Coffee bean processing method-wet plucking method

Coffee fruit consists of exocarp, pulp with mucus (mesocarp) and coffee beans (endosperm). When the coffee fruit is ripe, the exocarp of the coffee turns red or yellow. Usually, a coffee fruit contains two coffee beans, each wrapped in a brown film similar to the color of parchment and a white film. In every step of processing coffee, a layer of skin of the coffee fruit is removed. In short, the peel and pulp are excluded in the first step; the mucus in the pulp is removed during fermentation (or machine treatment); and the brown film and white film on the outside of coffee beans are removed in the process of shelling and polishing during secondary drying. According to the size and defects of the coffee beans, the coffee beans will be graded, and the remaining green beans are the delicious ingredients of the coffee in your cup every day.

After about 4 weeks, the water content of each fruit will drop to about 12%, when the fruit is dry. In Brazil, coffee beans at this stage are given a confusing name: coco. At this time, its skin turns dark brown and fragile, and coffee beans can be heard cackling in the shell.

The process requires more technology than it seems. Because coffee beans can be overdried, if this happens, they can easily be damaged at the next stage, when they are shelled. On the other hand, coffee beans that are not sufficiently dried are also vulnerable. The next step is to store the dried fruit in the cellar for a while. During this period, the method of continuous evaporation and drying of water in fresh coffee beans is the cheapest, simplest and most traditional method of processing coffee beans. When processing, the harvested fruit should be spread on the cement floor, brick floor or straw mat. Ideally, the fruits should be raked flat in the sun and at regular intervals to prevent fermentation. If it rains or the temperature drops, these fruits must be covered to prevent damage. Drying is used for unwashed coffee beans. Wet treatment is used for thoroughly washed or semi-washed coffee beans. Except for the more common use of drying in Brazil and Ethiopia, most Arabica coffee beans are processed by wet treatment. In Indonesia, some Robart coffee beans are processed by wet treatment, but this is not common there.