Cherries hiding coffee

THE FRUIT IS IN THE COFFEE BECAUSE COFFEE IS A FRUIT

Coffee accompanies the daily lives of people all over the planet. Some people drink more of it, others less, but perhaps everyone can say that coffee is a beverage made from coffee beans. Most people have also seen these beans in their lifetime. Fewer have even encounteredgreen coffee. What preceded the creation of these beans is then unknown to many. I mean. Who among you dear readers has seen or even tasted a coffee cherry? The moment people learn that thecoffee bean is a seed from a berry-like fruit growing on a coffee tree, they begin to understand and comprehend. Why they can smell the fruit in the coffee, its sweetness and acidity.

WHERE THE COFFEE TREES GROW

In tropicalcountries , where it's warm, humid and there are mountains. That's where coffee trees grow. Green plants of various sizes, from shrubs to tall trees. Their leaves are elongated, wavy at the edges and deep green. When the time is right, they bloom. White, five-petalled flowers open , giving off a delicate fragrance reminiscent of jasmine or hibiscus. They blossom and begin to form fruit. Coffee cherries. Theimmature green, small, hard fruit turns into a ripe, red, glossy cherry over time . Sometimes yellow to orange or pink. The colour depends on thevariety of coffee tree. The sight of twigs covered with colourful cherries against a background of green leaves is enchanting. It inspires the photographer's lens to capture it. Such a coffee tree is a popular recurring motif on the walls of cafés. Together with the lever of the coffee machine and the tamper , it is one of the coffee symbols tattooed on the hands of baristas and coffee lovers. As an image of their coffee-loving soul.

A YEAR OF TREATMENT

Coffee cherries ripen slowly and gradually. They usually take 9 to 11 months to fully ripen. Coffea canephora (robusta) can handle higher temperatures up to 30°, so they can be grown at lower altitudes. Thefirst fruits appear three to six years after planting. Its longevity is determined by its productivity. The coffee tree is usually renewed after 30 years. Plants that are this old already have low yields. They are therefore replaced by new, young and fresh coffee plants.

THE SAFE SHELTER OF THE COFFEE CHERRY

The coffee cherry tree is made up of several layers. A hard shell. This is hard and shiny. Its taste is bitter. The shell is the main protection for the treasure hidden inside the berry - the coffee beans. These are hidden in the centre of the coffee cherry. There are usuallytwo beans hidden here . If onlyone bean grows in the coffee cherry , we call it pearl coffee. Exceptionally, there are more than two beans in the berry. On average, one coffee bush produces around three quarters of a kilo of beansper year.

Between the husk (exocarp) and the beans is thepulp (mesocarp), the slimy covering of the coffee beans. The last protection of the beans themselves is their parchment cover (endocarp). During the coffee processing process, these layers are gradually separated from the beans. At the same time, all these parts are treated as by-products of processing. They are used in cosmetics or as fertiliser in agriculture, for example for the coffee farm's needs. The skins of these cherries can also be used in the food industry. They are known as cascara and make a delicious tea.

COFFEE AS A SUPERFOOD

Thepulpitself is also edible. It even tastes pleasantly sweet. After all, the sugars in the pulp are taken up by the beans and carry the sweet taste in our cup. Most often its taste is described as something between mango and watermelon. But the kernels take up the bulk of the cherry. Thesmall flesh content and also its slimytexture are reasons that do not favour the use of coffee cherries as a classic fruit. Due to the abundance of beneficial substances and antioxidants contained in these berries, mankind is trying to devise solutions for other coffee processing options. For example, the use of coffee cherries to make syrup. These magical berries, if processed in an imaginative way, could be classified as a highly health-promoting food, a so-called superfood. At the same time, this would also create further opportunities for farmers and the use of their produce in other sectors.

WHAT WE WEREN'T TOLD IN SCIENCE CLASS

Coffee is still a well-known unknown to many people. They drink it every day, maybe all their lives, and have never known how the dark roasted beans got into their coffee bag. Just as the flow of information about coffee to farmers is important, we see the importance of accessibility to coffee knowledge for consumers. That is, for the people who ultimately drink it. Perhaps it is this holistic view of coffee that can open up the horizons of even die-hard drinkers of the "standard" turk. For example, the lady at the top of the article went home with a story about a coffee cherry and coffee beans from Brazil. She knew she had paid for a packet of 100% coffee. At home, she sipped it with her husband and told him about what she was drinking. Two weeks later, she and he came back for more beans: "Now we want to try your honey novelty!"