The drying process of coffee beans

After the wet treatment, the coffee beans are still preserved in the inner pericarp, which still contains about 15% water. The endocarp must be dried to a moisture content of about 11% to ensure that coffee beans are stored in a stable and safe environment. Water content is critical, because if Arabica beans are overdried to a moisture content of 10%, they will lose their original turquoise and their quality will decline.

Coffee beans covered with endocarp should be laid flat on the cement floor, slate floor, dry table or plate, which is very similar to the drying method.

Mechanical dryers are sometimes used on larger plantations or where Rain Water may disrupt the drying process. Coffee beans are placed in an air-conditioning box and the dry wind blows on the surface of the coffee beans. The drying process can also be done by the sun, and coffee beans should be turned regularly to ensure complete dryness, a process that takes 12 to 15 days. The most important thing is that the endocarp should not be cracked. If the sun is too strong, the coffee beans must be covered.

At this point, the whole process is completed, coffee beans become known as "parchment coffee beans (parchment coffee)" (because the endocarp of coffee beans is quite like parchment, it is called). In general, coffee beans are kept in this form until the eve of export.

Since countries that produce coffee beans need to export coffee beans throughout the year rather than just about three months of harvest, coffee beans should be stored in the form of "parchment coffee beans" in an absolutely stable environment. High temperature is the enemy of coffee beans, and it is easy to damage coffee beans when the humidity reaches 70%. For this reason, "parchment coffee beans" are generally not stored on farms where they are produced (although there is no choice in some places). Coffee beans grown in the highlands should be stored at or near the same altitude as the places where they are grown, as they are particularly vulnerable to humidity. In this environment, Arabica coffee beans should not be stored for more than 12 hours, while Robbins coffee beans can be stored for a little longer.