Is There a Big Difference Between Sun-Dried and Washed Coffee Processing Methods? Introduction to Arabica Coffee Bean Characteristics

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FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Sun-Dried and Washed Processing Methods

Various processing methods all share the same objective: removing the skin to obtain the beans. Based on economic cost considerations, as well as differences in natural environmental conditions such as climate, the bean processing methods may vary. However, the process undoubtedly affects the result!

Sun-Drying Method: The Most Ancient and Labor-Saving Green Bean Processing Method

1. Screening Out Floating Beans

The harvested coffee cherries are poured into large water tanks. Mature and full cherries will sink to the bottom, while underdeveloped or overripe cherries will float to the surface. These floating beans must be removed.

2. Sun Drying

The entire coffee cherries, including pulp, skin, and parchment, are placed on drying grounds to sun-dry naturally until the moisture content reaches about 12%. This process takes approximately two to four weeks, depending on the climate of the origin region.

3. Dehulling

The naturally dried "fruit dry" is processed through a dehulling machine to remove the hard dried fruit skin, pulp, and parchment layer, revealing the green beans.

Advantages of Sun-Drying Method

1. Simple process with low processing costs.
2. Green beans dry naturally within the pulp, absorbing the essence of the fruit, resulting in rich fruit aroma, noticeable sweetness, and excellent body.

Disadvantages of Sun-Drying Method

1. Some sun-drying processing regions don't screen out floating beans, causing inconsistent quality.
2. During the drying process, the pulp can easily become moldy due to climate moisture, contaminating the green beans.
3. Machine dehulling inevitably damages some green beans, causing appearance defects.

Washed Method: Currently the Most Common Green Bean Processing Method

1. Screening Out Floating Beans

2. Removing Pulp

Fresh cherries are sent into a pulping machine to remove the skin and pulp. Underripe cherries, due to difficulty in pulp separation, are screened out at this stage. After passing through the pulping machine, what remains is mucilage, parchment, and seeds.

3. Fermentation to Remove Mucilage

The seeds with mucilage removed are transferred to fermentation tanks. Although called the "washed" method, it doesn't actually wash away the mucilage but rather removes it through biological decomposition during fermentation. The fermentation process takes about 16-36 hours, during which the beans must be stirred frequently to accelerate mucilage separation from the seeds. The washing fermentation produces acidic substances such as citric acid, malic acid, and acetic acid. These acids penetrate the green beans, making washed method beans more acidic than sun-dried beans. After fermentation is complete, the actual washing takes place - washing the beans again.

4. Drying

After washing is completed, the beans still need to be sun-dried or machine-dried to reduce moisture content to 12%. Since the washed method has already removed the pulp, there's no need to worry about mold problems during the drying process as with the sun-drying method. The dried parchment green beans are not as hard as sun-dried beans containing pulp and skin, and can be processed through a dehulling machine to obtain green beans.

Advantages of Washed Method

1. Green beans are deep green in color with complete appearance and good market quality.
2. Acidity and brightness are better than sun-dried beans, with cleaner flavor profiles.

Disadvantages of Washed Method

1. To obtain 200g of green beans, 1kg of cherries must be washed, consuming approximately 2-10 liters of clean water, making it costly.

Arabica Coffee Characteristics

Arabica coffee has lower caffeine content, approximately between 0.9% to 1.2%, with rich fat and sugar content. Therefore, it has a gentle, non-stimulating aroma, fresh and slightly sweet taste, sometimes with refreshing and pleasant acidity, making it popular among the vast majority of coffee enthusiasts.

When unroasted, Arabica coffee smells like fresh grass. After appropriate roasting, it reveals "fruit aroma" (light to medium roast) and "caramel sweetness" (dark roast).

Knowledge Extension

Major origins of Arabica coffee beans include South America, Central America, Africa, and Asia. China's Yunnan, Hainan, and Taiwan regions also cultivate small amounts of Arabica coffee beans.

In Summary

FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research hall, happy to share coffee knowledge with everyone. Our sharing is completely without reservation, only to help more friends fall in love with coffee. Every month, we hold three low-discount coffee events because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends enjoy the best coffee at the lowest price. This has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past 6 years!

Important Notice :

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