Coffea arabica
 Coffee

 Rubiaceae

A slender but bushy shrub, we find it a joy to have in the garden from purely 'gardening' point of view.

By planting as an avenue along the driveway we are constantly greeted by their dark glossy leaves, fragrant flowers and green to orange to red berries.

Then comes the harvest! From a domestic point of view, harvesting the berries, separating the two beans per berry, drying them and eventually roasting the beans is no more effort than growing your own olives.

As long as you don't let the beans sit for too long in one place while roasting you should end up with a roast that pleases you.
Seed purchase is accompanied buy an outline for preparing your beans from the bush to the coffee pot.

 
Packet of 12 dried seeds $3.50

Coffea canephora
Robusta Coffee

Without getting involved in the ongoing and personal debate over the preferred coffee's of addicts and connoisseurs, I can only say that of the two coffees, the robusta has a higher caffeine content, grows better at lower altitudes, attracts less bugs and diseases, and doesn't drop it's fruit when it is ripe. Unlike the 'Arabica' the Robusta is not self fertile so at least two trees will be necessary for cross pollination.

Our favourite 'Roastmaster' at Chipironi Mountain Coffee, feels that adding a percentage of Robusta to some of his blends, gives his espressos a special edge that you just can't beat!

Packet of 12 dried seeds $3.50