With the right combination of sunshine and rain between February and April the coffee trees will bloom. Coffea arabica has perfect flowers, meaning it is self-pollinating. Once the flower pollinates itself a fruit begins to form and grow. It takes about 8 months for coffee fruit to ripen. Different factors influence ripening; elevation, shade and weather all determine how quickly (or slowly) the fruit matures. Generally, the slower the fruit ripens the tastier the coffee. For this reason coffees grown at high elevations and under shade are considered excellent and are so coveted on the world market. Previous | Beginning | Next