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Ever wondered what went into making that morning coffee as good (or, dare we say, as bad) as it is? Adrià Ferran’s Coffee Sapiens might well have the answer you need

words by Ferran Adriá

LATITUDE
Latitude is the angular distance of a point on the earth’s surface parallel to the equator; it is measured in degrees and fractions of degrees along the meridian arc that passes at that point. Coffee grows in the zones between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn (intertropical zone), 23° to the north and south of the equator, in the so-called coffee belt. Latitude can have a decisive effect on the coffee plantation:

– A change in angle of the sun’s rays changes the quality of solar energy
that the plant receives.

– Light variations influence the plant’s growth and germination

– Unstable temperatures cause metabolic alterations and change
the plant’s biological processes

– Latitude can also influence the
size of the beans

ALTITUDE
Altitude is defined as the vertical distance from sea level to a point on the earth’s surface. Coffee grows at altitudes from sea level to 2,000 metres. Arabica varieties develop best between 600 and 2,000 metres and occasionally even at higher altitudes. Altitude influences cultivation in several ways:

– It helps maintain the plant within a consistent range of ideal temperatures

– Drastic temperature changes are detrimental to the health of the plant and fruit

– Colder temperatures slow down,
yet improve, development of the
fruit’s aroma 

-Altitude also affects rainfall levels, another crucial factor

The development of the plant and the fruit is so strongly influenced by the altitude of their cultivation that it can affect characteristics of the elaborated product and the final elaboration, such as the body, acidity, aroma and fineness.

CLIMATE
Like every other plant, coffee responds to the stimulus of different weather conditions. Not all the elements that make up the climate act directly as ecological factors in the life cycle of coffee. Those that affect commercial organic production are temperature, rainfall, sunlight and relative humidity. Quality problems associated with climatic factors:

-Shrivelled fruit and bean: shrivelled beans affected by drought are often the result of the under-development of fruit caused by a lack of humidity and are directly related to drought. It can lead to a loss of aroma, flavour and acidity in the beverage.

-Crystallised bean: frost-damaged fruit may show signs of yellow, black or grey discolour- ation on the bean, which may in turn have a shiny/metallic appearance. The beverage created from it can taste exceptionally bitter and acidic.

SOIL
Soil is the layer of organic and mineral material that covers the earth’s surface where plants develop roots, and from which they extract the necessary nutrients for growth that create the conditions for productivity. Soil composition plays a fundamental role: it facilitates growth and supplies the water and nutrients essential for the coffee plant’s growth, development and fruit production. Soil is made up of solid inorganic and organic substances, water and air. The soil’s potential depends on a series of chemical, physical and biological properties that determine its fertility.

There is no single type of soil favoured by the coffee plant, as it is able to adapt to various types of terrain, but in general it prefers moist, deep, porous, well-drained and well-balanced soils rich in organic material and with a granular structure able to absorb water rapidly and drain away the excess. One of the most common and widespread factors that limits coffee growing is the soil’s acidity.