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 of 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. The 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.
