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Is it just me or have Australians suddenly gone coffee crazy? Most fanatics like myself consider ourselves the budding barista able to detect which beans make the perfect coffee. What most Australians probably don't realise is that Queensland and NSW with our tropical warm climates have almost perfect conditions for:Labels: coffee plants
Add Your Comment (22)
said ...
I have three Arabica coffee plants with fruit ready to pick.
From what I have been told, you pick the red fruit, soak for 24hrs in water, dehusk & then leave to dry before roasting.
Anyone experienced in the roasting technique, eg suggested temperature & time etc?
Time: Saturday, June 17, 2006
said ...
Hi,
We've moved to a property that has 30 coffee plants and we have started harvesting and processing them.
We pop them out of the red outer layer within 24 hours of picking. They are then soaked in water for up to 48 hours to ferment. The slippery beans will get a grainy coating. When they feel grainy, wash them out a few times and put in the sun in a thin layer to start the drying process. After a few days (depending where you live), 5-30 days (it doesn't take long here on the Sunshine Coast) the husks will start to split - they will then come away easily and reveal the little inner bean, they expand when they are roasted. This will have a papery covering, which you don't need to remove, it will not affect the coffee.
Leave these to dry in the sun. They are ready to be roasted when you can bite into them and don't leave a dent.
They are then ready for roasting in your kitchen oven. 200 -230 degrees until they are all the same colour - you can vary the depth, but keep an eye on them. Could take as little as 20 minutes to roast a thin layer but will take longer if you have a thicker layer - up to an inch. Give them a stir during the roasting process to roast then evenly.
We then grind them in a mortar and pestle. The ground coffee can be stored in the fridge, or the unroasted bean can be stored in airtight jars ready for roasting.
The DPI have more detailed info on how to process coffee at home - it tastes great and it's nice to know you have grown it.
Good luck,
Sonya
Time: Sunday, June 18, 2006
Correy said ...
Wow, This is great information Sonya.
Have you had any luck growing the coffee plants in pots for people like myself who live in the city?
Time: Sunday, June 18, 2006
said ...
Hi,
No I haven't tried them in pots. Ours are part of a permaculture food forest.
I'm sure someone will know - if not, just give it a try.
Cheers,
Sonya
Time: Sunday, June 18, 2006
said ...
Hi Sonya,
You say you are on the Sunshine Coast (assuming this is QLD). Do you know if they will grow around the Kenilworth area, which is in the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast? Some winters we do get frosts on our property though.
Your thoughts and comments are appreciated.
Time: Sunday, June 18, 2006
said ...
Hi anonymous at Kenilworth!, (I'm at Eudlo)
I believe coffee plants are frost sensitive, so it may be a problem - is anyone else growing them near you?
I know of a coffee plantation at Maleny - I don't know if they suffer from frosts - they are called Fig Tree coffee.
At our property we don't get frosts but some of the plants suffered when our pioneer plants died and let too much sun through. The leaves turned yellow although the berries didn't suffer.
If we could get an answer about coffee plants in pots you may be able to grow them like that.
If you can grow them and enjoy coffee they are certainly worth it.
Cheers,
Sonya
Time: Tuesday, June 20, 2006
said ...
Forgot to mention - IMPORTANT POINT - when you 'pop' the beans out of their red casing and put them in water to ferment, you need to discard the floating ones - they are no good.
Cheers,
Sonya.
Time: Tuesday, June 20, 2006
said ...
Hi Sonya,
How many kilos of beans would you get from your 30 plants?
Im considering planting a permaculture garden and just need an idea of the volume i can expect generally.
Thanks
Chris
Time: Friday, June 23, 2006
said ...
Hi Chris,
The previous owner of our property, who set the coffee plants up, calculated 30 plants to supply two people with a morning coffee throughout the year. We haven't gone through a complete annual cycle yet to test this theory, but we do have a LOT of coffee beans, so it looks right.
Sonya.
Time: Saturday, June 24, 2006
rolflora said ...
what are the possible health problems of coffee and caffeine?
Time: Tuesday, June 27, 2006
said ...
Hi,
I have three coffeeplants, given to me by a patient but they don't grow very well in my garden .
Do they need alot of light/water?
Time: Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Correy said ...
Where are you from Manon. They do like a lot of Sun.
Time: Wednesday, July 12, 2006
said ...
I have three cropping arabica trees, now 5yrs old growing in frost free conditions, north of Coffs Harbour, NSW north coast.
They are growing in full sun & have done it tough during years of drought in their first 4yrs.
They received very little help from me except mulching, but I'm sure would have enjoyed more water.
They are about 2m tall.
I've had no pests or problems of any kind.
I'm currently experimenting with processing & roasting.
Plenty of sites on Google for helpful hints, but not as easy as buying from the supermarket!
Time: Monday, July 31, 2006
dreamingwombat said ...
Hello
I've had mine in pot for just over a year. It's not doing that well, losing a lot of leaves. I'm in McLaren Vale, South Australia and live on a really windy hillside - no frost but perhaps a bit drafty?
I've had mine under a shadehouse/pergola with my tropical plants but I'm wondering whether it actually needs more sun after reading some of these comments so I might move it and see what happens.
Time: Sunday, August 13, 2006
Correy said ...
They don't like wind but they love a lot of sun and definitely a bit of fertiliser.
I have just taken a few cuttings from my K7 Coffee Plant using some Plant cutting powder - Take Root to make a few more coffe plants. After Sonya above telling us that you need 30 plants for 2 people I figure I better get some more coming along.
Time: Sunday, November 26, 2006
said ...
I have a coffee tree i have grown in large pot which is doing very well apart from some small white powdery type spots on one or two of the stems. Can anyone tell me what this might be?
lillian.
Time: Thursday, March 29, 2007
said ...
Hi Sonya
I just came across your advise on Coffee growing. I dont know much about growing the plant but I was wondering about where you purchase your plants from. We are in Mooloolah Valley and I am looking for a good fruit nursery near by. I was planing on growing a few plants but it seems like I would have to plant heaps for a bit of coffee. I thought a few trees would be plenty for presents etc.
Any advice would be great neighbour!!
Time: Wednesday, October 17, 2007
My Chutney Garden said ...
Hi,
I have about four Arabic plants and they grow on a hillside under a Flamboyant tree (Poinciana) so they get filtered sun. They are very prolific but I think we are too hot to really get superb flavour. I think the temperature has a lot to do with your flavour. Arabica is a bit rough and we have tried to roast our own but didn't know the technique, so thanks Sonya. I have red berries right now so will try a batch. BTW I live in Trinidad, West Indies where the temp stays at around 30-34Celsius all year round. We have a six month rainy season so our biggest problems are fungus and mildew when we are drying the beans. I also grwo pretty good cocoa. Trinidad is supposed to grow some of the best in the world but once again I am at a bit of a loss how to process it.
Sharon
Time: Monday, December 03, 2007
said ...
Hi, I have some 2 year old coffee trees that are currently fruiting.
The problem I have is that step 1 is to remove the skins and put the beans into water, remove any that float. The problem with that is, of the first batch I did only 80-100 beans sank, all the rest ( about 1000) floated. I had already sorted them to get rid of any over or underripe ones prior to peeling.
Just wondering if anyone knows why are 90% of mine floaters?
Also, does anyone know of an easier way to remove the seeds from the skins than squeezing them individually.
Time: Saturday, July 05, 2008
Correy said ...
Hi PaulKlerkx
I am not sure what the answer is but would like to know more about how you went about the water process?
If you had any pictures of your beans or would like to share more did you want to add them to our forum topic on coffee found here:
Coffee Forum
Time: Saturday, July 05, 2008
said ...
Hi fellow coffee growers
found your site quite helpfull. Yes coffee plants do fine in pots in side, i am in south island NZ and plant is 2 meters tall and i get around 1 kg of beans a year. Still learning to process them,
lots of fun and a good brew,
john
Time: Thursday, September 25, 2008
said ...
Does anyone have any instructions/advice for growing coffee plants from cuttings?
Time: Monday, October 27, 2008