The Sun-Drying Process of Coffee Beans - Characteristics of Sun-Dried Coffee Beans: A Fine Line Between Delicious and Not

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FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Natural Coffee Processing

After coffee cherries are picked from the tree, the outer skin, pulp, and mucilage must be removed. This process is called green bean processing. For the same coffee variety, there are different processing methods for green coffee beans, and the processing method largely determines the flavor and quality of the coffee.

Natural Process

The natural process is the oldest and most traditional processing method for coffee beans. The process involves first pouring harvested coffee fruits into large water tanks. Ripe, full fruits will sink to the bottom, while underdeveloped or overripe fruits will float to the surface. After removing these floating beans, healthy coffee fruits are placed on patios to dry directly in sunlight, reducing moisture from 60% to 12%-15%. Finally, a hulling machine is used to remove the hard, dry outer skin and pulp, completing the entire processing process for the green beans.

The natural process can enhance berry and tropical fruit flavors, with mild fruit acidity. However, traditional natural processing methods sometimes produce negative flavors, such as earthy or over-fermented notes.

Today, the natural process is becoming popular again and is even one of the important processing methods for competition-grade coffee beans. This change comes from the use of improved African raised beds. Raised beds not only avoid ground moisture, animal feces, and earthy flavors but also allow fruits to be in a good air convection environment, making drying more uniform. Farmers regularly turn the beans, allowing them to gently absorb the sweetness from the pulp, making the flavor increasingly rich.

Knowledge Point

According to the degree of mucilage retention, honey processing is further divided into yellow honey, black honey, etc.

In Brief

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