Why does coffee contain caffeine?

 

 

It is a picture of Arabica coffee that I am currently growing, and I am growing it from April 2021 to the present.

 

I like coffee. But why does coffee have caffeine? I'm suddenly curious, so I'd like to share information about what I looked into.

 

Coffee Tree's Survival Instinct

1. Caffeine is the biochemical weapon of coffee!
   • People who don't like coffee among people say that drinking coffee makes it difficult to sleep and is painful. Wouldn't the same thing happen to bugs?
   • First of all, caffeine is not only contained in coffee beans. The stems, leaves, and flowers are all spread out. Coffee plants fight off pests that want to eat leaves and beans. Excessive caffeine intake by insects causes the nervous system to become paralyzed and cause death.
2. Caffeine inhibits the germination of other plants and also inhibits the growth of plants.
   • When coffee leaves or coffee beans fall to the ground, caffeine contaminates the soil, inhibiting the germination and growth of other plants.
   • Coffee tree has preempted this space, so it declares that other plants are inaccessible.

Wow! Isn't that amazing?

 

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Coffee Tree's Breeding Instinct

1. Caffeine is a temptation to attract honey bees
   • When people drink coffee, they feel like their brain is activated by caffeine. I always feel sleepy when I have lunch. I drink coffee to relieve my sleepiness. Drinking coffee after lunch certainly seems to increase work efficiency in the afternoon. Wouldn't bees do the same thing?
   • The flowers of coffee plants play a role in attracting honeybees, which are pollinators.
   • When honeybees consume caffeine, they improve their long-term memory and are more likely to return to the flower. Coffee plants even provide honeybees with the optimal amount of caffeine that causes them to return to coffee flowers.
2. Can bees live in caffeine unlike other bugs?
   • Honey bees can control themselves by consuming caffeine. Wow, insects have really crazy survival instincts like plants.
   • In other words, honeybees consume small amounts of caffeine so that they do not die.

 

Coffee is useful for humans if you drink it moderately, but if you drink a lot, it becomes toxic

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Aha~! Robusta coffee trees with relatively higher caffeine content could live in low-lying areas with more pests than Arabica coffee trees~~!

 

Arabica species have no choice but to live mainly in highlands with less harmful insects due to their low caffeine content. Caffeine has a strong bitter taste. Therefore, Robusta coffee is used for cheap canned coffee or instant dried coffee, and Arabica coffee is relatively rich in acidity, so it is mainly used as a special and premium coffee.

 

In this regard, please refer to the last article I wrote.

https://plantslike.tistory.com/3

 

Arabica coffee picture