The first coffee plantation was set up in Karnataka. The fruit resembles a cherry and grows in clusters. Each berry contains two seeds or beans. The coffee plant bears fruit when it is 6-8 years old.
(a) There are three varieties of coffee:
(i) Arabica Coffee-Most expensive and of superior quality,
(ii) Robusta Coffee-Cheaper variety
(iii) Liberica Coffee-Cultivated in a small area and it is used for making instant coffee.
(b) Between the coffee bushes, trees like silver oak and jack fruit are planted, a year in advance, to produce shade.
(c) Many of the estates are interplanted with orange trees, cardamom and pepper vines to earn additional income.
(d) Coffee shrubs continue to yield fruits for 30-35 years. Roasting is an important part of the processing as it gives the brown colour and good aroma, flavour and taste of coffee.