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Most of the world's green coffee has gone through some sort of wet processing including most of the premium coffee. After the Green coffee is picked the coffee is sorted by immersion in water. Bad or unripe fruit will float and the good ripe fruit will sink. The skin of the cherry and some of the pulp is removed by pressing the fruit by machine in water through a screen. The bean will still have a significant amount of the pulp clinging to it that needs to be removed. Wet processing with large amounts of water is continued for several days until the remainder of the pulp is removed leaving the coffee bean. The beans are then dried in the sun or by machine down to a level of about 10% water content and then sorted, graded and packed into a container that is breathable, usually a fiber sack or bag. Coffee from the Harrar region of Ethiopia and some areas in Yemen and Brazil are dry processed. Dry process, also known as unwashed or natural coffee, is the oldest method of processing coffee. The entire cherry after harvest is placed in the sun to dry on tables or in thin layers on patios. It will take between ten days and two weeks for the cherries to completely dry. The cherries need to be raked regularly to prevent mildew while they dry. Once the skin is dry, the pulp and parchment are removed from the bean. |
Processing
of coffee is the method converting the raw fruit of the coffee
plant (cherry) into the commodity green
coffee. The cherry has the fruit or pulp removed leaving the seed
or bean which is then dried. While all green coffee is processed the
method that is used varies and can have a significant effect on the flavor
of roasted and brewed coffee.