Growing Coffee

[camelman0075]

Since I was about 15 i have been drinking coffee. Started off like anyone else and suffered through the days of Donut Shop coffee to get me through high school. This continued for about 4 years until i tried espresso for this first time. Quickly realized that coffee ( if done well) can taste amazing. Well my addiction was born and for the last 3 years i have sampled so many coffees that i no longer have a favorite, rather I have flavors that shift with my mood. Wait I lied my Girlfriend bought me 250 g of Jamican Blue Mountain for my B-Day ( how amazing is that:rolleyes:)

Anyway I continue, It came to my attention that i consume more coffee in a week than a family of 3 coffee drinkers. So I have decided that in the near future I would like to grow my own coffee. Hey why not right, well after doing som preliminary research I have discovered if I want any coffee grown by me i have to get started ( a coffee tree takes 3-5 years to reach a seed producing state).

So i was wondering do any of you have experience growing your own coffee. If so, what were some of the pitfall that you can across and what were some techniques that showed success.

cheers,
Camelman0075

[jostua]

It came to my attention that i consume more coffee in a week than a family of 3 coffee drinkers.

How much coffee is that, cause I have a feeling I'm dangerously close...:biggrin:

The wife teases me incessantly about the amount of coffee making equipment I have collected (that teasing now includes the shave den). 3 Moka pots, 3 dzezve (or ibriks, depending on what part of the world you're from), 2 french presses, and a counter-top espresso machine (which is terribly, and I should probably take it to Goodwill.) Then there are the two coffee grinders I have, the electric burr grinder and the antique Zassenhaus hand grinder. :blush:

I'm curious to hear about your growing experiment. I hadn't thought it was possible to grow coffee outside of the equatorial regions. Not to mention, I'm not much of a horticulturist, so I've never put any real thought to the matter.

--
Josh

[camelman0075]

well from the readings that i have doen you can pretty much grow coffee anywhere but you have to create the right environment, They say keep the temperature at 65-80 F and water it often, for better results use a humidifier. As because a tradition plant grow almost 10 feet, they say prune it of pinch it back ( personally i would say prune it, added benfit of smaller root system so you can keep it potted). So it is possible but takes patience, but for a good cup of joe why not right?

[jostua]

So it is possible but takes patience, but for a good cup of joe why not right?

Especially a cup you pretty much have complete control (barring that unknowable force that it nature) over. I already get a huge sense of satisfaction from taking a freshly roasted batch of beans, hand grinding them to exact specifications, and then carefully brewing those grinds according to a time tested ritual of heat and water.:biggrin: I can only imagine the sense of accomplishment that would come from being the one in charge of the entire process. More power to ya!

--
Josh

[King of Kailua]

One word: Kona.


The market is getting a little better these days. A small 2 acre coffee estate in Holualoa / Ke'ei / Captain Cook may be what your looking for.

http://ag.arizona.edu/arec/wemc/westernprofiles/8%20holualoa%20kona%20coffee%20co.pdf

I am startled to hear that 100% Kona coffee goes for $17 a brewed cup in Japan. The whole market for green beans to Japan is something like $20 a pound I believe. Everything here is hand picked and the best is shade grown from old estate trees that have been around close to 100 years.

Curious: Have you found a use for the cherry pulp?

[TENroaches]

I'm curious to hear about your growing experiment. I hadn't thought it was possible to grow coffee outside of the equatorial regions. Not to mention, I'm not much of a horticulturist, so I've never put any real thought to the matter.

--
Josh

Reminded me of a little one-liner.

You can lead a horticulture, but you can't make her think.

[Scotto]

You might be interested in this (http://www.sweetmarias.com/growingcoffee/Growing_Coffee_at_Home.html) article.

[homebrewer]

I looked into growing some not that long ago actually. Logee's (http://logees.com/prodinfo.asp?number=R1180-4) has some pretty cool plants in general, but the link to to the Arabica coffee plant. From what I've read, you probably could grow it outside in the summer, and bring it in for the fall/winter/spring, depending on the weather in your area.

The only problem with coffee is that the plants take a long time to mature, and produce fairly small amount of coffee. I remember reading that one pound of coffee per plant, per year is considered to be a good yield.

If you're looking for something special to try, it may be worth it. Let us know how it turns out!

[camelman0075]

I'm now currently speaking to some horticulturists about the ins and out, and looking into picking up some coffee cherries to begin the process once everything is up and running i'll start up a thread to chronicle the growth of my coffee tree(s) [the more i start with the better my chances of success, besides at one pound a year, i'll need atleast 20 mabye 30 tree if i ration myself:biggrin:]

[sparkchaser]

I looked into this not too long ago and decided not to try it because I couldn't generate the constant humidity and temperature reliably enough to get a decent bean. That and I didn't want to wait 5 years to try the fruits of my labor.

Best of luck though.