Why is Shade Grown Coffee Better?
Organic shade grown coffee just tastes better...
Your cup of steaming hot coffee every morning isn't something as easily prepared as you might think. Creating coffee needs more than just putting hot water and stirring sugar into it. It doesn't even come in instant granules that we are so used to.
Shade grown coffee protects the beans
Coffee plants are evergreen plants that are grown in stable climate conditions. They need specific amounts of water, air, sun and land in order for the flavor to be achieved.To protect the beans and ensure a better flavor many plantations are protected from too much wind and sun by big banana trees.
Plants are sown as seedlings in so called nursery beds. The land needs to be well aerated since it should have a healthy amount of oxygen in the roots in order to grow well. After about 8-12 months, the seedlings are then replanted to the coffee fields where there are wet and fertilized holes.
As mentioned before, specific conditions must be kept true in order to cultivate a good coffee bean. Shade grown coffee plants have the most flavor, because direct sunlight can damage or "dry out" the beans. In fact, diffused light is best.
Additionally, plants have to be watered frequent and regularly in order to keep them moist.
Once planted, it takes a long time before a coffee tree can mature, around 5 years before his first crop.
What coffee trees look like
Coffee trees are big and broad with dark green leaves. The flower, which resembles jasmine, is where the coffee granules are taken from. Whereas the "normal" coffee is made from the fruits, called cherries or berries.It is a must that these fruits are harvested immediately as they can ripen easily within 10–14 days. Manual harvesting is still preferred even if it takes a longer time. This is because the picker needs to keep the good beans apart from the bad ones.
The long wait is however very profitable for the coffee grower. One tree can produce about two pounds of beans, which is around 2000 coffee beans.
After the harvest, the coffee beans are then processed. They are dried and then roasted. These coffee beans are then ready to be sold on the market where they will be grounded before being served.
