What is Coffea used for?
Coffea species are shrubs or small trees native to tropical and southern Africa and tropical Asia. The seeds of some species, called coffee beans, are used to flavor various beverages and products. The fruits, like the seeds, contain a large amount of caffeine, and have a distinct sweet taste. Most of the coffee species originated in Africa, with the centers of genetic diversity situated in the region covering southwest Ethiopia and southeast Sudan in the case of Coffea arabica, while for Coffea canephora and Coffea liberia it is the humid forest of Central and West Africa, including Uganda and Madagascar.The genus of coffee is Coffea, and under that, there are at least 129 species. These include the two most commonly grown species: coffea arabica and coffea canephora—commonly known as robusta. Counter Culture only buys coffea arabica.Coffea arabica, commonly called Arabian coffee, is an upright tropical evergreen shrub or small tree that grows to 10-15′ tall. Although native to Ethiopia, Arabian coffee has been cultivated in Arabia for over 1000 years. It is now commercially grown in subtropical and tropical areas throughout the world.Despite containing less caffeine than Robusta, Arabica beans are often considered superior in taste. Arabica tends to have a smoother, sweeter taste, with flavour notes of chocolate and sugar. They often also have hints of fruits or berries.Learn about the four most popular types of coffee beans—Arabica, Robusta, Excelsa and Liberica—and when to use them.
Is it coffee or Coffea?
Coffea. The botanical genus colloquially referred to as the “coffee genus,” which is comprised of over 120 individual species. These are generally opposite-leaved, evergreen shrubs or small understory trees with a horizontal branching pattern. Coffee Plant (Coffea arabica) It’s lovely on its own and striking when paired with other houseplants. Young coffee plants have a dense, bushy form and are great choices for desks and table tops. Larger coffee plants become more shrubby and even tree-like with full canopies of glossy leaves.
What type of fruit is a Coffea?
The fruit, known as a “coffee cherry,” is a one- or two-seeded drupe and can be red, purple, yellow, orange, blue, or black when mature, depending on the species. The “coffee beans” are the rounded oblong seeds, each with a flat face marked by a lengthwise groove. Coffee beans are actually seeds, hidden inside the coffee plant fruit, commonly known as a ‘cherry’. The coffee cherries start off green and ripen through yellow and orange tones, until they reach a rich, ripe cherry red color. This is the stage at which they are handpicked from the plant.