Processing Araúz Estate Coffee
Beneficio
Drying Coffee
Hulling Coffee
Roasting Coffee
Roasted Coffee
Araúz Estate Coffee processing involves a variety of steps that depend on the type of processing. There are basically 3 methods of processing: The Dry, Wet and Semi-Dry Methods. All require careful attention to detail. Throughout the processing culling occurs to retain only the best coffee beans.
The Dry Method begins by leaving the ripe red cherries intact and drying them in the sun until they are like dried fruit to about 12% moisture. Drying time is 10+ days if there is a lot of sun. During the drying, the cherries have to be continually stirred to make sure they dry evenly. They cannot get wet. The moisture level is continuously checked. After drying, they are bagged and left to rest in a dark dry storage place for several weeks.
After resting, the dried cherries are taken to the Beneficio (Processing Plant) and ran through machinery that breaks off the dried hulls leaving green coffee beans that are then sorted into various grades of beans and bagged for eventual shipment.
The Wet Method begins by peeling off the outer skins of the cherries with a peeling machine. This leaves the fruit pulp on the coffee which has to then be washed off. After washing off the pulp, the coffee beans still have a tough husk on them called the parchment. The parchment coffee is carefully dried in the sun to about 12% moisture. The dried parchment is then bagged and rests in a dark dry storage place for several weeks. It is then taken back to the Beneficio and hulled. The green beans are sorted into grades and then stored for several weeks. They are then ready for shipment.
The Semi-Dry method begins by peeling off the outer skins, but the fruit pulp is not washed off. The coffee is dried with the pulp or "honey" on it. The rest of the process is the same as the Dry Method.
Our green coffee is stored in ideal conditions to control moisture and to avoid exposure to light. Under these conditions coffee can be stored for several months and maintain its high quality. Most of our coffee is exported but we retain some for roasting and retail sales
We roast our coffee in a quality roaster with precise temperature and air control. We roast to the level that brings out the best flavors and delivers a quality cup. Because there are many different tastes among coffee consumers, we will custom roast our coffee to the level you want.
For more information about processing coffee checkout the Processing Links.