Tropical and subtropical become the best climate for growing coffee. Because of this, if you ask where coffee beans grow, the answer is most of the world’s coffee grows within the Bean Belt an area around the equatorial zone. This region includes parts of Africa, Central and South America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East.
Central and South America Regions
As part of the Bean Belt, the famous coffee-producing regions in Central America are Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Costa Rica. In this case, Costa Rica is known as a region that produces the most high-quality coffee with a very aromatic flavor.
Meanwhile, the regions in South America recognized for their coffee production are Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Bolivia. However, Brazil has the highest volume of coffee production in this region and also in the world due to its amazing growing conditions.
Africa and Middle East Regions
For African areas, Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia have become the most regions that contribute to coffee production. Coffee beans from this region are known for their fruity, sweet, and delicate floral aroma. Meanwhile, the Middle East area has Yemen as the most coffee producer in that region. Because Yemen coffee originates from Ethiopia, it has characteristics like being citrusy and brighter with high acidity.
Southeast Asia Regions
Coffee has also become a major commodity in the Southeast Asian region, especially Indonesia and Vietnam, since the late seventeenth century. As one of the best coffee bean producers in the world, Indonesia coffee beans supplier and distributor is definitely known for its excellent quality coffee production. In addition, many coffee plantations can be visited in Indonesia. For example, the best coffee plantation to visit in Bali offers interesting tasting activities and the manufacturing processes of Kopi Luwak or civet coffee, the world’s most expensive coffee.
Besides Indonesia, Vietnam is one of the largest coffee exporters in the Asian region. Their coffee beans have a delicate and mild taste. Meanwhile, coffee beans produced in Indonesia (Sulawesi, Sumatra, and Java) offer a more nutty and juicy fruit aroma.
Also Read: 8 Types of Coffee Beans in Indonesia, Unique & You Must Try!
Coffee Bean Harvesting
Take a look at a quick guide to wet and dry coffee processing methods.
Wet Processing Method
As the name suggests, coffee cherries are soaked in water to ferment them and help separate the coffee fruits from the beans. After the green coffee beans are separated from the coffee cherries, they will be washed again until clean; this process also helps remove any residue still attached to the cherries’ surface. After that, the green coffee beans are sun-dried. The flavor of coffee using this method has a cleaner, brighter, and fruitier profile.
Also Read: Wet Hulled Coffee Process: Unique Technique from Indonesia
Dry Processing Method
Unlike the wet process, freshly-picked coffee cherries are not soaked in water but are dried directly in the sun. Coffee producers repeatedly turn and rake coffee fruits to separate green coffee beans from their cherries. Even though the dry process can produce a unique taste in coffee, this method is considered risky.
This is because rain and high humidity can mold the coffee cherries and destroy the harvest. In terms of characteristics, dry-processed coffee beans are often described as having a red wine-like taste compared to washed ones.
Hopefully, our article can help every coffee lover who’s curious about the question “where coffee beans grow?” get the details that they want.
