Almost every one of us drinks coffee. Do you?
No matter! Have you ever thought how this coffee come into your cup from the farm? How it gets processed to make acceptable for savoring? Be sure; it’s not a fruit like an apple.
Through this post, you will know the procedures under the coffee get processed. I will take you through the journey of coffee from farming.
In the bottom line, the coffee bean is the seed passed through various processing like planting, drying, milling, roasting, grinding and finally come into your cup.
After processing it is the Brazil coffee bean suppliers, Arabica Coffee beans manufacturers, and others distribution channel offer bulk instant coffee for sale including certified organic green coffee beans.
Now in lack of ado, take your time to go through the post and uncover the processing of coffee in details.
Planting
The coffee bean is a seed apparently. You can brew coffee only after processing. On the other hand, if it is not processed can be used to grow a coffee plant. Generally, the coffee plant is planted in a shaded nursery.
After planting, it requires frequent watering and protection from bright sunlight until the root becomes robust to hold. Thus, the planting is generally done in wet season so that the soil retains moisture.
Harvesting
The coffee cherries or the fruit of coffee plant grow after 3-4 years in the new plant. The deep bright red cherries signals for harvesting. In many countries, it is harvested by two methods –
Strip Picked: All cherries are stripped in a single time by hand or machine. The major drawbacks are that unripe cherries becomes also harvested.
Selectively Picked: This method ensures plucking of ripe cherries only by the hand of pickers. The pickers on every 8-10 days move around the nursery and select ripe coffee cherries to harvest. Thus, it becomes more costly. Arabica beans are generally harvested by the selective method.
Processing the Cherries
Once the coffee cherries have been harvested, next processing gets started at the earliest to avoid fruit spoilage. According to the region, it is carried out by two distinct methods –
Dry Method: It is the traditional method of drying the cherries in sunlight and raked throughout the day to prevent spoilage. In the night, it is covered to prevent from wetting and moist. It is dried even for weeks until the moisture drops to 11%.
Wet Method: It includes removal of pulp from the skin of bean through the pulping machine. Later, the beans are passed through water channels where the lighter and heavier beans get separated. Again, allows rotating through a drum to separate them by size.
After separation, the beans are allowed to rest in a tank where the parenchyma or mucilage layers get dissolved by action of enzymes. Later rinsed in water channels and take out for drying.
Drying the Beans
Drying of coffee cherry is to ensure the removed moisture not more than 11% in sunlight. The endocarp (parchment envelope) get dried either on drying tables or in dryer machine are ready for storage in sisal or jute bags for export.
Milling
The dried cherry beans are now polished (optional process) and get sorted on the ground of size and weight. Grading is also done by reviewing color flaws and other imperfections. Furthermore, the defective beans (insect-damaged and over-fermented) are sorted and removed by hand or machine.
Exporting
The milled beans are now called as green coffee, which is packed in plastic-lined containers and loaded onto ships for export.
Tasting the Coffee
The next process is testing quality and taste. This is also called as cupping and is tested by experts even in a specifically designed room.
Roasting the Beans
Roasting is the process that transforms green coffee into aromatic brown beans you purchase from a store.
It is carried out by roasting machine at 550 degrees Fahrenheit and kept moving to prevent from burning. Once accomplished it is cooled in air or water immediately. The beans should reach the consumer quickly. So, it is roasted in the imported region.
Grinding the Beans
The roasted coffee bean processed under grinding that delivers flavor in a coffee cup. The status of grinding coarse of fine depends on the method of brewing.
Conclusion
Finally, through this post, you have understood the method and procedures of processing coffee from plantation to savoring in a cup.