Arabica (coffea arabica) plants are delicate. They yield fewer pounds of finished goods per acre; they require lots of moisture, rich soil, shade and sun. They are extremely vulnerable to cold and bad handling. Arabicas also must be grown at a higher elevation of over 1,000 meters. They range in taste from sweet-soft to sharp-tangy. Their roasted smell is perfumey with fruity notes and sugary tones. They are also more expensive. Arabica is the real coffee.
Robusta trees (coffea canephora) are hardier plants, capable of growing well at low altitudes; they are also less subject to problems related to temperature and rough handling. They yield more pounds of finished goods per acre at a lower cost of production. Robusta beans have approximately two times more caffeine than Arabicas. Their taste range is neutral to harsh. Most of the coffee you’ll find in the supermarket cans is Robusta or a mix of Robusta and Arabica. A high quality variety of Robusta would be found in espresso.
Though Indonesia is famous for the best Arabica plantations in the world, it is also the world’s biggest producer of Robusta coffee. End Wiki-quote.
Where the cheap coffee is actually too expensive
We arrive in Janjimaria, a small village with only ten homes and a church. The houses, separated by acres of hills and coffee plantations, are inhabited by a few old people and a handful of children. Some goats and two buffaloes are their most prized possessions. Marulak Turniep shares his life and poor home in these highlands with his gap-toothed wife. Together they take care of a small coffee plantation.
Janjimaria village on Samosir Island, Lake Toba.
– What variety of coffee are you growing here?
– ArabicaRobusta.
– That can’t be right. It’s either Arabica or Robusta.
– ArabicaRobusta.
Mr. Turniep is 57 years old and the seventh generation of coffee farmers in the family. Yet, he has no idea what coffee variety grows on his land. Robusta, Arabica, Antarctica, the name doesn’t matter. Making money off it is what’s important.
Some farmers use chemical fertilizers because they’re cheaper. Others have joined the Eco trend and only employ organic compost heap. Mr. Turniep was an old school farmer who found himself being trendy without even trying. Each of the roots of his coffee plants was covered with manure. I saw short healthy stems that bared big well grown berries. ArabicaRobusta was plain Arabica.
– How much for one kilogram?
– How much are you looking to buy?
– I don’t know… About 10 kilograms.
– Is 100,000 Rupiah OK for you? (that’s about 8 Euro)
– What if I want to buy more?
– Then we strike a bargain. Is 80-90,000 OK?
– It’s fine. I’ll take 10 kilograms.
– I don’t have any right now. I’ve just sent it to the marketplace. Today is market day, you know.
– When will you have it?
– In about a week. I have to harvest it, then clean and dry it.
I made the purchase for the sake of the nice farmer. The talk I had with him didn’t feel like the bargaining I did in the marketplace. Mr. Turniep didn’t treat me like I was a moneybag. On the contrary – his approach was shy; he seemed embarrassed to even look at me. We sat down under the canopy to button up the deal. Chewing on betel leaves, the old man’s wife went inside and came back with two cups of coffee.
The closest roasting house was on the other side of the lake. It’s a two hours drive that most farmers on Samosir can’t afford. They sell the coffee in green and buy roasted coffee from the retailers for their domestic use. The most affordable variety is a combination of throw out coffee beans and corn, sold for 2 Euro a kilo. Kopi Asli, “the real coffee”, is sold for a minimum of 3 Euro per kilogram.
The old lady served us a cup of hot cheap combination coffee. The one she and her husband were growing was already too expensive even for them.
Many thanks to Monkaff for the knowledge and inspiration.
English translation by Andreea Sminchise.
For more images, check the original version of this article (in Romanian).
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