The term of ‘Coffee’It is perhaps, not generally known that the word “coffee” is of Abyssinian origin. Its name is said to be derived from the city of Kaffa, near which tradition places the origin of the coffee tree.
It is stated on the contrary by Macfarlane that “coffee” is derived from the Arabic word “Kahwah” meaning wine, and that is was the name given by the Arabians to the decoction obtained from the pulp of the coffee berries.
The botanical name Coffee arabica - indicates an Arabian origin.
The coffee tree on the American continent where it grows over wide areas from Mexico southward to the southern limit of toleration, is described as a shrub rather than a tree, growing to a height of from 14 to 18 feet.
It has a rather long and slender trunk, without branches except near the top.
The roots of the plants are thin and very numerous; they grow deeply into the earth, and there is usually one central root, a counterpart of the stem of the tree, running straight down, if not interfered with by instructions.
If the soil be poor on which the coffee is cultivated, it does not reach the dimensions above stated. According to the richness of the soil it is pruned so as to vary from 6 feet in height in poor soil, to 8 or 10 feet in soil of better quality.
One of the objects of thus preventing the growth of the tree to the extreme height, is to facilitate the cultivating of the tree and the harvesting of the berries.
The term of ‘Coffee’
