CULTIVATION AND PROCESSING OF COFFEE

Coffee Cultivation and processing

The history of the origination of coffee is quite interesting and has got many legends behind it. It is said that the coffee plant grew naturally in some areas of Ethiopia and was first observed by a sheepherder when his sheep ate the coffee fruit and became hyperactive. He then consumed the fruit himself. The plant was later taken to Arabia and there it became so popular that people there started relating it to their religious sentiments and made it monopolized. After year 1600, it started reaching the nearby countries like India through smuggling practices. The Turks first adopted coffee as a drink.

This is how coffee was popularized as a drink in the rest of the world and people started planting coffee as a crop.

As mentioned above, coffee crop is cultivated in the semi tropical areas of the world having a good amount of rainfall. Coffee plant grows to a height of about 3 metres and its commercial life is around 50 to 60 years. The fruits start to grow in 3 to 5 years of time and take 9 months to ripe. Harvesting of coffee is done by either by hand picking process or by stripping process or by mechanical process. The harvesting periods of various coffee producing countries are different as it is harvested during the dry season. The harvesting time of the coffee crop in different countries are: -

• Brazil – March to October
• Columbia – October to February and April to June
• Mexico – November to January and August to November
• India – November to February
• Guatemala – October to January
• Ethiopia – August to January

Processing and grading

After the fruits are harvested from the coffee plants, the soft flesh of the fruit is removed and the seeds undergo the following processes: -

1. Firstly the seeds are fermented in water from 10 to 36 hours.
2. Washing of seeds is done after fermentation.
3. Seeds are then dried in the sun.
4. Then finally the seeds are roasted at around 200°C

Coffee beans are graded on the basis of various factors. The most important of all factors are the size of beans and the level of imperfections. These grades are described below: -

1.      Specialty grade – This grade has no primary defect and it is selected keeping in mind a specified size with 5% variation. The beans in this classification show 1 or more different characteristic in either of these – taste, acidity, or size. No Quakers are allowed in this grade and a limit of 0 to 3 full defects.

2.      Premium grade – This grade is the same as above except regarding the Quakers and full defects. In this, 3 Quakers and 0-8 full defects are allowed at maximum.

3.      Exchange grade – Quaker limit is 5 at maximum in this grade and 9 to 23 full defects are allowed.

4.      Standard grade – A limit of 24 – 86 full defects is allowed . Off grade – If the beans contain more than 86 full defects, it is called off grade.