Coffee regions

Since shade certification is not available for coffee grown outside of Latin America, it can be helpful to understand coffee cultivation practices in the Old World. (Click on the Coffee Regions category for other posts in this series.)  This can help consumers choose sustainable coffees.  Certified organic is a good choice where available, although in many Asian countries, it is grown organically by default because small farmers cannot afford chemicals and fertilizers (“passive organic”) and may not be certified.

The whole concept of “shade grown” and what it means to biodiversity is different in Asia (and other Old World countries) than it is in Latin America, in particular as it relates to birds.  But as always, coffee grown in situations amongst a diverse variety of other trees and shrubs will mean a higher diversity of other organisms, and a closer match to native ecosystems. If anybody has further information on biodiversity issues in Asian coffee plantations, drop me a line at coffeehabitat AT gmail.com.  Meanwhile, let’s look at coffee growing methods in some major Asian countries.

Sumatra – Sumatra grows a lot of robusta, but the arabicas grown in the mountainous regions are some of the most distinctive in the world.  The best are from northern Sumatra, and marketed as Lintong or Mandheling. They are often grown in the shade, and/or organically. The Gayo region in Aceh Province, in the far north, tends to be small-farm holdings, also often shade or organically grown.  On the other hand,  Sumberjaya is a coffee-farming area within Lampung Province in southern Sumatra, and is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots.  About 60% of this once-forested area has been converted to coffee plantations.  Sun coffee is more common in the south, and state-run plantations tend to clear forest and create sun monocultures.

Smithsonian (certifiers of Bird-Friendly coffee in Latin America) is now doing research on biodiversity in Sumatra coffee farms.  Info on the coffees from Coffee Review.

Papua New Guinea. PNG is the eastern half of this large island; the western half, Irian Jaya, is Indonesian. PNG is often considered one of the “last frontiers” of intact, biodiverse rainforest, with many endemic species. Coffee is an important export crop, and much of PNG coffee is rustically grown in the highlands, and organic beans are readily available.  Aim for these small-holding coffees if available from a specialty roaster.  Estate coffees may not be grown as sustainably.

Java – Most of Java grows robusta, after arabicas were wiped out by rust many years ago. Arabicas are grown in eastern  Java in a volcanic region where four farms originally established by the Dutch government (Kayumas, Blawan, Djampit, Pancoer) are part of the “government”  estate, which produces about 85% of Javan coffee, and which is considered superior to private estate coffee.  This volcanic valley is forested, and I have seen coffees from these estates marketed as shade grown.

Sulawesi (Celebes) – Best beans come from a mountainous region called Toraja, which is also marketed as Celebes Kalossi. Coffee in this area is frequently grown under shade.  A little background from the U-Roast-Em blog.

Timor/East Timor – Coffee is a critical crop in this very poor country, it is home to a cooperative that is one of the largest single source producers of certified organic coffee in the world (both arabicas and robustas are grown organically). Coffee grows under a tall canopy of shade on old plantations, and much is literally wild.  Recently disease has severely damaged or killed a common shade tree species in Timor, and alternatives will need to be planted; meanwhile, coffee yields are reduced. Purchasing specialty coffee from Timor supports struggling farmers after a battle for independence, and environmental restoration.

Vietnam – Vietnam is the epicenter of robusta production, funded at a furious pace by the big corporate coffee buyers, which helped create the “coffee crisis” (more background on the coffee crisis here, with many links). Forests are cleared for these sun coffee monocultures. More than 182,000 acres of forest have been cleared in Dac Lac province alone; water shortages and soil erosion have been problems in coffee-growing areas.

A small percentage of the crop is arabica, and there is some effort to increase that percentage.  It’s difficult to recommend Vietnam coffees if one is concerned about biodiversity, considering that forest may still be cleared for arabica coffee start-up plantations. It’s a tough call, because encouraging sustainable practices in this country facing difficult times could be beneficial.

India – Indian coffees are often grown on terraced mountainsides. Indian arabicas (about half the crop) are known as “plantation coffee,” while the robustas are “parchment coffee.” Most is grown in the Karnataka (Mysore) region, but Kerala and Tamil Nadu (Madras) are other main regions.  Most of India’s shade coffee comes from Karnataka, but the majority of India’s arabicas are shade grown.  Article on Indian eco-friendly coffee growing from INeedCoffee here and some reviews of Indian coffees from Coffee Review here.

One interesting type of coffee from India should be mentioned. Monsooned coffees are green beans left exposed to monsoon rains in open warehouses.  The beans turn tan colored, the acidity is reduced, and the beans are sweeter, according to the hype.  For the full story, read “Daddy’s socks or fancy cheese” at Coffee Review.

Since shade certification is not available for coffee grown outside of Latin America, it can be helpful to understand coffee cultivation practices in the Old World.  This can help consumers choose sustainable coffees.  Certified organic is a good choice where available, although in many African countries, it is grown organically by default because small farmers cannot afford chemicals and fertilizers (“passive organic”) and may not be certified.

The whole concept of “shade grown” and what it means to biodiversity is different in Africa (and other Old World countries). Many Eurasian breeding bird species winter in Africa, but the most species are not found in tropical forests, but scrub savannas north of the equator, areas that do not coincide well with coffee-growing regions.  Thus the issues are not quite the same as in Latin America, but generally the most biodiversity is preserved on small farms, in diverse mixed crop farms, and farms that do not use chemicals.  If anybody has further information on biodiversity issues in African coffee plantations, drop me a line at coffeehabitat AT gmail.com.

Coffee originated in Africa, and today Africa still produces some great high quality arabica (Coffea arabica) coffees.  Africa is also the source of a lot of cheap robustas (Coffea canephora), which is also the easier variety to grow in the sun.  Sun plantations are more likely to be monocultures, and by virtue of that harbor less biodiversity.

The following countries produce primarily or entirely robusta coffee. Coffees from these sources are likely to be of lower quality, or not grown in a sustainable manner.  I would avoid them: Angola, Benin, Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea,  Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Togo, Uganda, Zaire.

The following countries grow Arabicas, or both varieties. Links provide more growing, historical, or quality information. A star (*) indicates the best bets in sustainable coffees.

*Burundi — Nearly all arabica. Most is grown in full shade, and most is organic, since farmers cannot afford chemicals.  Coffee is a major export crop for Burundi.  A specialty coffee marketed as Ngoma is traditionally grown and especially sought-after.  Bird info for Burundi.

Cameroon — Mostly (>80%) robusta.  Most arabicas grown in the west, northwest, and east at high altitudes. There are Important Bird Areas in these regions. Choose arabica coffee from Cameroon, which is grown in small mixed plots (shade) or harvested nearly wild, and without the use of chemicals.  Bird/birding info for Cameroon.

*Ethiopia – Nearly all coffee in Ethiopia is grown in shade, either as ”forest coffee,” nearly wild, or ”cottage coffee,”  interplanted with other crops without the use of chemicals.  Some is now being grown on plantations.

The two main growing regions are Harrar, the province east of the capital of Addis Ababa, and Yirgacheffe in southwestern Ethiopia (also known as Sidamo).  Both regions grow coffee on small plots using traditional methods, and there are Important Bird Areas in these regions. Bird/birding info for Ethiopia.

Kenya – Grows Arabica almost exclusively, but rarely grown in shade. While it may be that the growing areas are not along migratory routes, and shade trees are less important to birds there, monocultures of anything are generally not good for any type of wildlife, and replace native habitats. Large estates generally use a variety of herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and fertilizers. Bird/birding info for Kenya.

Madagascar — Both arabica and robusta are grown. Interestingly, Madagascar has 55 endemic species of coffee, including a bean without caffeine.  This island is one of the richest areas of biodiversity on earth, and has been severely deforested, and the farming of coffee was a major reason.  Unless you can determine the specific origin and growing practices of a Madagascar coffee, I’d avoid it.  I’ll try to dig deeper into this situation.  Bird/birding info for Madagascar.

Malawi —Arabicas are grown in several regions.  Due to the steepness of the terrain, coffee in Malawi is usually grown on terraces, using organic mulches to prevent erosion, and usually without pesticides.  It is sometimes grown interplanted with bananas, but it is often in fairly sunny conditions, or under bananas.  Bird/birding info for Malawi.

*Rwanda – Only arabicas are grown.  After the genocide and political unrest, various organizations have been helping to repair the Rwandan coffee industry (see my review of One Thousand Hills here, with accompanying links). Rwandan coffee is generally grown in small mixed plots with little or no chemical inputs.  It is often grown on steep slopes.  Bird/birding info for Rwanda.

Tanzania — Grows both arabica (70%) and robusta. When coffee is grown in shade, it is under banana trees. Most arabicas are grown in the north, near the Kenyan border, on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru (they may be called Kilmanjaros, Moshis, or Arushas).  Coffees called Mbeyas or Pares are Arabicas grown in southern Tanzania, between the rift lakes of Lake Tanganyika and Lake Nyasa.  With snow caps on the mountains diminishing (global climate change is a factor), farmers are struggling with irrigation issues.  Quality has been declining, but some organizations are working at reviving Tanzania’s coffee industry. Full post on Tanzanian coffee here.  Bird/birding info for Tanzania.

Zambia — All arabica, of variable quality.  Some avoid buying Zambian (and Zimbabwean) coffee because proceeds have been known to end up fueling the bloodshed in the Congo. Bird/birding info for Zambia.

Zimbabwe — Mostly Arabicas, grown on medium to large farms, mainly in eastern Zimbabwe bordering Mozambique, in the Chipinge region. Some avoid buying Zimbabwean (and Zambian coffee because proceeds have been known to end up fueling the bloodshed in the Congo. Bird/birding info for Zimbabwe.

Extensive information on African birds can be found at the African Bird Club web site.

“One Thousand Hills” Rwandan coffee, available through Michigan State University. MSU’s Institute of International Agriculture’s project PEARL — Partnership to Enhance Agriculture in Rwanda through Linkages — is helping Rwandans after the 1994 genocide rebuild by organizing coffee cooperatives, and teaching them skills in coffee production and marketing.  A portion of each sale goes back to PEARL. The genocide resulted in plantations being abandoned, and in many cases widowed women left to try to earn a living.  The cooperatives producing One Thousand Hills are 30 to 50% women.

Unfortunately, PEARL is funded by USAID, and the project has recently had its budget cut in half.  Read more about this crisis and steps being taken to insure the livelihoods of Rwandan coffee farmers — and our enjoyment of Rwandan coffee — can continue at portafilter.net.

Rwandan coffee has never been particularly notable (Rwandans being tea drinkers themselves), without much adherence to quality control. PEARL offered expertise in all aspects of sorting, washing, processing, and cupping, vastly improving the quality of the coffee.

Grown on small farms, in mountainous regions. Bourbon varietal. Medium roast, a clean, bright, smooth cup that I enjoyed very much.  Fair Trade.