Picking and handling of coffee-Brazilian coffee bean processing

Picking and handling of coffee-Brazilian coffee bean processing

In Yunnan, this process is mainly accomplished by natural fermentation. The term fermentation is not 100% accurate because there is no biochemical reaction inside the coffee beans. It is more appropriate to call this process the use of biochemical reaction or hydrolysis to remove mucus. This reaction is caused by natural enzymes in coffee berries.

The fermentation time varies from 6 hours to 72 hours, depending on the temperature, the amount of mucus and the concentration of digestive enzymes. Put the coffee in a fermentor until the mucus is completely decomposed and the beans can be washed.

The key to ensuring the quality of coffee is to stop fermentation at the right time, because excessive fermentation can lead to the emergence of so-called smelly coffee beans. If the fermentation is insufficient or too slow, butyric acid or propionic acid will be produced, both of which will adversely affect the quality of coffee.

The fermented coffee with skin needs to be cleaned immediately after the completion of the fermentation process to terminate the process. However, after removing the mucus and before cleaning, it may be necessary to soak the coffee with skin in clean water for 12 to 24 hours to reduce the bitterness in the coffee drink.

The washing method is also called wet treatment: after the outer pulp of the coffee fruit is removed by the pulp separator within 12 hours after the coffee is picked, the coffee beans are soaked in a large cement tank filled with water to separate the fruit. The coffee beans are then pasted in the fermentation box for about 12-36 hours, containing 15% water after fermentation, and the fermented coffee beans are washed clean with clean water. The coffee beans are dried in a dryer or dried in the sun, and the coffee beans are called "parchment coffee beans", waiting for export.

Fresh fruit-soak soft-remove exocarp-ferment the coffee fruit with pulp in the fermentation tank-rinse the pulp gum with water-dry the coffee fruit with endocarp-remove the endocarp with a peeling machine-polish the seed coat-coffee raw beans

Advantages: coffee beans have stable quality, beautiful color and less impurities

Disadvantages: the processing cost is too high and requires a lot of water.

Note: generally used for higher quality Arabica coffee beans, such as Blue Mountains, Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala, etc.