Java coffee

Who grows it, where and how

THE HISTORY OF THE ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION OF JAVA COFFEE

For many, Arabica from Java is a kind of Java coffee. We decided to tell you why this is not quite true.

The climate, soil, and altitude of Java are ideal for growing high-quality coffee there. 1 This was noticed by the Dutch colonialists and at the end of the 18th century brought the first coffee trees to Indonesia. The seedlings took root perfectly, and soon the plantations occupied a large area of the island.

In the middle of the 20th century, this coffee was brought to Cameroon. It turned out that he does not need to fertilize the soil additionally and he practically does not get sick. For 20 years, selectors have spread this type of coffee throughout the country and called it "java".

In the 90s, the Center for International Cooperation and Agricultural Research and Development (CIRAD) of Central America introduced a variety of java coffee in Costa Rica. Scientists believed that novice farmers would be interested in them, but this did not happen. They had no problems with diseases of coffee trees, so they preferred not to change the usual varieties.

25 years later, Panama recognized this variety after farmers tried to grow it high in the mountains and received a high-quality product with an excellent cup taste.

Now Javanese coffee is exported all over the world from Cameroon, Indonesia and Central America.

For a long time it was believed that the progenitor of Java coffee is "typica". But geneticists have found out that this is a mutation of the Arabica variety "Abyssinia" from Ethiopia.
Tall coffee trees of the Java variety, with an unusual bronze color of leaves and large berries, begin to bear fruit from the third year of life and give an average yield.

Grains with the best taste are obtained from trees that grow on soils rich in volcanic ash at an altitude of 1500 meters above sea level. But, the further away from the equator, the lower the landing level may be.

THE TASTE OF JAVA COFFEE

A drink made from grains of this variety, as a rule, is obtained with a soft delicate sweet taste and a taste of nuts, honey and chocolate, which are replaced by a light berry acidity. The aftertaste is long with aromas of smoke, herbs and earth.

Sometimes green java coffee beans are specially stored for 2-3 years to grow old2. The salty sea air, despite the high humidity, does not give a chance of mold. The grains change their color to light brown. The taste of the finished drink becomes softer, but more intense and sweeter, without sourness.

JAVA COFFEE IN MIXTURES

One of the most famous and expensive mixtures in which this variety is used is considered to be Mocha Java. It originated in the 17th century in the Yemeni port of Mocha. The sailors started mixing coffee from Indonesia with local grains. Their contrasting tastes complemented each other perfectly. The result is a drink in which the bright taste of berries and citrus coffee from Africa is combined with the rich aroma of herbs and the earth of Indonesian grains.

In the classic form, Indonesian "Java" and Yemeni "mocha" are used in this mixture. But to reduce its cost, it often happens that coffee from Ethiopia, Sumatra or robusta is added to Mocha Java.