Coffee is something that many people need and enjoy. The popularity of coffee has grown through the years and people cannot think about spending a day without this beverage.
There are millions of coffee-drinkers today all over the world. But few know the elaborate process that goes into harvesting and processing coffee. In this article, you will learn about how coffee cherries are processed to get coffee beans and the different methods used to do it.
From The Coffee Plant
Coffee plants are grown and nurtured for about 4 years before their fruits can be harvested. Most coffee plantations bear fruit annually. These bright red coffee cherries are picked from the plants before they can be processed. These cherries are handpicked but in some plantations, machines are used to pick out the cherries. Only the brightest and red cherries are plucked as they are ripe and ready for processing. This brings us to the question: How is coffee processed?
Coffee Processing Methods
Processing coffee refers to the steps taken to turn the coffee cherries from a wet fruit to a dry coffee seed which are ready for roasting. These dry coffee beans after being processed are known as green coffee beans. There are three main methods to process your coffee:
a) Natural (dry) method - This method is the oldest and natural way of obtaining coffee beans. Obtaining dry process coffee starts with picking ripe coffee cherries. They are sorted according to size and are left to dry naturally on raised beds to allow proper air flow. They are often turned and raked so all sides are dried equally. It takes about 3 to 4 weeks for the fruits to dry properly and reach the desired 11% of moisture.
Once the cherries are dried, they go through a dry mill where the fruit and the parchment surrounding the coffee seed are removed to get the coffee seed or bean. A final sorting is done before sending off the coffee beans for roasting.
DR process coffee beans have fruity flavours and are generally common in Brazil, Yemen, and Ethiopia.
b) Washed method - This is a fairly common method of processing coffee. Once the coffee cherries are harvested, the fruit surrounding the bean is removed using a depulper machine within 8 to 12 hours. The depulping leaves the seeds with a thin layer of parchment or mucilage. These sticky seeds are then fermented in a fermentation tank for 12 to 36 hours. The fermentation process softens the mucilage covering the seeds.
After this the seeds are washed several times until the mucilage is removed. After this, the seeds are sorted and left to dry in diffused sunlight. They are raked and turned often to ensure even drying. They are dried until the moisture level falls to 11% in the coffee beans. Now, the beans are ready to be sent off for roasting.
Wet process coffees usually have a ‘clean’ taste and have chocolate or fruity acidic flavours.
c) Honey sun-dried - This method falls between the dry and wet method. Here the fruit is removed from the cherry using a depulper like the washed method. But the seeds are left to dry with the mucilage still on the seed like the dry method. Since there is no washing of the seeds, water is not wasted in the process and this is a more ecological way of processing coffee beans. The drying process takes about 3 to 4 weeks before they can be sent for dry hulling and roasting.
The three coffee processing methods are an integral part of the entire journey of a coffee bean. Depending on how your coffee was processed, certain flavours are to be expected in the final brewed cup. Naturally processed coffee will have fruity flavours like strawberry or blueberry. Washed coffee will have bright, acidic flavours while Honey sun dried coffee tends to have a mix of the two depending on how much pulp was left on the coffee seed.
Next time you try a specialty coffee, do dry to guess how it was processed based on the flavours that you’re able to decipher!