Dry Coffee Beans to Stop Fermentation
By www.BuyOrganicCoffee.org
A recent news release regarding coffee production
in Honduras refers to the need to dry coffee
beans to stop fermentation. Coffee, whether
regular or healthy organic coffee, needs to
ripen to the right degree and no more. Remember
that the coffee that we drink comes from the
seed of the coffee berry and not the fruit.
An integral part of processing coffee is to
remove the fruit down to the coffee seed.
This is often done by immersing the coffee
in water for sixteen to thirty-six hours.
At that point the fruit has loosened and can
be washed away. The ripening or breakdown
or fermentation of the fruit makes this possible.
However, the seed also ferments and this process
needs to be stopped before it results in unwanted
changes in coffee flavor. So, processors dry
coffee beans to stop fermentation. The problem
mentioned in the article about Honduras is
that they have ramped up coffee production
in that country and have run out of space
in existing facilities to dry coffee beans
to stop fermentation. This article mentions
that one processor rented a soccer stadium,
spread plastic sheets and dried his coffee
where the local "futbol" team usually played.
Drying machines can be used as well as air
drying in the sun. The problem for coffee
processors in a country like Honduras is cost.
Honduras is relatively competitive in the
Arabica coffee market, behind Brazil and Colombia
and in a tie with Mexico. Land prices are
cheap as is labor in the countryside. During
the dry season the cheapest way to dry coffee
beans to stop fermentation is to spread them
out in thin layers in the hot tropical sun.
When the rainy season starts processors need
to use machines, typically natural gas, diesel,
or electric driven and there goes the cost
advantage. To dry coffee beans to stop fermentation
the beans are dried to eleven to twelve percent
moisture content. If coffee is soaked too
long (past 36 hours) or drying is not started
promptly individual coffee beans develop an
offensive aroma and are referred to as stinkers.
In fact the entire batch will eventually go
bad if not dried. Bad coffee can be sold at
very low prices in the country of origin but
there go any profits the processor may have
dreamed of getting for his organic whole bean
coffee.
Perception is important in the coffee business.
If an exporter sends out an occasional bad
batch of coffee his reputation suffers. He
does not get orders the next year. This problem
works back up the supply chain to growers.
If the processor does not adequately dry coffee
beans to stop fermentation the work of the
small organic coffee farmer goes to waste.
Organic coffee certification is not any good
if buyers get a bad bag of coffee. The small
grower needs to pay for Bio Latina organic
coffee certification but the money goes to
waste if processing is not up to par. In the
end the processors in a growing market like
Honduras need to buy $70,000 coffee driers
and absorb the cost of fuel to dry coffee
beans to stop fermentation and maintain coffee
quality.
For more information about high quality and
organic coffee, visit www.BuyOrganicCoffee.org.
