Basic knowledge of coffee: coffee bean treatment method single coffee bean washing sun honey treatment taste difference

"is it all right to wash the coffee beans? "

"can you just take the coffee beans to the sun for sun treatment? "

"is the honey treatment of coffee beans with honey? "

The significance of coffee bean treatment

The coffee bean itself is the core part of the coffee berry. The purpose of coffee treatment is to remove the skin, pulp and pectin mucus of the berry without damaging the coffee bean as much as possible, and then through the final sun / machine drying so that the raw coffee bean can be preserved for a long time, instead of simply washing the coffee bean, drying it or adding honey.

First, let's take a brief look at the treatment steps of washing, tanning and honey treatment.

After the "washing treatment" coffee fruit is harvested, the complete ripe fruit is selected. After the peel and pulp are removed by machine, the coffee beans are fermented with pectin mucus in a fermentation tank with clean water. After standing for 12-36 hours, rich microorganisms will be formed in the fermentation tank to decompose the pectin mucus. After the decomposition is completed, it is washed with a lot of clean water and dried by sunshine until the moisture content of raw coffee beans is 10%. After 13%, it can be stored.

"Solar treatment" Coffee fruit is harvested and the complete ripe fruit is selected and dried by sunshine. During the period to constantly turn, to avoid uneven drying of coffee fruit, drying time generally takes 3-4 weeks. After the coffee fruit becomes hard and dark red and black, and the moisture content of raw coffee beans is 10% and 13%, the dark red and black shell can be removed by tools and then stored.

After the "honey treatment" coffee fruit is harvested, the complete ripe fruit is selected, the peel and pulp of the fruit is removed by machine, but some pectin is retained (black honey does not remove pectin, red honey retains 70% music 80% pectin, yellow honey retains 40%, 60% pectin, white honey retains 30% pectin) and then solarization / cool drying. The drying time will vary with the pectin content. Finally, the coffee can be dried until the moisture content of raw beans is 10%. After 13%, it can be stored.

Distinguish the color and taste of raw coffee beans

Water-washed coffee raw beans show blue-green color, with an incomplete film (silver skin of coffee beans) on the surface of the raw beans, with the sour aroma of citrus fruits and the smell of grass.

Sun-treated coffee beans are yellowish green, with a complete film (silver skin of coffee beans) on the surface, with a slight aroma of fermentation, berry sweetness and grass.

"Honey treated coffee raw beans" Honey treated coffee raw beans showed a state of uneven color (caused by the infiltration of pectin sugar). With the amount of pectin retained, the color of raw coffee beans appears brown (retain the most pectin)-light yellow (retain part of pectin)-cyan (retain a small amount of pectin), and there is an incomplete film on the surface of raw beans (silver skin of coffee shop). The more pectin is retained, the stronger the fermented flavor is, with the sweetness of fudge and the smell of grass.

Distinguishing treatment method from the appearance of coffee cooked beans

The silver skin of raw beans can not fall off completely in the process of baking, so that there will be silver residue in the middle seam of coffee beans, showing a white midline.

The silver skin of raw beans can fall off completely during the baking process, and there is no silver skin residue in the middle seam of most coffee beans, so it will not show a white midline.

"Honey-treated coffee cooked beans" Honey-treated raw beans can not completely fall off their silver skins during baking, and will show a white midline. Different pectin content will lead to uneven infiltration of sugar into coffee beans, so that the degree of "coloring" during baking is inconsistent, and some honey-treated coffee beans will show uneven color after baking.

Distinguishing treatment method from coffee flavor performance

The fermentation process of washing treatment will make the coffee beans produce more acidity, so it will have brighter and clearer acidity and richer layers. At the same time, Qianjie believes that the washing method does not go through the "modification" of pulp sugar, which can best reflect the cleanliness of a coffee bean.

"Flavor performance of coffee beans in the sun treatment" the whole fruit is directly dried in the sun, the sugar in the pectin of the pulp can be transformed into the coffee beans, and the decomposition of the sugar will produce a fermented flavor, so it will taste slightly fermented, and a soft sweet and sour feeling. Qianjie thinks that the fullness of sun-treated coffee is higher than that of water-washed coffee, and its cleanliness is better than honey treatment.

"Coffee bean flavor performance of honey treatment" during honey treatment, the sun shines directly on the pectin of the pulp, so that the sugar can be better transformed into the coffee beans and produce a strong sense of fermentation, so it will have obvious fruit fermentation aroma, and the sweetness is higher than that of the sun. Qianjie believes that honey-treated coffee has a fuller, full-bodied taste, but the concentration of flavor makes honey-treated coffee beans lack a sense of hierarchy.