Coffee comes from the Latin form of the genus Coffea, a member of the Rubiaceae family which includes more than 500 genera and 6,000 species of tropical trees and shrubs.

Eighteenth-century Swedish Botanist Carolus Linnaeus first described the genus but, to this day, botanists still disagree on the classification because of the wide variations that occur in coffee plants and seeds. Species of Coffea range from small shrubs to trees as tall as 32 feet high and the leaves can range in color from purple to yellow, however, green is the predominant color.

There are about 25 major species within Coffea, but the typical coffee drinker is likely to be familiar with two: Coffea arabica (pronounced either a-rã-bik-a or ar-a-bë-ka and Coffea canephora (var. robusta).

Coffea arabica
Arabica represents approximately 70 percent of the world's coffee production. Arabica coffees are described either as Brazils (because they come from Brazil) or as Other Milds which come from elsewhere. Typica and Bourbon are the two best known varieties of C. arabica, but many strains have been developed, including Caturra (from Brazil and Colombia), Mundo Novo (Brazil), Tico (Central America), San Ramon and Jamaican Blue Mountain.

The arabica plant is typically a large bush with dark green, oval-shaped leaves that can reach a height of 14 to 20 feet fully grown. Its fruits are oval and usually contain two flat seeds.

After planting, arabica trees mature in 3 to 4 years, when they produce their first crop. The arabica plant can continue to produce fruits for 20 to 30 years. Arabica trees prefer a seasonal climate of 59-75 degrees Fahrenheit and an annual rainfall of 60 inches.

A hybrid of arabica, Maragogype -- called the elephant bean because of its large size -- originated from the Maragogype County in the Bahia state of Brazil. Today it is grown in Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Brazil and Zaire.

Coffea canephora (C. canephora var. robusta)
Coffea canephora provides robusta beans. Robusta, which can grow up to 32 feet in height as a shrub or tree, has a shallow root system. The fruits are round and take nearly a year to mature. The seeds are oval and smaller than the arabica beans. Robusta coffee is grown in West and Central Africa, throughout Southeast Asia, and parts of South America including Brazil, where it is known as Conilon.

Robusta trees produce their first crop 3 to 4 years after planting and they remain fruitful for 20 to 30 years. The trees prefer equatorial conditions with temperatures between 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit and an annual rainfall of 60 inches.

The traditional way to grow coffee trees is to grow compatible trees nearby, to keep the coffee trees and their developing fruit from the sun. The modern techniques are to use irrigation systems and fertilizers. Coffee is grown on both large estates and in the smallest of forest clearings.