Thread: Growing coffee

Well, I thought I should let TonyT and madpierre06 know that I have had my first cup of home grown coffee! And it was SENSATIONAL!! *:D
I hulled the beans in the blender, tipped the resultant blend from bucket to bucket if front of a fan in the back yard and then cooked up a cupfull of the beans over *gas in a saucepan. I now wish I had taken photos! *
Im going to borrow a mates hot air gun and use the General Managers breadmaker for the next roast. *But I will say the coffee was excellent. *Of course with my palate that might not mean much *;D
Went looking for my grinder but it had gone missing so borrowed one from a mate for a quick plunger this morning. *Very rich aroma with a quite fruity scent. *I like a dark roast and was a bit worried that I had overcooked/burnt the beans but the coffee was not bitter at all.

You couldnt have got rid of my smile on that first taste with a kick in the proverbial and a bag full of lemons. *Will I do it again.... I honestly cant see it unless one of the legends here comes up with an easier processing method. *However, it really does open your eyes to what goes into the humble cup of coffee. *Thanks for all the help, I really couldnt have done it without it.

cheers,

Mark

Well done Mark!

Once bitten youll never release the grip of the bean.

Growing, processing and roasting beans from you very own tree is a special thing.

I think you should be the inaugural member of the GPR club(like the lever Action Club elsewhere).

Whos next?

This is what we were doing on Sunday:

http://s386.photobucket.com/albums/oo302/coffeeprincecoffeeprince/Pre%20Harvest%2009/

Great stuff Mark. Mate, I look at it this way. I personally dont mind going through the whole process simply for the satisfaction of having a coffee that I hav e processed myself. Once my plants get to that stage, im hoping to have put together a set up which will make the processing somewhat easier.

But then again, I have been known to be a tad obsessive about things.

Congrats on the coffee though, the point is it tasted good for you. Good job mate.

Originally Posted by 15392A33076C6B6D580 link=1202128835/101#101 date=1257681459

Well, I thought I should let TonyT and madpierre06 know that I have had my first cup of home grown coffee! And it was SENSATIONAL!!

yeah, i remember when i had my first. it will probably taste even better if you get a little roaster.

last saturday i picked another 3.9kg of cherries and squeezed and cleaned them. it took from 5pm to midnight, with a 2-hour break for dinner. but its only a few times a year, and most of the rest is easy. picking and pulping are the hard parts. i hate it, but put up with it for the end result. you can enjoy the coffee long after the drudgery is over - unless youre a coffee prince and have to do it every day. but by the pictures on cps link below, you can sometimes get help. no-one wants to help me.

heres a pic of the cleaned beans drying, with a plate of floaters kept separate. there are a lot of floaters that seem to have big seeds. ill see what they taste like.

sorry i missed madpierre - i was off the day you called.

they dry pretty well in these trays.

Nice looking beans tony. Plus smaller trays mean you have ease of movement if raining. I personally didnt worry if inclement weather came through...just meant it takes a bit longer to dry, I figure the Ethiopians dont bring em inside. I just use an old sheet of masonite for my drying, gives me plenty of room for turning the beans..have bean starting to reconsider though, I was wondering whether there may be some transferrence twixt bean and masonite of any unwanted flavours from the board.

Got your message Tony, its all good mate. Prob. catch you next time.

Thanks for the great comments, I had a good chuckle while reading them as I can see Im in good company here! ;)

"I am not an [s]animal[/s] -obsessive compulsive coffee nut"

And Yes I must say that the satisfaction quotient is very very high when Im drinking my very own coffee. I have been taking it to work for my morning plunger and everyone at work has been impressed with the rich aroma the second the lid comes off the container of ground beans. After seeing more of Tonys photos Im tempted to do it again just for the comparison. Ive still got ripe cheries/raisins on the tree..... then again I might not :)

Mark

heres the final pictures of my processing process.
first, the hulling equipment - home brand food processor with a plastic blade.

in go the dry coffee beans

whirl them around for a while

voila! hulled coffee beans

take em outside, plug in a fan and blow away the chaff. i use a winnowing basket i got from kenya, but you could use any flat tray with a wall round it.

the beans ready for dechaffing

the finished product

into the trusty iRoast2 for a little hot air

nearly ready. i find there are substantial differences in roasting times needed for different beans (varying degrees of dryness), weather (heat and humidity) and of course the style of coffee you want. i usually like something approaching full city roast or full city roast +.

ready to grind. i understand its better to leave the roasted beans for a day to vent carbon dioxide before grinding.

and thats the end of a good year in a suburban coffee plantation. the pictures for the whole lot are buried in various places in this section: the cherries on the tree, the picking, the pulping, the cleaning, the drying, the hulling, the roasting.
strewth - i need a drink! wheres that beer? I think ill have a fullers ESB.
theres still some work to be done - a few more cherries to pick, then pruning, fertilising and clearing up. but ill have three or four months worth of my own coffee (if i dont gulp it down too fast) and i like it. to be honest, its not up there with the great coffees of the world, or the great coffees of lismore, but it beats the crap out of anything you can buy in a supermarket. and its very fresh.
i kept 500g of last years vintage and have just roasted that and some of this years. ill see how they compare, although i didnt get the two roasts exactly the same.
it seems like a long time ago when i joined coffeesnobs to ask for help in growing and roasting my own coffee - but it was only the beginning of last year. what i have learned since then (with a number of people giving me very useful information) means i am no longer blundering in the dark.
go thou and do likewise.

Thanks for all the great photos. :) Its good to see the whole process and the plastic blades explain a bit in the food processor. I had a mental picture of what our Oscar (metal blades) would do to the beans.

Now I just have to decide how many trees to plant - too few & not worth the effort, too many and maybe too much time but certainly too few excuses for Bean Bay.

Im in Brisbane and bought 2 young trees from a nursery - theyre not doing that well and I have a plan to plant more of them down the side of the house where it is more protected - theexciting thing wascollecting and processing the beans and eventually roasting and drinking a pretty decent coffee all from the garden - I got a real kick out of it..

What a journey tonyt,
Its really exciting to see you document your success. Im sure it will motivate more CSers to take the plunge and develop an appreciation for the other side of coffee production.
The more we know, the more demanding we can be as consumers:

Were these beans dry processed, washed naturals etc?
Were they picked as raisins or underripe?
Were these beans stored as parchment for a while before hulling?

Look forward to next year, an even bigger harvest!

Great stuff and shots again Tony. First time Ive seen plastic blades in a food processor, Im gonna have to explore those sort of options when I get to the point of greater volumes of beans to process. At the moment, I m doing smaller batches in the metal blades of my blender, doing quick pulse hits.

Nice looking beans in the roaster mate, what sort of flaVOurs you getting from em?

Might be a chance to catch up at the M&G on Sunday and talk trees and such, Springbok.

Originally Posted by 54766177776B040 link=1202128835/122#122 date=1258057688

Were these beans dry processed, washed naturals etc?
Were they picked as raisins or underripe?
Were these beans stored as parchment for a while before hulling?

these beans were dry processed - i just dried them with the mucilage on.
they were probably not what you would call raisins - but they looked more crimson on the trees than they did in the pictures. i suppose you dont see the yellow underside when theyre on the tree.
i stored them for a month in their parchment. ill store all my beans that way now, until i need to roast them, then ill hull a certain amount.

i was going to try some sort of halfway system between wet and dry processing, but somehow it didnt work out. ill have another go when i pick the last of this years cherries.

i think this years is a lot earthier than the beans i kept from last year - buy ill have to try to compare them again - i may have got them mixed up! some people disagree, but im only human.

Ahhh, a little rain. Great excuse to throw in the harvesting towel for the afternoon!
http://s386.photobucket.com/albums/oo302/coffeeprincecoffeeprince/?action=view&current=Pwnedharvesttime.flv
Here is a vid of me being PWNED

Originally Posted by 65475046465A350 link=1202128835/125#125 date=1258956675

http://s386.photobucket.com/albums/oo302/coffeeprincecoffeeprince/?action=view&c...

some interesting videos cameron. ella can manage my plantation manager when i expand it a bit - looks like shes got some good ideas.

the videos gave me a better idea how to prune, which im going to do soon now ive done all my picking.

this years coffee tasted a bit blander than last years - less of a bite. i assume that is something to do with reduced acid levels - or is it caffeine? but this years is probably better tasting all round because it is noticeably fresher.

I put a video on the photobucket site showing the machine harvester in action if you are interested.

Ill be sure to video pruning as it happens.

Before we start to chop back I need to load up my plants with Nitrogen. Im using 10 ton of Chook poo per hectare, Rock Phosphate and urea in the drip lines in the afternoons just on dusk. Once they are nice and healthy(End of Jan hopefully) then Ill attack them with the most amazing pruning machine you will ever see!

Cheers,

Originally Posted by 1B392E3838244B0 link=1202128835/127#127 date=1259521313

I put a video on the photobucket site showing the machine harvester in action if you are interested.

i looked at the harvesting machine - pretty good. probably harvested your 15,000 trees in the same total time i took to harvest my 4 chaotic trees by hand.

your trees are pretty tall and many had to be bent double to get into the machine. but if you have taller trees you would get more coffee wouldnt you?

i have blossoms all over my trees now. maybe i should give them a lot of nitrogen before pruning - but will that affect further blossom growth?

You should leave them alone until all the flowers are set as buds, mine have flowered twice already, each time after a bit of rain. Once the flowers are gone and the buds of the new bean are visible, dose up with Nitrogen, wait for the new growth then cut them.

The height in my trees is caused by "Sub laterals" these sprout from the trunk, go lateral for a cm or two then shoot straight up. They bear little or no fruit and inhibit the growth of other laterals. The hormone messages sent to the tree once sub laterals start striving for sunlight tell it to stop producing the fruit bearing laterals and concentrate on the vertical quest for light.

By ripping of the sub laterals at the trunk and pruning the tops of each tree I should be able to return to max yield within three seasons.

Originally Posted by 10322533332F400 link=1202128835/129#129 date=1259609276

You should leave them alone until all the flowers are set as buds, mine have flowered twice already, each time after a bit of rain. Once the flowers are gone and the buds of the new bean are visible, dose up with Nitrogen, wait for the new growth then cut them.

The height in my trees is caused by "Sub laterals" these sprout from the trunk, go lateral for a cm or two then shoot straight up. They bear little or no fruit and inhibit the growth of other laterals. The hormone messages sent to the tree once sub laterals start striving for sunlight tell it to stop producing the fruit bearing laterals and concentrate on the vertical quest for light.

By ripping of the sub laterals at the trunk and pruning the tops of each tree I should be able to return to max yield within three seasons.

It is great to see and hear the same message..

Found this the other day.. But still hope to call in some time.. When passing through..

http://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?num=1259535252/7#7

Originally Posted by 517E7775625D717E7177757D757E64100 link=1202128835/130#130 date=1259615637

http://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?num=1259535252/7#7

this was useful. thanks. i was just looking at my trees today and debating whether to cut off their tops or not. ill top them after awhile - theyre getting too high for me. ill also do what cameron cp says - wait till all the pinheads are set then clear out the trees. judiciously of course - but im tired of getting lost inside a single tree!

what cameron calls sub laterals i have seen referred to as verticals. i have been keeping one going and pulling off all the others. i have three stems on each tree, cutting the oldest stem each year and letting the new sub lateral grow up to replace it. i read that some kona coffee farmers operate that way.

i suppose its a balance - getting the trees bearing well, growing well and surviving as long as possible - all at the same time.

This sort of info is priceless....Ill certainly be hanging onto this as my trees start to go through the various stages of development.

All from one site..

Trust teh link is OK..

http://www.blairestatecoffee.com/page1.html

Heres a picture of my best current plant in my back yard...
IT started flowering around early october and everytime i get a good rain soaking they flower again..even now there is flowers comming through on a few of my plants while the cherries are starting to form.

Nice.

My two have started to flower.

A few bloomed a couple of weeks ago but nothing came of them.
Now theres been another spurt and there are a lot of buds forming.

Originally Posted by 4C756B655F47000 link=1202128835/134#134 date=1261641692

Heres a picture of my best current plant in my back yard...
IT started flowering around early october and everytime i get a good rain soaking they flower again..even now there is flowers comming through on a few of my plants while the cherries are starting to form.

AND

Originally Posted by 5468756E646572676F64000 link=1202128835/135#135 date=1261644832

Nice.

My two have started to flower.

A few bloomed a couple of weeks ago but nothing came of them.
Now theres been another spurt and there are a lot of buds forming.

If only... Have 4 trees... From 125mm to about 2200mm in hight. But due to transplanting and just growing.. Nothing... Also have about 50 Plus seeds that have been planted... Am going to replace some of the old Lilly pillies with Coffee trees... I hope...

Take care all.

I can bring the harvester down for next years harvest.

http://s386.photobucket.com/albums/oo302/coffeeprincecoffeeprince/?action=view&current=MachineHarvestcoffeeprince.fl v

Have a Merry one!

yeah, coffee trees look pretty good in blossom.
it rained in newcastle over christmas, and although my trees had flowered and begun pinheads some time ago, i saw today that theyve started flowering again.

i was going to prune all four trees, and i did cut two back pretty hard, but then thought id leave the other two to do whatever they liked and see if there was much difference in crops next year. theyll certainly be a tangled mess, but maybe theyll produce well.

Originally Posted by 57787173645B77787771737B737862160 link=1264204573/42#42 date=1264254750

Originally Posted by 2F2326322B273030277274420 link=1264204573/41#41 date=1264254329

CTRS

Coffee Tree Recovery Service....

Heard that some one was just pulling out the trees as part of their garden upgrade.. Bugger me missed them.

Then a mate calls and asks if I want a tree as the house had been sold and a coffee tree in the front was looking ratty..

Went over and got it


PS: Coffee Tree Recovery Service.... CRTS is not a business or any thing else... Just a name to separate the difference between Coffee trees and all the other garden stuff the Rels like to often dump...

AND

[quote au

Originally Posted by 7B7772667F736464732620160 link=1264204573/43#43 date=1264262436

Good chance to grab a semi establishable tree there....thats a bugger about missing out on tother ones though.

Ill drop ya a line early in t week aboot bringing a sample of me BoC beans over for a dash.

Please do..

Got two.. One from a nursery and it was as good as pot bound and dead..

Now recovering.. But very small leaves...

The other one looks like it might just scrape through...

Originally Posted by 5A637D734951160 link=1264204573/45#45 date=1264278040

Be very carefull uprooting a tree as they dont take to it very well. I would be more inclined to stump it and take it home and clone as much of it as possible.

I recently attempted to move a 1 year old and couldnt even get it out of the ground!

The one was in a pot and at some stage they put onto shale and dumped some dirt around it :( :( :( :(

But it is about 7 ft tall and covered in small beans and lots of yellow leaves..

Now I understand from CS and a plant expert up the road.. That Coffee trees have interesting tap roots.. So was not thinking it would be a deal and would end up killing it..

The ground was that rocky and full of shale; that it had no deep tap roots but two that ran along just under teh surface.. This I found after cutting one off.. Then some 30 second later a quick pull and had a depth of about 20cm and a dia of about 60cm with lots of surface roots.. Shocked look on the faces of all who stood around looking..

So..

First two are of teh tree that has been in teh ground about 3 - 4 weeks..

The last two are of teh tree that was crudely extracted from teh ground... And been in about a week. Lots of new shoots / green leaves on the crown, and lots of big leaves have turned yellow and dropped / been removed... Here is hoping that not all the beans drop... Some have turned black but only a few.

At first i only looked at the pics and though "that second tree needs some water and furtilizer BAD".
After reading about its had life, its no wonder its looking a bit worse for wear.

It looks like it will pull through though, if severely traumatized, they will usually drop all there leaves over a few days and any leftover leaves will turn brown so its actually doing well.

Keep it fed and watered and it will be fine m8 :)

Originally Posted by 4F7668665C44030 link=1202128835/140#140 date=1264400087

At first i only looked at the pics and though "that second tree needs some water and furtilizer BAD".
After reading about its had life, its no wonder its looking a bit worse for wear.

It looks like it will pull through though, if severely traumatized, they will usually drop all there leaves over a few days and any leftover leaves will turn brown so its actually doing well.

Keep it fed and watered and it will be fine m8 :)

Working on it... Twice a day.. The wife reckons I am spoiling them and not her :o

Thus I planted some veggies for her and tend to them at teh same time 8-) 8-)

Originally Posted by 1D323B392E113D323D3B39313932285C0 link=1202128835/139#139 date=1264392295

Got two.. One from a nursery and it was as good as pot bound and dead..

Now recovering.. But very small leaves...

The other one looks like it might just scrape through...

there is some good in the world after all.

Hey sweet, had missed the posts here over the last month.

They are hardy little blighters, I had some seedlings which appeared ready for the ref to step in and call a halt to the bout, but the good burst of RAIN we had recently saw the young fellas climb off the canvas and turn the fight around.

Nice pics there Luke, can wait to see how yours and TGs trees go over the next year or so.

Originally Posted by 3B2021363B4F0 link=1202128835/142#142 date=1264406058

there is some good in the world after all.

So tel me in English "wataka tamu ama utungu? "

And

Originally Posted by 222E2B3F262A3D3D2A7F794F0 link=1202128835/143#143 date=1264423037

hey are hardy little blighters, I had some seedlings which appeared ready for the ref to step in and call a halt to the bout, but the good burst of RAIN we had recently saw the young fellas climb off the canvas and turn the fight around.

Keep the fingers crossed... The next CS meet and great could turn into a growers meet.. Then it would be a drive up teh road to teh Mt... ;)

Word on the street is that i might have access to some Australian robusta cherries later this year.....thats right! Aussie robusta!...it does exist :D

I know someone thats willing to plant 20 acres of it once sprouted. That should fix the lack of body that Aussies is known for :)

;)

Originally Posted by 725D5456417E525D5254565E565D47330 link=1202128835/144#144 date=1264423354

So tel me in English "wataka tamu ama utungu? "

the arab coffee sellers wandering around the old town in mombasa kenya with their brass coffee pots, used always to ask me that when i went to buy coffee off them.
it means in mombasa swahili you want sweet or bitter?
i always used to say bitter
they always used to say bitter? youll be sorry!
yeah, but i want bitter.
okay, up to you - thatll be 2 cents.

brings back tropical memories whenever i think of it.

Theyve hatched!

I had just about raisined myself to the fact that they werent going to germinate and they showed up since that last lot of rain.