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Coffee Harvest Calendar

When is coffee in season? Harvest windows for 19 producing countries.

Coffee is a seasonal crop. Each origin has a harvest window when cherries are picked, processed, and exported. Freshness matters -knowing when a coffee was harvested helps you judge how recently it was roasted.

Select Month

10 countries harvesting in Mar
Country / RegionJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
🇧🇷
Brazil
Bahia / Cerrado
·
·
P
·
·
🇧🇷
Brazil
Minas Gerais / Sao Paulo
·
·
P
·
·
🇧🇮
Burundi
National
·
·
P
·
·
🇨🇴
Colombia
Main Crop (Central/South)
·
·
·
P
·
🇨🇴
Colombia
Mitaca / Fly Crop (North)
·
P
·
·
🇨🇷
Costa Rica
Central Valley / Tarrazu / West Valley
P
·
·
·
·
🇸🇻
El Salvador
Santa Ana / Apaneca
P
·
·
·
·
🇪🇹
Ethiopia
Harar / Eastern
·
·
P
·
🇪🇹
Ethiopia
Sidamo / Yirgacheffe / Guji
·
·
·
P
·
🇬🇹
Guatemala
Antigua / Huehuetenango / Atitlan
·
P
·
·
·
🇭🇳
Honduras
Copan / Comayagua / Montecillos
P
·
·
·
·
·
🇮🇳
India
Karnataka / Kerala
·
·
·
P
🇮🇩
Indonesia
Java
·
·
P
·
·
🇮🇩
Indonesia
Sulawesi (Toraja)
·
·
P
·
·
·
·
🇮🇩
Indonesia
Sumatra (Aceh / Lintong)
·
P
·
·
🇯🇲
Jamaica
Blue Mountains
·
·
·
·
·
P
·
·
🇰🇪
Kenya
Central Highlands
·
P
·
🇰🇪
Kenya
Fly Crop
·
P
·
🇲🇽
Mexico
Chiapas / Oaxaca / Veracruz
P
·
·
·
·
🇵🇦
Panama
Boquete / Volcan
P
·
·
·
🇵🇬
Papua New Guinea
Eastern Highlands / Simbu
·
·
P
·
·
·
🇵🇪
Peru
Cajamarca / San Martin / Cusco
·
·
P
·
·
·
🇷🇼
Rwanda
National
·
·
P
·
·
🇹🇿
Tanzania
Kilimanjaro / Mbeya
·
·
·
P
·
·
🇾🇪
Yemen
National
·
·
P
·
Harvest season
P
Peak harvest
Selected month

Why Harvest Timing Matters

Coffee cherries are picked during a specific window each year, determined by altitude, latitude, and climate. After picking, cherries are processed (washed, natural, or honey), dried, milled, and exported. From harvest to your cup can take 3-6 months. Understanding this timeline helps you buy coffee at peak freshness.

Specialty roasters list harvest dates on their bags (e.g., "Colombia, October 2025 harvest"). Coffee roasted within 6-12 months of harvest is considered fresh crop. Past-crop coffee (12+ months) often tastes flat, woody, or papery.

Northern vs Southern Hemisphere

Harvest timing splits roughly by hemisphere. Northern hemisphere origins (Ethiopia, Kenya, Central America, Mexico) typically harvest from October to March. Southern hemisphere origins (Brazil, Peru, Papua New Guinea) harvest from May to October. Countries near the equator like Colombia can harvest year-round, with two distinct crop seasons -making Colombian coffee available fresh almost any time of year.

Reading the Calendar

The colored bars show the full harvest window. Months marked with "P" indicate peak harvest -when the largest volume and often the best quality cherries are picked. Some countries have multiple harvest regions with different timing (like Colombia's main crop and fly crop, or Indonesia's island-by-island variation). Click any month to highlight which countries are actively harvesting.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is coffee harvested?▼
Coffee is harvested once or twice per year depending on the country and proximity to the equator. Northern hemisphere origins like Ethiopia, Kenya, and Central America typically harvest from October through March. Southern hemisphere origins like Brazil and Peru harvest from May through October. Equatorial countries such as Colombia have two distinct harvest seasons, producing fresh coffee nearly year-round. Altitude also shifts timing -- higher-altitude farms harvest later because cherries take longer to ripen in cooler temperatures.
How long does it take from harvest to cup?▼
The journey from cherry to cup typically takes three to six months. After picking, cherries undergo processing (washed, natural, or honey) which takes one to four weeks. Drying adds another two to four weeks. The dried parchment coffee then rests for 30 to 60 days before milling. Export logistics -- dry milling, grading, bagging, and ocean freight -- add another four to eight weeks. Once green coffee arrives at the roastery, it is roasted and shipped to consumers within days. The freshest specialty coffee reaches your cup about three to four months after harvest.
What is the difference between main crop and fly crop?▼
The main crop is the primary harvest season that produces the largest volume and typically the highest quality coffee from a given origin. The fly crop, also called the mitaca in Colombia, is a smaller secondary harvest that occurs several months after the main crop. Fly crops generally yield 20 to 40 percent of the main crop volume. Quality can be comparable to the main crop, especially in regions with consistent rainfall, but fly crop lots are often smaller and less widely available in specialty markets.
Does harvest timing affect coffee freshness?▼
Harvest timing directly determines freshness, and freshness is one of the most important factors in specialty coffee quality. Green coffee is at its peak flavor within six to twelve months of harvest. After twelve months, it becomes "past-crop" and gradually loses acidity, sweetness, and aromatic complexity. Specialty roasters print harvest dates on bags so buyers can judge freshness. Buying coffee harvested within the last eight months and roasted within the last four weeks gives you the best cup quality.
What is past-crop coffee?▼
Past-crop coffee is green (unroasted) coffee that has been stored for more than twelve months since harvest. As green coffee ages, it loses moisture, volatile aromatics fade, and the cup profile becomes flat, woody, papery, or straw-like. Some origins degrade faster than others -- high-acid East African coffees lose brightness quickly, while dense Brazilian naturals hold up longer. Past-crop coffee is not defective, but it cannot match the vibrancy of fresh-crop lots. Commodity-grade coffee is often past-crop; specialty roasters avoid it.
Which countries harvest coffee year-round?▼
Colombia is the most notable year-round producer, thanks to diverse microclimates and two distinct crop seasons (main crop April to June, mitaca October to December) spread across three mountain ranges. Ecuador, Kenya, and Tanzania also have multiple harvest windows due to varied altitude and rainfall zones. Indonesia harvests at different times across its islands -- Sumatra from October to March, Java from May to August, and Sulawesi from May to November. In practice, no single farm harvests continuously, but national supply remains available most of the year in these origins.