Herb. No. 135 · Rubiaceae
Ethiopian highland shrub. Now a tropical farm crop from the Andes to Vietnam.
Native · Africa
Native Also grown
LegalGentleplant
Coffee
Coffea arabica
The cherry that runs the morning — a highland shrub whose roasted seed is the world’s most popular bitter.
Arabica is an Ethiopian highland understory shrub. The red cherry holds two seeds. Roasting makes coffee; the raw seed is a different, grassier drug. Traditional use is wakefulness and a bitter after a meal. Culinary cups are the daily path. This plate is the plant, not a roast-profile argument.
Flavor
Roasted: chocolate, fruit, smoke, or rubber, depending on the roast. Green is grassy and sour.
Parts used
Roasted seed
Helpful
- A true food-drink
- A handsome house shrub
Cautions
- Insomnia and jitters
- Reflux
- Withdrawal headache