Coffee bean picking-berry processing-drying process

What we call coffee beans is actually the seeds of a cherry-like fruit. Coffee trees produce berries called coffee berries, which turn bright red to indicate ripeness and are ready for picking. The fruit clustered on the branches. Coffee berries have thick, bitter outer skins (exocarp). However, the fruit inside (mesocarp) is sweet and has a grape texture. Next up is parenchyma, a sticky honey-like membrane that protects coffee beans. The beans themselves are also covered with a parchment-like coating called the endocarp. It protects two green coffee beans, and of course the beans are protected by a thin film called the seed coat or silver coat.

Coffee is usually harvested once a year. Harvest times vary depending on geographic location, but generally harvest is September to March in the Northern Hemisphere and April to May in the Southern Hemisphere. Coffee is usually picked by hand, either by pulling all the berries from the branches at once or selectively. The latter method is more expensive and only suitable for picking Arabica coffee beans.

The next step after picking is processing. There are two ways to deal with this:

Drying-The simplest and most economical way to harvest coffee berries is to put them directly in the sun and spread them out to dry. Then stir with rake and dry for seven to 10 days until moisture content is reduced to 11%. Coffee berries will turn yellow on the outside and the beans inside will rattle.

Hydrowet-The main difference between dry and hydrowet methods is that the pulp of coffee berries must be removed from the beans within 24 hours of harvest. The peel and pulp can be washed off with a pulp washer. The beans are then left to ferment for 12 to 48 hours. Natural enzymes remove the goo from the parchment coating. Then, the beans are either dried by the sun or dried by a machine.

After the beans dry, all of the coating is peeled off the beans (a process called peeling). Occasionally, machines designed to strip away what little silver remains are used. Coffee beans are then graded and classified according to size, according to specific gravity. Coffee beans are either sorted by hand on a conveyor belt or separated by a blower from the light (defective) and heavy ones

The coffee shipped is unroasted. It's called green coffee. It is usually stored in jute or pol sacks or shipped in large plastic freight containers. Up to 7 million tons of green coffee are shipped worldwide each year.