What is a coffee bean plant?
Coffee plants are classified as trees, small in stature, growing between two and eight metres tall. They are evergreen, usually with shiny leaves. They produce white flowers and red fruits known as cherries. Yes, although you may not like the taste. Raw, or green, coffee beans are highly acidic and are said to have a “grassy” or “woody” flavor. They are much harder than roasted beans, making them difficult to chew. When you process a coffee bean, then the darker the roast, the softer that the beans will become.Coffee beans are the seeds found inside the coffee cherry, the fruit of the Coffea plant. Before roasting, these seeds are known as raw coffee beans, which are edible but offer a bitter, wood-like flavor that is quite different from their roasted counterparts.You can grow coffee as an indoor plant, but not from the green beans we sell for roasting. Read on to learn more about growing a coffee plant at home. The green coffee. Coffee is a flowering shrub that produces fruit.Coffee beans are not themselves fruit – but they are part of a fruit. The coffee bean is a seed of the coffee plant. In fact, it’s not technically a bean at all – it’s just a seed. They do look like beans, but beans are the seeds of an entirely different plant family.
How long do coffee bean plants live?
A coffee plant in the wild can survive up to 80 years of age. In a coffee plantation, however, they can only thrive for 20 to 30 years depending on the environment, the producer’s approach, and the variety. The region makes a difference too. After a coffee plant matures, flowers bloom soon after rainfall. Coffee plants are perennial evergreens with a lifespan of 20-30 years in cultivation, though they can live much longer in the wild. They begin flowering after 2-3 years of growth, with fruit production starting around 3-5 years.After three to four years, when they reach maturity, coffee plants bear fruit in lines or clusters along their branches. The fruit turns red and cherry-like when it is ready to be harvested.Anyone wishing to grow coffee must not only be living in a temperate environment but also be willing to undertake a long-term, labor-intensive commitment to their land and its crops. Coffee is typically grown from seed, and each tree takes on average between 3 to 5 years to bear fruit.Summary: Coffee trees enjoy consistent water and need to be watered deeply. This is proper watering. Water every few days, as the top few inches of soil dry out, and don’t allow your plant sit in a dish of water for more than 15 minutes or so.
Can you grow a plant from a coffee bean?
Sprouting Coffee Seeds Requires FRESH Seeds It probably goes without saying, but for those who aren’t aware: you cannot grow coffee plants from roasted coffee beans. And before trying to sprout green coffee beans, it’s important to know that successful sprouting requires fresh coffee seeds. Yes, the coffee plant is an easy houseplant if you provide the proper conditions: indirect light, consistently moist soil, and fertilization during the active growth period in the spring and summer.Yes, you can grow a coffee plant at home. It’s perfectly legal to grow your own coffee plant with the intention to consume the coffee yourself. However, a coffee plant grown as a houseplant is unlikely to grow enough beans to make even a cup of coffee.
Where do coffee bean plants grow?
Globally, there are three primary coffee growing regions – Central and South America, Africa and The Middle East and Southeast Asia. These regions are all located along the equatorial zone between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, widely known as the Bean Belt. Optimal coffee-growing conditions include cool to warm tropical climates, rich soils, and few pests or diseases. The world’s Coffee Belt spans the globe along the equator, with cultivation in North, Central, and South America; the Caribbean; Africa; the Middle East; and Asia.Coffee plants need a warm spot with bright, indirect light. They’re best grown as house plants or in a greenhouse. Their ideal growing temperature is 16-24ºC. Water regularly, keeping the compost moist but not waterlogged.Avoid placing your Coffee plant in a North window since it only provides about a low-moderate indirect light for plants. Direct sunlight can scorch their leaves, while too little light can cause them to become leggy and spindly. If your coffee plant is not getting enough light, it may stop growing or drop its leaves.Winter can be extremely hard on coffee plants, since they grow naturally in year-long hot, tropical climates. Regardless of whether your plant lives outside in summer and indoors in winter, or whether they live indoors all year long, winter brings a new set of environmental factors.
Can you eat the coffee bean fruit?
Coffee cherries are slightly sweet, with flavors often compared to watermelon or red currant. While the pulp is safe to eat, it’s somewhat fibrous and less commonly consumed fresh. Instead, the cherries are typically dried or processed for different uses. Coffee cherries are small, rounded fruits that grow on the coffee plant (genus Coffea), which is typically found in tropical regions worldwide, including parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America.Coffee beans develop inside a “cherry” that grows from these plants. In fact, the term “coffee bean” is misleading; the beans we roast to make coffee are actually seeds. You’ll usually find two of these seeds inside each cherry-like fruit of the coffee plant.
Can I grow a coffee plant at home?
You can grow your own coffee and growing coffee plants in your home can be an exhilarating and rewarding experience. The journey is full of delight and fulfillment, from tending to your coffee plants to sipping the coffee you grew yourself – processing method pending. Coffee plants are picky about the temperature, preferring something between 65-80°F. Too chilly and the plant won’t thrive, and likely won’t flower at all. You should try to keep your coffee plants slightly warmer than room temperature. A lot of warmth and light, and they should be on track to flower.The Coffee Plant is a fairly thirsty plant that likes more water than you might expect. You never want it to let it sit in soggy soil, but you’ll probably need to water at least weekly during the warm season. The plant uses less water in cool weather, so adjust as needed.