Berries to Beans
Post-harvest
Drying
Storage
Thrashing
Beans to Brew
Instant Coffee
Decaf
Regular
Brewing
Espresso
Cupping
Inside each coffee berry are two coffee beans. After harvesting, the coffee beans are extracted from the berries, then bagged and transported to processing factories. During preliminary processing, the pulp and the slippery layer surrounding the beans are removed. Once processed, the beans are stored until exporting requirements call for further processing. In this final step, the hull is removed, and the beans are ready to be roasted, ground and brewed.
Most of the coffee processing is done by machine and requires great care. For example, if the pulpers are adjusted too narrowly, the bean can be squashed, cut, or oxidised. If they are accidentally over-dried, they can become bleached, pale and fragile. If under-dried, they tend to become black, or mouldy. These are but a few examples of how improper processing or handling of coffee can affect the ultimate quality of the final product.
Obviously processing greatly contributes to the final quality of the coffee beans.
Printed matters:
“An Introduction to Good Manufacturing Practices for Post Harvest Processing of Arabica Coffee in Vietnam” - Jan. C von Enden.
Websites:
INeedCoffee – The Coffee Mill
http://www.ineedcoffee.com/03/coffeemill/
Videos:
On the Road to Quality. Made by Kraft foods Germany, Vietnam Coffee Cocoa Association VICOFA and Dtsch. Gesellschaft für technische Zusammenarbeit (Gtz).