Coffee Plants

Lacehim

Righto boys and girls,

I popped over to the neighbours for a kiddies birthday party, got their Breville 800 coffeemachine steaming without the foaming tip  :o Lovely burned milk stuck up there.

Anyway, another party person mentioned a friend that has several coffee trees and doesn't know what to do with the fruit.  She just bins it!!!!!  ??? ??? :o :o

So short answer if I volunteered to take it off her hands!    Not sure when I'll get some but from 5 or so trees there should be enough to get a roast from.  She's also got a few saplings growning around the trees (probabaly from the fruit just falling off and composting) so I might grab them and plant them at home.  If I end up with too many I'm happy to pass them on.

So, what do you think you'll get from 5 or so trees and when should they be picked any tips?

tauyeung

I have no experience with growing coffee, but am a bit of a 'black thumb' when it comes to other plants.  The only success I've had with growing stuff is with herbs.... My guess is you pick when the berries look red (ripe) ?  I'm not so sure how many cups you can get out of 5 trees (but having said that I don't know how big your trees are). I'm kinda curious as to whether I can grow a coffee tree, but I'm in Sydney and maybe it's a bit cold for it. Keep us posted on your trees please

Koffee_Kosmo

My guess is that Five or so trees should produce about a years worth of beans KK

Lacehim

on 1304316911:

My guess is that Five or so trees should produce about a years worth of beans KK

A years worth for who???

takeaim

For anyone in Melbourne Growers Espresso/Eureka Coffee are currently selling coffee plants from their own plantation - $20 each I believe.

Lacehim

Wow that much.  Sorry kk wasn't having a go.  Everyone's consumption differs so I wasn't sure if you where talking like 250gm a bag or so a week or more. I've just got a dwarf coffee tree.  It's got some berries already in it's second year.  The tree is not very big though. Are you trying to start up a coffee plantation am?    ;D So if this friend of a friend picks them, then what?  They need the beans removed (is that pulped?), then dried. Then roasted or is there more to it?  What type of processes have our fellow forum members used for drying at home? I probably should finish watching that show about the coffee plantation and the poms.

Koffee_Kosmo

I lost a few coffee trees in the floods Not that I was flooded but the wet conditions I have 2 left in pots that are now shooting new leaves again & healthy One of them was from the pot that I was offered at the last meet-up So I need to get a few more KK

Lacehim

Wow I do have a lot to learn. I'll be popping over to see my neighbour soon with all this info.  I think all my neighbours thought I was a bit mad with my coffee, but now they are getting quite interested.  Passing on a few bags of freshly roasted coffee help.

Koffee_Kosmo

on 1304336245:

Wow that much.  Sorry kk wasn't having a go.  Everyone's consumption differs so I wasn't sure if you where talking like 250gm a bag or so a week or more.

Sorry for the late reply I did a bit of research and a mature Arabica coffee plant will produce 1 to 5 kg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffea_arabica KK

Lacehim

Why can't we make a basic hand huller?  KK is always good at coming up with a concept design idea (I love how his mind works).  He really should be an engineer or something What does it have to do exactly?

Koffee_Kosmo

on 1304397716:

Why can't we make a basic hand huller?  KK is always good at coming up with a concept design idea (I love how his mind works).  He really should be an engineer or something What does it have to do exactly?

I do have a Mechanical Engineering certificate  :o If doing it by hand I think  something like a cherry or olive pipper should work KK

Lacehim

I was thinking something more mechanical.  Like cranking a handle.  I'm lazy I know.  Maybe it could even be shared between forum users?

Koffee_Kosmo

on 1304399570:

I was thinking something more mechanical.  Like cranking a handle.  I'm lazy I know.  Maybe it could even be shared between forum users?

Coffee Hulling is the next process after the beans are dried Its also called parchment I think that a ball tumbler like the ones used for bingo would de-hull pretty well One may need to add a few thrashers inside to assist in the process and less open hold the beans in KK

Lacehim

This info was very useful http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/26_19720.htm Like the bucket idea, mash em up and get rid of AM's floats.  ;D The only part I think I will struggle with is the moisture... 11%, not 12% or more.  That's a bit accurate!  How can you measure moisture in a bean at home? All the other parts are well, labour intensive, but would be interesting all the same. Your bingo machine would be a great idea KK.  Can you make me one like that for roasting on my Wood fired Oven  ;D :P ;D  Only being cheeky.  OT but, I have been looking everywhere for one (to the point that my wife is looking too  :D ) but the holes are either far too big or not made of the right material (it's going to have to be stainless for roasting I think).

Koffee_Kosmo

on 1304403070:

  Can you make me one like that for roasting on my Wood fired Oven  ;D :P ;D  Only being cheeky.  OT but, I have been looking everywhere for one (to the point that my wife is looking too  :D ) but the holes are either far too big or not made of the right material (it's going to have to be stainless for roasting I think).

Its not stainless but I can get you some perforated mild steel sheet You will have to bend/make it yourself Its free from a friend KK

Lacehim

on 1304403322:

Its not stainless but I can get you some perforated mild steel sheet You will have to bend/make it yourself Its free from a friend KK

Sounds good KK, yes please.  How thick is it?  The only other thing I thought about was some really small wire mesh from a hardware store.

Koffee_Kosmo

on 1304403842:

on 1304403322:

Its not stainless but I can get you some perforated mild steel sheet You will have to bend/make it yourself Its free from a friend KK

Sounds good KK, yes please.  How thick is it?  The only other thing I thought about was some really small wire mesh from a hardware store.

The steel sheet I have some in the garage now Its about 1mm thick with approx 3mm holes size is approx 400mm X 400 mm sq Its yours if you want it on your next trip to Brisbane KK

Lacehim

Well a few days ago my coffee cherries got picked, nice and red and ready.  A total of 30ish beans!  Currently fermenting for a few days. I found the DPI's idea squashing them in a bucket worked great, mind you I didn't need a bucket for my small 30 or so.  ;D Still it's a start, and the tree is only a year old and still very small. Oh and KK, I haven't forgotten about your steel sheet.  Would still love that.

Koffee_Kosmo

on 1307448419:

Well a few days ago my coffee cherries got picked, nice and red and ready.  A total of 30ish beans!  Currently fermenting for a few days. I found the DPI's idea squashing them in a bucket worked great, mind you I didn't need a bucket for my small 30 or so.  ;D Still it's a start, and the tree is only a year old and still very small. Oh and KK, I haven't forgotten about your steel sheet.  Would still love that.

That perforated sheet is waiting in my garage KK

Lacehim

My neighbours parents have moved up to the Mary Valley, and they now have some nice mature coffee trees in their yard.    Short story he appears at my door this morning with a margarine tub of ripe/semi ripe beans. Says in a few weeks he will have bucket loads of ripe beans.  Nice.    Apart from a few green beans that I removed these look okay but I would probably have picked them once fully red.  Would they still be okay to process/consume?  I'm more concerned with the yellow topped ones. The others I picked from my bush, all 32 of them are coming along well.  I fermented the beans for a few days in water until they felt rough to the touch rather than slimey, then dried them on a paper towel and now they are dried I will manually remove them from the parchment.  The parchment is the biggest issue in processing larger volumes I think.  I don't have a plastic blade on my food processor like AM suggested and it will take forever to do it manually. I'm really enjoying this part of the "coffee experience", just seeing them grow and how to process them is very interesting.  Yes my neighbours think I'm mad but I would rather be doing this than watching the footy.  ;D

Lacehim

No responses so I just processed em.  I will find out later if they are okay or not.

Koffee_Kosmo

on 1308553399:

No responses so I just processed em.  I will find out later if they are okay or not.

Yep learn from any mistakes and pass them on I cant answer because I am unsure myself KK

Lacehim

I got a nice pressie yesterday.  The Mary Valley folk's trees are full of red coffee berries (they have a couple of mature trees), and they dropped off all the berries they had.  Loads of them, about 3/4 of a bucket and nice and red ready for processing Got them popped open today, and they are fermenting in a bucket.  Probably just under 1kg all up I think. The only issue I've had so far is removing the parchment.  It can be quite hard to remove.  I really need a quicker way to do this.  Any ideas? I don't have the plastic blender as AM suggested so I need another idea which doesn't cost the earth.

Springbok

I had a good harvest of 300g of beans from my one tree in the garden - the biggest crop in 5 years.. I usually pulp them by hand a good Saturday mornings work , dump them in a bowl of water for a day, dry them on an oven tray, usually have to use the wifes hairdryer to get them completely dry or they get black spots in a week. The beans are definitely "soft" - after a weeks rest I roasted them very carefully to 60 seconds after 1st crack , rested for 2 days and we were pleasantly surprised by the quality - definitely drinkable although the grind was pretty coarse despite the setting. Im planning to dig up the strip on the side of the house and plant about 6 trees there - theyre great looking trees and I get a kick out of growing and roasting and drinking Springbok coffee..

Lacehim

Hi Springbok, If your going to have that many speed up the pulping by mashing the cherries in a bucket.  Gets most of the beans out. Maybe you didn't leave them in the water to ferment long enough?  They need to feel a bit rough when you rub them rather than slimey.  Did you remove the parchment after you dried them out?  Inside there is a small blue/green bean which is your coffee bean.  The parchment would burn off I'm sure during roasting but might leave a taint?  I'm not expert though, I'm on a speed learning curve but enjoying the experience of processing my own coffee. I was thinking of covering the blade on the blender with a plastic cover... I was thinking maybe a plastic binder?  Or would that be too extreme speed wise???  I don't want chopped beans.  ;D

Koffee_Kosmo

One can roast coffee beans with parchment But you will have great amounts of chaff KK

madpierre

Nice to hear AM. Do we get some piccies, or have I got to bring a sample of roasted over to check 'em out  ;D

Lacehim

A mixture of different plants is no big issue am.  You just have an organic natures blend

Brett H

on 1317305852:

My trees are all flowering again.. And my potted ones are looking so healthy.. Problem is that there is a mix of some known  (Byron Bay Red ? ) and a bunch of others that have self seeded from all the green that I loose and sweep off the deck  ;D

Mate, can you germinate processed greens?  See, I can swing a hammer and hang doors but the green stuff in the garden that you have to prune (but can't use the circular saw  ???) befuddles me.  I'm desperate o get ome trees happening but I just need to 'rig up' the framing gun to accidently rid us of scrub turkeys!!!

madpierre

on 1317339175:

Mate, can you germinate processed greens?  See, I can swing a hammer and hang doors but the green stuff in the garden that you have to prune (but can't use the circular saw  ???) befuddles me.  I'm desperate o get ome trees happening but I just need to 'rig up' the framing gun to accidently rid us of scrub turkeys!!!

Brett, it can be done. I have been in previous conversations though to work out whether or not the particular varietal is going to be suited to our climate and growing conditions.

Intense Coffee

Just harvested my 1st crop of cherries from my poor lone Tree. Given as a gift about a year or so ago, the label says its a KM 35 Dwarf. Ended up with  ... wait for it ..... 341g of green beans to process.    Wet processed and currently drying on the balcony. Hopefully it will give me enough to roast at least 1 batch.