Here are some pictures showing the different life cycles of a coffee tree. Coffee trees are fruit trees, and a relative of the gardenia. Coffee seeds are usually germinated and planted in a greenhouse at a nursery where the delicate plants are taken care of for the first 8 months of their lives. The third picture shows rows and rows of young coffee tree seedlings at the Santa Eduivegas nursery (part of the Doka Estate). The second picture is of Orlando Alfaro, one of our aronomists in Costa Rica, taking the group through the life cycle of a coffee tree. Once the seedlings are about 8 months old, and a bit stronger, they are taken to the coffee farm where they will be planted (see picture number 1), and spend the remainder of the life cycle. After planting, it will take approximately 3 years before the coffee tree will flower for the first time, and the tree will produce its first coffee harvest after 4-5 years of hard work on the farmers part, investing care and time into the plant to guide it towards its first crop. When the coffee tree flowers, the flowers fall away and the green cherries appear, and then it takes an additional 9 months for the green cherries to turn deep red, the sign that the coffee cherries are ready to be picked. Most coffee trees will be at their peak of production during years seven through fifteen, and at this time are generally pruned back to assist the tree and help stimulate new growth. After about 20 - 25 years, most of the coffee trees are "exhausted", and no longer produce sufficient crops, and at this time, coffee farmers will replace about 5% of their farm with seedlings and repeat the whole process again.
Next week, our featured bold coffee will be Cafe Estima - our blend of Fair Trade Certified Latin American and African Beans. Taste this coffee from a french press today, and think about the long process and the hard work of hundreds of people who brought this coffee to you.
Enjoy, Cindy GH
