The Sustainability of Coffee Brewing

In short, over 8.25 million tons of coffee are produced world-wide annually (2009). Remarkably, only two different species of coffee are cultivated to reach almost the entire crop, Coffea canephora (robusta) and C. arabica (arabica). Arabica coffee is a tetraploid, that takes 9 months to ripen, yields 1500-3000 kg beans/ha, has an optimum temperature 15-24°C, an optimal rainfall need of 1500-2000 mm, an optimum altitude 1000-2000 m, is much more susceptible to disease and parasites, with a caffeine content per bean of 0.8-1.4%. Robusta coffee is a diploid, that takes 11 months to ripen, yields 2300-4000 kg beans/ha, has an optimum temperature 24-30°C, an optimal rainfall need of 2000-3000 mm, an optimum altitude 0-700 m, is resistant to many diseases and parasites, with a caffeine content per bean of 1.7-4.0%