Craft Coffee by Jessica Easto & Andreas Willhoff

Author:Jessica Easto & Andreas Willhoff
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781572848047
Publisher: Agate Publishing
Published: 2017-09-01T04:00:00+00:00

PROCESS

Once a crop of coffee cherries is harvested, the green coffee beans need to be separated from the cherry flesh. The process by which the cherry is removed can greatly affect the taste of the beans. Here are some of the common methods of processing coffee and how they affect flavor:

•Washed/Wet Process. At base, this means that water was used to remove the coffee cherry from the beans. Typically, it works like this: the coffee cherries are fed into a machine (called a pulping machine or a depulper) that removes the outer skin of the cherry. The coffee is then transferred into tanks or troughs of water, where they are left to ferment. The length of the fermentation process and the amount of water used can vary depending on region and producer, but the goal is the same: to remove the rest of the cherry flesh from the bean. After fermentation, the remaining fruit is broken down enough to be washed away with water. Once the beans are clean, they are removed from the water and set out to dry in the sun. The beans are raked periodically so they dry evenly and slowly. Some producers mechanically dry the beans, especially if they grow in an area that doesn’t have a long dry season. (Coffee professionals tend to consider this a less desirable method, as it dries the beans more quickly, and research suggests that a slow drying process is directly related to how well green beans retain their flavor.) Most coffee in the world is washed. Washing tends to result in a bean that allows the subtle characteristics, including acidity, of the terroir and the varietal to shine through in the cup. It’s also a highly controlled process, which makes for consistent lots. Removing the fruit before the beans are dried reduces the chance of something going wrong.

Washed Does Not Mean Clean

I’ve heard (questionable) roasters claim to consumers that washed coffee is cleaner than natural coffee—and that it somehow reduces that number of toxins in coffee beans. This is garbage talk that is based on no empirical evidence. The term washed refers only to the fact that water is used during processing. It’s true that natural coffee is at greater risk for defects, such as mold and rot, during processing, but proper care eliminates those risks. Besides, defective coffee would likely never make it to the roaster, and if it did, the roaster would know right away that the coffee is off and would not sell it.

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