Fun Facts About Coffee Blossom
The coffee blossom has some unique traits. For starters, it's not just the beans from coffee that has caffeine in it. The nectar from these flowers also has a small amount in it. Even after the bees process the nectar into honey, it still keeps some of this caffeine in it.
There's been at least one study that found that this caffeine boosts the bees' memory. A boosted memory helps them to return to the same plants again and again until all of the nectar is collected. It also cuts down on the amount of bees that have the behavioral tendency of "drifting", or returning to the wrong beehive.
The color of Coffee Blossom honey is a bit darker than your average clover honey and ranges from light amber to full amber. The taste is a medium level of sweetness, with a very pleasant apricot caramel flavor. Of course, it'd be fantastic to add to your coffee as a sweetener!
Most of the crops for coffee are located in Latin/Central America. There are three primary producers of Coffee Blossom Honey and the tastes of their honey are as different as the tastes of their coffee.
Planting Requirements For Coffee Blossom
Light: There are so many unique flavors of coffee out there. One of the factors that will change the taste of coffee is the amount of sunlight the plant receives. Some coffee farms shade their coffee with large trees or within valleys, while others will give them full sun.
Soil: Coffee can be grown on lots of well-draining soils but the ideal types are fertile volcanic red earth or deep sandy loam.
Spacing: Coffee is planted in rows 6 feet apart with plants 4.5 feet apart within the row.
Planting Time: The best time to start a coffee plant is in the early spring. (Note that you can't grow coffee plants from the beans you buy in a store; those have been treated and roasted and will not sprout.)
Zones: 9 - 11
Time of Bloom: Coffee will usually bloom sometime in the Spring and is dependent on which type your planting.