Multi-year pruning Experiment on Milenio

We are excited to share the latest results from our ongoing multi-year experiment, where we are exploring the long-term impact of canopy management on coffee quality and yield. For this release, we are exploring pruning – the selective removal of certain parts of a plant, such as branches or roots, to improve its health, growth, or productivity. It helps shape the plant, enhance fruit or flower production, and prevent disease by improving air circulation and removing dead or overbearing branches.

In coffee cultivation, the balance between vegetative growth and reproduction is vital for ensuring both the health of the plant and the quality of the coffee seeds. The relationship between these two processes is complex and, in many ways, not entirely understood. However, what is evident is that achieving the right balance is fundamental for long-term productivity and consistent, high-quality yields. One of the most effective ways to manage this balance is through pruning.

Inside the box, you will find two versions of the variety Milenio (H10), a first-generation hybrid between T5296 and Rume Sudan, grown at our Research Station at a simulated altitude of 1800masl under identical conditions - the only difference being the canopy management of the trees. A regular version of the Milenio without pruning, and a pruned version using Poma Pruning System where we opened up the trees and rejuvenated them over several years by taking out excessive, overbearing and poor branches to be reinitiated. Since coffee produces its highest quality on younger wood, and fruits compete for nutrients and carbohydrates, the pruned trees, with their more balanced fruit loads and newly developed younger wood, yield a coffee of much greater complexity and sweetness compared to the non-pruned version. Both of the coffees have undergone our signature Cold Washed Processing.