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You can grow your own coffee tree at home, just as long as you have one of the following items:
The last option on that list is the least reliable, as processing does tend to expose the bean to factors that are less than optimal.
Raw seeds are available from online seed sellers in a variety of different types. Irrespective, the recommended course is to wet the seeds to help them sprout. Basically, you just need to put them in water for a few days and the sprouting should begin, and when it does, plant the seed in soil at a moderate depth. This process usually takes a few weeks, so be patient.
In fact, patience is a virtue when it comes to growing coffee, since the coffee tree grows very slowly, especially indoors. It may well take anywhere from 3-5 years before you will see any fruit. Even then, the coffee produced might not be as good as what you’re used to. One way to improve the quality of your fruit is to have the tree in ideal coffee growing soil, and perhaps a good coffee climate soil. If that sort of wait is too long, you can often find full-grown trees in nurseries, but there’s never a guarantee that jumping the queue like that will bring you a good drinkable fruit.
Fertilize regularly, water only when needed, and avoid moving the plant around too much and it’ll grow consistently.
Processing raw beans:
When the coffee cherries have reached a bright, ripe red appearance remove the sticky fruit from the berries. You do this by pushing the seed out with your fingers. This will generally leave you with one or two seeds which you should immerse in water for one or two days (otherwise known as fermentation). Some beans will float to the top, and when they do you should throw them away as they’ll be bad.
The water soaking will help to remove the pulp from the seed, as well as loosen the skin. You should then dry the beans by laying them in out in the sun.
To protect them from moisture, cover them at night, or if you want to speed things up, just use a dehydrator. Once the beans are dried out, remove the outer husk and you’re ready to roast.
image copyright Larry Jacobsen via flickr.com
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Jim Botkin says
I recently went to Honduras, and the farm that I was staying at , grows coffee. I learned a good bit but not enough I am sure. Here is what the growers told me. When picking the bean be careful not to damage the small stem. The next bean will grow from that and if you damage it no more beans from there. The bushes on their farm were about 4 feet tall and produced 8 pounds of raw bean a year. The bush or tree was about 4 feet tall. They say after a while when it no longer produces like it should you need to chop it off and it will regrow a new bush and produce again as normal. Picking was from early January (I think) and once the picking season started, every 15 days til season ends.
Beegeezee says
Ok. So after reading the articles on this site and many others, I decided to order some seeds. They are already on their way! I got Kona!!! But here’s where I’m lost, right now, me and my wife drink Christopher Bean’s Jamaica Me Crazy. It has Kahlua, chocolate, and nuts in it. If I’m growing my own, how do I mix the flavors into the grind?
The Teabagger says
This is the worst website I have ever had the misfortune of stumbling across.
FACT: coffee causes cancer, heart disease and AIDS
FACT: coffee makes you fat
FACT: the Bible clearly states that coffee is the fruit of Satan
You all need to take a look at yourselves and start drinking tea instead.
Bobby Atkins says
I purchased 5 pounds of unroasted beans from a place in Middleton Wisconsin because I wanted to try my hand at growing my own plants, but this other web site told me that I can’t grow plants from coffee beans,then I told them how do you grow them then, by the way I purchased decaffe beans and they are dark brown do they have to be the regular type beans to grow I have 4 right now in a small lid with water and I see a small light colored spot on the end of them now does that mean they are sprouting.
M/S BARBARA DANCE says
Can you please tell me if there is a newsletter for amataur coffee growers?.thanks Barbara
Cherie says
Can you expand on the proper soil conditions, and how big does a coffee tree grow?
Dennis says
How long do you roast the beans and at what temperature?
George says
Thank you for this site, it is nice to find what you are looking for without a lot of mumbo jumbo, attached.