Some people are so disconnected from their food now days that the thought of dirt and earth do not even cross their mind when they crunch into a carrot. But coffee is different, coffee is “Earthy”, no matter your depth of knowledge on the subject, most people relate coffee to the Earth, ground coffee resembles dirt, strong coffee can sometimes be described as “mud”. From it’s color to its flavors, coffee really boast its relationship to the Earth.
The ideal climate for coffee farming would be in a well drained soil with a lot of available nutrients between 1000-2000 meters above sea level, on a 15% slope between the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer. Deep sandy loam and Volcanic soils support coffee growth very well. When you look at the regions surrounding volcanoes it becomes obvious why they support coffee farming so well. You will often find a nice slope to farm in the mountains for starters, you also find good soil for farming coffee, maize, tea and other crops. Volcanic soils or andisols are relatively young and have not undergone extensive leaching or weathering, for this reason they still retain a lot of the nutrients from formation. These soils are also well draining but have a unique structure that contains small vesicles that retain water for use by the coffee plant during dry periods. All these factors together are the reasons that some of the worlds best coffee comes from volcanic regions of the world.