Harvest Journal

A heads up for further reading...Byron Holcomb of Young Tree Coffee has another outstanding article featured in the current Barista Magazine (April/May 2009). You may peruse it here (pages 66-71) or go to Barista Magazine to subscribe to this periodical for coffee professionals.

This is the second installment of his Harvest Journal, the story of his bold plan to develop his own coffee farm in the Dominican Republic and to help to bring coffee from the DR to the specialty coffee world stage - an endeavor few Baristas from the United States would strive to accomplish.

The first installment featuring his trials, tribulations, and victories at Finca La Paz was in the August/September 2008 issue of Barista Magazine (pages 22-25). You may find more information at Holcomb's website.

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.