Coffee; Coffea spp.

The coffee plant uses caffeine to protect itself against pests: caffeine repels bacteria, snails, fungi, insects and mammals. This ‘poison’ for pests is the most widely used psychoactive drug in the world – many people reach for coffee almost every day. In overdose, caffeine can be harmful to health. If someone were to drink a hundred cups of coffee in one day, it could be fatal.

The coffee plant: Arabica and Robusta

The coffee plant, an evergreen shrub, thrives in tropical and subtropical climate zones. The two best-known varieties are Arabica and Robusta, which together make up 98 percent of the world’s green coffee. Arabica is considered the more challenging to grow and aromatic variety, which is mainly grown at higher altitudes, while Robusta is more heat-resistant and disease-resistant, which is why it grows in lower, hotter areas. Robusta is also significantly cheaper than Arabica. Instant coffees are therefore usually made from Robusta varieties. The Liberica coffee variety is even more robust than Robusta. It grows in West Africa, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines and has a very bitter taste and a high caffeine content. Excelsa coffee is a sub-variety of Liberica, which is said to taste like whisky and is therefore a special rarity. But not all Arabica is the same: in Ethiopia, the country of origin, there are countless different Arabica varieties with very different flavors.

The coffee seedlings must be grown under a dense shade canopy and intensively cared for. They are only planted in the soil of the plantation after more than six months under the dense shade canopy. It then takes another four to five years before a significant yield is reached. In the wild, the mostly multi-stemmed coffee bushes or small coffee trees can grow up to ten meters high, with Arabica being smaller than Robusta. On plantations, however, they are usually pruned back to 1.5 to 2 meters for easier harvesting. Coffee produces white, pleasantly sweet-smelling flowers. The coffee cherries ripen around six to nine months after flowering and turn red or purple when ripe. The valuable beans ripen in these fruits. Choosing the right time to harvest is crucial for the quality of the coffee.

From shepherd to global coffee culture

The origins of coffee go back deep into the forests of Ethiopia, where, according to legend, a shepherd noticed that his goats were particularly energetic after eating coffee cherries. This discovery marked the beginning of a journey that took coffee to the Arab world and eventually to the rest of the world.

From the Ethiopian highlands, coffee spread along trade routes to Yemen, where it became an important export in the 15th century. It was soon being drunk in coffee houses from Cairo to Istanbul. Colonisation brought coffee to South America and Southeast Asia, where it is now grown in huge plantations. Brazil and Vietnam currently produce the largest quantities of coffee. The cultivation of coffee and the initial processing stages remain largely in the hands of small businesses. It is estimated that around 25 million small farmers worldwide are involved in coffee production.

They harvest the coffee by hand – the coffee cherries are picked individually from the bushes. Immediately after harvesting, the beans have to be peeled by machines. After a two-day fermentation process, the beans are washed to remove the mucilage layer. Other skin residues and bad beans are removed during the following two weeks, during which the beans dry in the sun. The beans are then sent to the local coffee factory to remove the glassine coating – a fine coating between the cherry and the bean that usually does not come off when the beans are shelled. Finally, the coffee beans have to be packaged and transported.

Once they have reached the market, they travel around the world, with the first stop being coffee roasting plants. The finished coffee ends up in cups around the globe, because today coffee is much more than just a drink – it is an indispensable part of social and cultural life in many parts of the world. From the morning ritual to a visit to a café: coffee is a symbol of enjoyment, energy and social encounters.

Taste and health effects

Coffee is not only invigorating due to its caffeine content, but also due to the valuable antioxidants it contains, which strengthen the immune system and have an anti-inflammatory effect. Studies show that coffee consumption is associated with improved cardiovascular health and a reduced risk of certain diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and Parkinson’s disease. In addition to the classic forms of brewed coffee, coffee is now enjoyed in countless variations, from espresso to cappuccino to cold brew, and plays a central role in global gastronomy.

However, care must be taken with how much coffee is consumed. Too much caffeine can lead to sleep disorders, palpitations, nervousness, sweating and stomach problems. An excessively high dosage also leads to cramps. It is recommended that children do not consume caffeine, as even small amounts can have negative consequences such as sleep disorders or concentration problems. It is therefore important to use coffee consciously and consume it in moderation. There is also decaffeinated coffee, which contains only minimal caffeine residue, but even this can have a negative effect on the health of particularly sensitive people. In this case, it is advisable to opt for caffeine-free alternatives such as coffee made from grains or chicory.

The price of cheap coffee

Coffee is in demand worldwide and there is a lot of money to be made from growing and marketing it. It is a classic cash crop, meaning it is not produced for personal consumption but for sale, usually on the international market. Unfortunately, when a lot of money is involved, the exploitation of land and people often follows close behind, which is also the case with coffee cultivation. The big companies earn billions, while the producers receive very little. A report from Brazil(Bitter Coffee) reports on appalling conditions on the plantations: in the Minas Gerais region alone, 116,000 children were working in forced labor, people had to be freed from slavery and tonnes of pesticides were used that are banned in the EU. Another example of this comes from Africa, with reports of people being driven from their villages and homes to create land for coffee cultivation.

It is therefore crucial to pay attention to where the coffee you drink comes from. The Fairtrade seal, for example, is a good guide. Fairtrade products ensure that producers are paid fairly and that working conditions and social standards are set. The small farmers here work in cooperatives, which enables them to jointly build up the necessary infrastructure for coffee cultivation and processing.

Increasing risks due to climate change

Global coffee cultivation is severely affected by the consequences of climate change. Increasingly high temperatures and changeable rainfall are a particular threat to the Arabica variety, which reacts sensitively to temperature fluctuations. There are also crop failures due to a lack of cooling at night compared to daytime temperatures. In addition, the warmer temperatures encourage the spread of diseases and pests. For example, in 2009 the so-called coffee leaf rust spread in Central and South America, a pest that manifests itself in rust-colored spots on the leaves. Within five years, Arabica plants in particular were severely affected, leading to extensive crop losses and around 1.7 million people losing their jobs

Other pests such as the stem borer are also spreading. It is now found at much higher altitudes and bores into the trunks of coffee bushes.

Sources

Exhibition by KaffeeGartenRuhr, Exile, Röster Kaffeeworkshops and Eine Welt Netz NRW in Essen.
DanWatch: Bitter Coffee. Link.
World Coffee Research: Annual Report 2016. link.
Manufactum: Coffee tree. Link.