Coffee Processing

After harvesting coffee is then processed to remove the out layers of the cherry and prepare it for sorting, grading, and export. Processing must begin immediately after harvesting.

There is two ways coffee is processed after harvesting, the Dry Method and Wet Method.

The Dry Method

Also called Natural Process, this is the traditional way of processing coffee. The harvested cherries are spread over a concrete or brick patio, in full sunlight, and raked at regular intervals to prevent the beans from fermenting. If it rains or temperature drops, the beans are covered to protect them. After 7 to 10 days, when moisture levels within the cherries has fallen to 11%, the cherries are considered dry. The outer shell will have dried to a dark brown and become brittle. The dried cherries are then stored in silos.

The Wet Method

This method requires greater investment and more care than the dry method. The main difference between the two methods is that the wet method uses a pulping machine to remove the outer layers of the cherries from the beans within. This is done within 24 hours of harvesting. Cherries are carried by water, hence "wet method", and washed through the pulping machine which squeezes the beans from the cherry pulp, the beans are then carried through washing channels which separates the lighter, immature beans from the heavier, mature ones. The beans are then stored in fermentation tanks for 12 to 48 hours during which time enzymes work to naturally separate the remaining out layer from the parchment covering ( the endocarp ). When the process is complete, the beans must then be dried to 11% moisture content. The beans will be dried either by sun on patios or by mechanical dryers.

Either way, the finished coffee is known as "parchment", referring to the final layer which remains on the beans.

The Difference

Wet Method coffee tends to have more acidity in the cup with a thinner body. Coffee process through the Dry Method will have a heavier body with not as sharp acidity. Most countries produce either wet or dry coffee, however a few do use both methods.

Wet Method Origins

Colombian, Java, Kenya, Mexican, Costa Rican, Guatemala, Hawaii, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and many more.

Dry Method Origins

Sumatra & Celebes, Origins Offering Both Methods, Brazil & Ethiopia

Coffee is next sorted by size and defects are removed. The size of coffee beans is expressed by a Screen number. Coffee bean are passed over metal screens which are punched with holes. The first screen has holes 18/64 ths of an inch, beans smaller than that fall through the screen. The next screen has holes 17/64 ths of an inch, below that they are 16/64 ths of an inch, and so on. Beans are separated out by size and classified by the number of the screen they sort at. Our Colombian Supremo is always Screen 18+ which means all of the beans are 18/64 ths of an inch or larger. While we can purchase Colombian Supremo with a Screen of 16 , 17, or 17/18 mix, we require Screen 18+ to insure we have the best possible coffee.

Defects in coffee can be broken beans, black beans, pits of wigs or branches, or any foreign objects which make their way through processing and hulling. Defects are removed several ways depending to the technological investment at any given mill. Traditionally defects have been removed by hand. Coffee passes in front of rows of sorters on conveyors. as the coffee passes by, defects are picked out. Some of the more advanced coffee farms, such as those on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, use color monitoring eyes that activate a blast of air to shoot bad beans out as they pass in front of the eye.

The final grade of coffee is determined by a random sample take for a given lot of beans. The number of defects within that sample will determine the grade of the whole lot. The more time and care given by sorters the higher the grade will be since more defects will be removed.

Harvesting of Coffee

When a coffee tree reaches maturity, which can take from 4 - 7 years, it begins to bear fruit in clusters along its branches. Referred to as cherries, the fruit is initially green and turns red when it is ready for harvesting.

Beneath the cherries' red skin ( called exocarp ) is a pulp ( called mesocarp ), and outer layer and a parchment-like covering the bean ( called endocarp ). Inside these layers are usually two oval shaped beans, with their flat side facing each other. Harvesting time for coffee cherries will vary by region and altitude. Typically there is only one harvest per year, which will last for 2 to 3 months as cherries ripen.

In countries North of the Equator harvest occurs from September to March. South of the Equator harvest is from April to August. In some countries where there is no clearly defined wet and dry seasons there will be two flowerings and harvests per year. Kenya is one of these countries which has it's main crop followed by it's "fly" crop which is generally much smaller than the main crop.

Traditionally coffee is harvested by hand by one of two ways: strip picking or selective picking.

Strip picking is exactly how it sounds, trees are harvested entirely at one time "stripping" all the beans off the branches, ripe as well as unripe cherries. Typically only Robusta coffee is strip picked. Modernization has provided machine harvest for Robusta coffee which simply shakes the trees knocking of all the cherries at one time.

Selective Picking involves making numerous passes over coffee trees, selecting only the ripe cherries, then returning to the tree several times over a few weeks to pick remaining cherries as they ripen. Selective picking is more expensive due to the labor involved, and is only used for Arabica coffee.

On an average farm, pickers gather between 100 and 200 pounds of cherries per day. Out of this only 20 percent is actual coffee beans. Of that 20 percent only a small amount is of the best quality we choose for our coffee.

About Our Coffee

To begin, we purchase only the highest grade Arabica coffee available. Prior to purchasing, we sample or "cup" the coffees to be sure  they contain no defects, odd tastes or aromas, and to be sure they are the fine quality our customers are looking for.

Creating great coffee takes just a few simple steps. Steps that we follow fanatically.

At any one time, we have 20 to 30 different varieties of coffee in stock. Each imported from a different country or "origin" where they are grown. Every day of the week, Monday through Friday, our Roastmaster begins at 7 a.m. roasting the coffees we need for each order shipping out to our customers that day. All of our coffees are roasted, packaged, and shipped to our customers within the same 24-hour period. We keep no roasted coffee on hand in our warehouse. Small batch roasting is our specialty. We roast small quantities of coffee daily to provide our customers with the freshest coffee possible.

Each of the coffees we offer have flavors and nuances unique to the country or region where there are grown, exactly the same as different wines from different countries, or wines made from different varieties of grapes will have varying tastes. To bring these flavors out, each coffee is roasted differently. There are many variables which effect how coffee is roasted, density of the coffee beans, water content within the coffee, current air temperature and humidity all have a bearing on the final roasted coffee. See Our Method of Roasting for more detailed information on our roasting process.

Small batch roasting is our specialty. We roast small quantities of coffee daily to provide our customers with the  freshest coffee possible. 

Since we do roast in small quantities, we can offer to all of our customers the option of custom roasting and blending to create blends and tastes exclusive to their desire. There is no extra charge for this, and the only minimum is our standard five pound quantity.

All of the flavorings we use on our gourmet flavored coffees, are selected from dozens of different flavoring manufacturers. We sample many different flavors to be sure that the ones we offer are the truest most flavorful possible. We continually review and fine tune our flavors to give them the most accurate flavor profile, as close to Mother Nature as we can get. Best of all, our flavorings are oil based flavoring extracts so they contain no sweeteners, sugars or calories and are gluten free.

Almost all of our coffees are available in Decaffeinated as well as Swiss Water Decaffeinated. Our decaffeinated coffee, a.k.a. European Decaffeinated, is processed with Methylene Chloride. This chemical is used to remove the caffeine from the coffee. However, not to worry, there is no trace of the chemical left in the coffee after decaffeination. Swiss Water Decaffeinated is a patented process done in Canada.  Originally done in Switzerland, hence the name, Swiss Water Process is done with nothing more than water and activated carbon filters. Soaking the coffee causes the caffeine to be drawn out of the beans. This water is then filtered to remove the caffeine from it.  All decaffeination, which ever method, is done when the coffee is still in its green or unroasted state. We do not decaffeinate any coffee ourselves, nor is coffee grown caffeine-free, yet.

An Overview of Coffee

Coffee comes from the Latin form on the genus Coffea, a member of the Rubiaceae family which includes over 6,000 species of tropical trees and shrubs, including Gardenias. The species of coffea range from small shrubs to trees as tall as 32 feet high.

Coffee is a tropical plant which grows between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. Coffee requires specific climate for cultivation; temperature, rainfall, sunlight, wind and soils are all important. Coffee's worst enemy is frost. Frost will severely damage the trees ability to produce flowers which are the beginning of the coffee development cycle. Plantation altitude,and wind and rainfall conditions will affect the occurrence of frost. The highest danger of frost is in the southern growing regions of Brazil. Two devastating frost in the mid 1990s caused such damage that the price of coffee nearly tripled.

When a coffee tree has reached maturity, it will begin to bear fruit in small clusters along it's branches. Clusters of 5 - 12 small white flowers, with a jasmine like fragrance, blossom, these flowers form into the coffee cherries which initially is green in color and turns red when it is ripe and ready for harvesting. The five-petal flowers fade quickly after blooming and the coffee cherry begins to form. Cherries are oval shaped, typically with two beans side by side with their flat sides together, in the center. When only one bean forms in the cherry it is called a Peaberry.

Two types of coffee are grown commercially, Arabica and Robusta.

Arabica Coffee

Arabica coffee makes up nearly 70% of the world's coffee production. There are several varieties of Arabica coffee; Typica, Bourbon, Caturra, Mundo Novo, Tico, and several others. Maragojipie is an extremely large forming bean, also know as Elephant Beans, they originated in Maragojipie county in the Bahia region of Brazil. It is now grown in Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, and Zaire.

An Arabica tree is an evergreen bush, with dark green, oval leaves, that can grow up to 20 feet high. on plantations, plants are kept to nine feet for purposes of harvesting and increased nourishment of cherries. An arabica plant will bear fruit for around 50 years, although after 30 years the yield drops. Arabica trees flourish in temperature of 60 - 75 degrees, in areas receiving annual rainfall of 60 inches.

Robusta Coffee

Robusta coffee trees can grow to 32 feet high, they produce a smaller, round bean. Robusta was first discovered growing in Congo in 1898. Robusta trees produce their first crop after on 3 years and continue for 20 to 30 years. Robusta flourishes in temperature of 75 - 80 degrees with annual rainfall amounts of 60 inches or more.

Robusta tends to be a hardier, more disease resistant plant than Arabica. It is less expensive to maintain and yields more coffee annually. While Robusta prospers in lowlands such as rain forest, Arabica grows best at high altitudes, from 2,000 feet to 6,000 feet above sea level.

In comparison, Robusta coffee has higher acidity with a harsh flavor. Arabica has a lower acidity than Robusta, and due to its high altitude growing conditions, the beans develop slower producing a smoother, more flavorful taste.