Sorting out the defects

The beans will be residents of the drying room for the next 7- 10 days.  The first day or two, it is important to rotate them to ensure they all are exposed to air.  Should they not be exposed, or stuck to one another, molding is at risk.  Within a few days, they should be dry enough to remain separate.

Depending on the processing method, the beans will need a varying amount of attention. Essentially the methods that require the most involve the least amount of fermenting, such as: Natural (full cherry), Pulp Natural (pulped and unfermented) and Semi-washed.  Check out the post prior should you need a refresher!

At this stage, it is possible to see and touch almost every bean in your batch.  And it is a great time to sort out the defected ones that have been missed.

Below (left) is a picture of one batch of harvested coffee. The middle picture is that of freshly fermented (or ‘washed’) coffee.  The picture on the right is what the beans look like after a few days (notice the green hues that evolve into a light yellow as it dries).  I also want to point out, is that we are looking at the layer just underneath the fruit of the cherry, which is called: parchment.  To see the actual bean, one will need to gently tear it off.  It sits rather loosely on the bean, like an overgrown jacket.  Also, there is no harm in doing so.  All of the beans at one point will be put through the mill prior to roasting to remove this last layer.

        

Quality coffee (i.e. specialty coffee) must have extreme uniformity.  Note: One defected bean can change the entire flavor of a cup of coffee. To qualify as specialty, no more than 5 defected beans are allowed in 300g of roasted coffee. That is just over one pound of coffee, and equals roughly 47 cups of brewed coffee.  To read more: check out the SCAA regulations.

Here are some pictures of defected beans that we sort out from these batches.

left: ‘black beans’, right: split seam

left: discolored, center: chipped outer layer, right: a layer seems to be falling off! 

left: discolored parchment*, center: discolored face, right: chipped (probably from the de-pulper)

*This one, one rid of its parchment was OK.  However with this type, the concern is mold.

The good beans are round, without major structural damage and are pretty uniform in color (metallic green – grey).

To those interested in seeing some more types of defected beans, check out this link!