Coffee as a plant

Coffee beans are actually the seeds of coffee trees. These small trees produce a fruit, often called a cherry, and the coffee seeds are found inside these cherries. Coffee plants take 3-5 years to reach full fruit production, and annual cherry maturation takes approximately 9 months.

There are many species of coffee, but the two that are most common are Coffea Arabica and Coffea Robusta. Coava only sources Coffea Arabica, which grows at higher elevations than Robusta and has more sugars and oils, resulting in a more pleasant, complex cup of coffee.

Cultivation

Coffee is native to Ethiopia, but is cultivated throughout the tropics. The primary growing regions include Central America, South America, East Africa, & Southeast Asia. Each region we source from imprints a unique taste profile based on factors such as soil content, plant varieties, elevation, micro-climate, and local cultivation techniques.

Picking and cherry selection

All of our coffees are hand picked, which means our beans only come from ripe cherries. Ripe cherries develop sugars that produce naturally sweet and complex coffee. This is the first phase of quality selection, but by the time the coffee reaches us in Portland, it has gone through over 10 additional quality gates and phases. The coffee’s color, density, and size are constantly being evaluated to make sure the beans we use are of the highest quality.