{"id":55164,"date":"2024-12-03T10:59:24","date_gmt":"2024-12-03T18:59:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/royalcoffee.com\/?p=55164"},"modified":"2024-12-03T14:56:37","modified_gmt":"2024-12-03T22:56:37","slug":"harvest-arrival-a-roasters-guide-to-coffee-seasons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/royalcoffee.com\/harvest-arrival-a-roasters-guide-to-coffee-seasons\/","title":{"rendered":"Harvest & Arrival: A Roaster’s Guide to Coffee Seasons"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Roaster’s Guide to Coffee Seasons <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

The idea that a particular crop, in our case coffee, is available and fresh for a portion of the year \u2013 is now long-ingrained in specialty coffee conversations.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Like all other fruit, coffee berries have a finite shelf life. Unlike many other drupes, we covet the seeds rather than the pulp, and so a green coffee\u2019s freshness is related not just to its immediate harvest timeline, but also to the length of time it takes to process (i.e., remove the seeds from the fruits and prepare them for storage and transit), the duration of international shipping, and the somewhat extended (but far from infinite) flavor of freshness during green coffee\u2019s time on a shelf, waiting to roast.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

(How long do green coffee beans last? Check out our <\/span><\/i>storage summary blog<\/span><\/i><\/a>!)<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Harvest and Shipping Timeline<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"Coffee
\nCoffee\u2019s flowers must bloom, albeit briefly, before the fruits set and begin to mature. Blossoming is triggered by rain after a hot and dry spell, and cherry growth often takes six months or more. Tropical weather tendencies \u2014 with plenty of irregularities \u2014 still differ predictably by hemisphere, so the rains in Brazil<\/a> in September and October result in harvests starting in May and June, whereas late spring and summer rains in Mexico will produce mature fruit before the end of the calendar year.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For the most part, this holds true worldwide: harvests of specialty-quality Arabica occur during the hemispheric winter. Thus, based on nothing other than geography, a roaster can know \u2014 within a margin of error \u2014 when cherries are being picked.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When I used to travel more, I\u2019d usually try to time my visits to coincide with the peak of harvest \u2014 a fairly common convention for buyers visiting their producers. It affords the opportunity to cup early harvest, take photos at nearly every step of the process, and still have a say in how the later-picking lots may turn out. Even the smallest micro-region may harvest for extended time periods depending on factors like weather, plant variety, and available labor. Thus, if the yield is large enough, early harvests may be ready to ship as much as four or five months before the final pass for the season.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And yet, even coffees harvested simultaneously in different parts of the globe may arrive in our warehouse at different times. This can be due to processing methods, logistics, seasonal variations, trade route configurations, customs holds, political interferences, or other factors. Given this reality, even the best laid plans can\u2019t guarantee a coffee\u2019s arrival time.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Common Harvest and Arrival Timeframes<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Consider the map below in broad strokes, as it displays the customary season corresponding to a coffee\u2019s peak arrival time in the United States \u2014 specifically, at our warehouse here in Oakland. (The map is interactive, tap or click on the tabs near the top to switch back & forth.)<\/span><\/p>\n