The Coffee Fruit

More about the origins of the coffee in your cup! In the last post we talked about the coffee plant/bush/tree. Now for the specifics about the coffee fruit.

The tiny coffee berries form in clusters at the base of the leaves of the tree, and take half a year or more to mature on the branches of the plant before harvest. When ripe the so-called "cherries" are picked and processed by either the wet or dry method. Harvest typically occurs between August and January, depending on the region and the altitude of the farm. Frequently cherries ripen at varying stages, and at the top coffee farms and estates they are hand-picked only when ripe, whether it is in the beginning of the harvest or the end.