All About Coffee Part 28

_Coffea Liberica_

The bean of _Coffea arabica_, although the princ.i.p.al bean used in commerce, is not the only one; and it may not be out of place here to describe briefly some of the other varieties that are produced commercially. _Coffea liberica_ is one of these plants. The quality of the beverage made from its berries is inferior to that of _Coffea arabica_, but the plant itself offers distinct advantages in its hardy growing qualities. This makes it attractive for hybridization.

[Ill.u.s.tration: WILD "CAFFEIN-FREE" COFFEE TREE

_Mantsaka_ or _Cafe Sauvage_--Madagascar]

The _Coffea liberica_ tree is much larger and st.u.r.dier than the _Coffea arabica_, and in its native haunts it reaches a height of 30 feet. It will grow in a much more torrid climate and can stand exposure to strong sunlight. The leaves are about twice as long as those of _arabica_, being six to twelve inches in length, and are very thick, tough, and leathery. The apex of the leaf is acute. The flowers are larger than those of _arabica_, and are borne in dense cl.u.s.ters. At any time during the season, the same tree may bear flowers, white or pinkish, and fragrant, or even green, together with fruits, some green, some ripe and of a brilliant red. The corolla has been known to have seven segments, though as a rule it has five. The fruits are large, round, and dull red; the pulps are not juicy, and are somewhat bitter. Unlike _Coffea arabica_, the ripened drupes do not fall from the trees, and so the picking can be delayed at the planter's convenience.

[Ill.u.s.tration: DIFFERENTIATING CHARACTERISTICS OF COFFEE BEANS, IN CROSS-SECTION

Col. I. Mature bean. Col. II. Embryo.

_A. Coffea arabica, R. Coffea robusta, L. Coffea liberica_]

Among the allied Liberian species Dr. Cramer recognizes:

_Abeokutae_, having small leaves of a bright green, flower buds often pink just before opening (in Liberian coffee never), fruit smaller with sharply striped red and yellow shiny skin, and producing somewhat smaller beans than Liberian coffee, but beans whose flavor and taste are praised by brokers;

_Dewevrei_, having curled edged leaves, stiff branches, thick-skinned berries, sometimes pink flowers, beans generally smaller than in _C. liberica_, but of little interest to the trade;

_Arnoldiana_, a species near to _Coffea Abeokutae_ having darker foliage and the even colored small berries;

_Laurentii Gillet_, a species not to be confused with the _C.

Laurentii_ belonging to the _robusta_ coffee, but standing near to _C. liberica_, characterized by oblong rather than thin-skinned berries;

_Excelsa_, a vigorous, disease-resisting species discovered in 1905 by Aug. Chevalier in West Africa, in the region of the Chari River, not far from Lake Tchad. The broad, dark-green leaves have an under side of light green with a bluish tinge; the flowers are large and white, borne in axillary cl.u.s.ters of one to five; the berries are short and broad, in color crimson, the bean smaller than _robusta_, very like _Mocha_, but in color a bright yellow like _liberica_.

The caffein content of the coffee is high, and the aroma is very p.r.o.nounced;

_Dybowskii_, another disease-resisting variety similar to _excelsa_, but having different leaf and fruit characteristics;

_Lamboray_, having bent gutter-like leaves, and soft-skinned, oblong fruit;

_Wanni Rukula_, having large leaves, a vigorous growth, and small berries;

_Coffea aruwimensis_, being a mixture of different types.

[Ill.u.s.tration: COFFEA ARABICA BERRIES GROWN IN THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS]

The last three types were received by Dr. Cramer at Bangelan from Frere Gillet in the Belgian Congo, and were still under trial in Java in 1919.

_Coffea Robusta_

Emil Laurent, in 1898, discovered a species of coffee growing wild in Congo. This was taken up by a horticultural firm of Brussels, and cultivated for the market. This firm gave to the coffee the name _Coffea robusta_, although it had already been given the name of the discoverer, being known as _Coffea Laurentii_. The plant differs widely from both _arabica_ and _liberica_, being considerably larger than either. The tree is umbrella-shaped, due to the fact that its branches are very long and bend toward the ground.

The leaves of _robusta_ are much thinner than those of _liberica_, though not as thin as those of _arabica_. The tree, as a whole, is a very hardy variety and even bears blossoms when it is less than a year old. It blossoms throughout the entire year, the flowers having six-parted corollas. The drupes are smaller than those of _liberica;_ but are much thinner skinned, so that the coffee bean is actually not any smaller. The drupes mature in ten months. Although the plants bear as early as the first year, the yield for the first two years is of no account; but by the fourth year the crop is large.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ROBUSTA COFFEE IN FLOWER, PREANGER, JAVA]

[Ill.u.s.tration: COFFEE ESTATE IN THE LUQUILLO MOUNTAINS, PORTO RICO]

[Ill.u.s.tration: j.a.pANESE LABORERS PICKING COFFEE ON KONA SIDE, ISLAND OF HAWAII]

[Ill.u.s.tration: COFFEE UNDER THE STARS AND STRIPES]

Arno Viehoever, pharmacognosist in charge of the pharmacognosy laboratory of the Bureau of Chemistry, United States Department of Agriculture, has recently announced findings confirming Hartwich which appear to permit of differentiation between _robusta, arabica_, and _liberica_.[97] These are mainly the peculiar folding of the endosperm, showing quite generally a distinct hook in the case of the _robusta_ coffee bean. The size of the embryo, and especially the relation of the rootlet to hypercotyl, will be found useful in the differentiation of the species _Coffea arabica, liberica_, and _robusta_ (see cut, page 142).

[Ill.u.s.tration: ONE-YEAR-OLD ROBUSTA ESTATE, ON SUMATRA'S WEST COAST]

Viehoever and Lepper carried on a series of cup tests of _robusta_, the results as to taste and flavor being distinctly favorable. They summarized their studies and tests as follows:

The time when coffee could be limited to beans obtained from plants of _Coffea arabica_ and _Coffea liberica_ has pa.s.sed. Other species, with qualities which make them desirable, even in preference to the well reputed named ones, have been discovered and cultivated. Among them, the species or group of _Coffea robusta_ has attained a great economic significance, and is grown in increasing amounts. While it has, as reports seem to indicate, not as yet been possible to obtain a strain that would be as desirable in flavor as the old "standard" _Coffea_ _arabica_, well known as Java or "Fancy Java" coffee, its merits have been established.

The botanical origin is not quite cleared up, and the cla.s.sification of the varieties belonging to the _robusta_ group deserves further study. Anatomical means of differentiating _robusta_ coffee from other species or groups, may be applied as distinctly helpful....

As is usual in most of the coffee species, caffein is present. The amount appears to be, on an average, somewhat larger (even exceeding 2.0 percent) than in the South American coffee species.

In no instance, however, did the amount exceed the maximum limits observed in coffee in general....

Due to its rapid growth, early and prolific yield, resistance to coffee blight, and many other desirable qualities, _Coffea robusta_ has established "its own". In the writers' judgment, _robusta_ coffee deserves consideration and recognition.

Among the _robusta_ varieties, _Coffea canephora_ is a distinct species, well characterized by growth, leaves, and berries. The branches are slender and thinner than _robusta_; the leaves are dark green and narrower; the flowers are often tinged with red; the unripe berries are purple, the ripe berries bright red and oblong. The produce is like _robusta_, only the shape of the bean, somewhat narrower and more oblong, makes it look more attractive. _Coffea canephora_, like _C.

robusta_, seems better fitted to higher alt.i.tudes.

Other _canephora_ varieties include:

_Madagascar_, having small, slightly striped, bright red berries and small round beans;

_Quillouensis_, having dark green foliage and reddish brown young leaves; and,

_Stenophylla Paris_, with purplish young berries.

These last two named were under test at the Bangelan gardens in 1919.

Among other allied _robusta_ species are:

_Ugandae_:, whose produce is said to possess a better flavor than _robusta_;

_Bukobensis_, different from _Ugandae_ in the color of its berries, which are a dark red; and

_Quillou_, having bright red fruit, a copper-colored silver skin, three pounds of fruit producing one pound of market coffee. Some people prefer _Quillou_ to _robusta_ because of the difference in the taste of the roasted bean.

_Some Interesting Hybrids_

The most popular hybrid belongs to a crossing of _liberica_ and _arabica_. Cramer states that the beans of this hybrid make an excellent coffee combining the strong taste of the _liberica_ with the fine flavor of the old Government Java _(arabica_), adding: