Coffee (Arabica Coffee)

Coffea arabica

Also known as Arabian Coffee, Mountain Coffee, Bun (Ethiopian), Qahwa

At a glance

Family

Rubiaceae (the madder family)

Type

Evergreen shrub or small tree

Parts used

Seeds (the roasted beans inside the cherry), occasionally the dried leaves or cherry husks

Size

8 to 15 feet tall in the wild, usually pruned to 6 to 8 feet under cultivation

Bloom

Clusters of small, star-shaped white flowers with a jasmine-like fragrance, followed by green fruits that ripen to deep red "cherries"

Habitat

Shaded highland forests and cloud-forest understory, originally the highlands of southwestern Ethiopia, now cultivated across the tropical "coffee belt"

Acquisition

Grow or buy

Traditional remedies in HerbSense

Key benefits

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Sharpens focus and alertness

Rich in polyphenol antioxidants

Traditionally aids digestion

Lifts mood and energy

Traditional uses

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Coffee's story begins in the highland forests of Ethiopia, where it was chewed, brewed, and shared long before it traveled to Yemen and became qahwa, the drink that gave rise to the coffeehouse itself. Sufi monks in Yemen are said to have used it to stay alert through long nights of prayer, and from there it spread along trade routes to Cairo, Istanbul, and eventually the whole world. Across cultures, coffee has traditionally been valued not just for the lift it gives the mind, but as a ritual of hospitality, most visibly in the Ethiopian coffee ceremony, where beans are roasted, ground, and brewed fresh in front of guests as an act of welcome. In traditional practice, a strong cup has also been reached for to settle a heavy meal and ease sluggish digestion.

How to grow & use it

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Pairs well with

✦Cardamom
✦Cinnamon
✦Cacao

Substitutes

✦Roasted chicory root
✦Yerba mate

Choose it when

“For the quiet hour before the day asks anything of you, when a warm cup and a little clarity are what you need most.”

Did you know?

The word coffee likely traces back to Kaffa, the very region of Ethiopia where the plant grows wild, and the old story of a goat herder named Kaldi, who noticed his goats dancing after nibbling the bright red cherries, has been told and retold in coffeehouses for centuries.

Safety

Caffeine can cause jitteriness, a racing heart, or insomnia, especially in higher amounts, and it crosses into breast milk and the placenta, so pregnant and nursing women typically limit it. It can also interact with MAOI antidepressants and certain heart or blood-clotting medications.