Coffee bean processing: the whole process from bean to powder

Coffee bean processing: the whole process from bean to powder

Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world, and coffee beans are the key ingredient for making delicious coffee. Before we can enjoy the fragrant and delicious coffee, these coffee beans need to go through a series of processing steps. This article will focus on the whole process from bean to powder and introduce it in detail.

1. Harvesting and processing

First, growers carefully select coffee cherries of the right maturity for picking. They usually pick each ripe red or yellow fruit by hand and put it into baskets or bags.

Next, soon after harvest, the berries are sent to a processing plant for initial processing, where the skin and pulp are removed, leaving behind two intact coffee seeds (what we call “beans”).

2. Peeling and fermentation

In order to further extract high-quality coffee beans with special flavor, these beans need to go through the steps of peeling and fermentation.

First, the processing plant uses a machine to completely remove the outer skin of the coffee beans. Then, these naked coffee beans are placed in large fermentation tanks for fermentation. During this process, bacteria and natural enzymes break down the pulp remaining on the beans and produce a series of chemical changes.

3. Wash or dry

After completing the fermentation step, the next step is to decide how to further process the coffee beans: wash or dry.

For washed processing, the coffee beans are thoroughly washed in clean water to remove residual substances. Then, they are placed in special equipment for floating screening, and different quality grades of coffee beans are separated by density differences.

For dry processing, unwashed coffee beans are directly dried in the sun or roasted using mechanical equipment. This method is more commonly used in arid areas because it does not require a lot of water resources.

4. Baking

Whether washed or dried, coffee beans need to be roasted. This step is very critical because it determines the flavor and taste of the coffee beans.

During the roasting process, the coffee beans are heated to high temperatures and the duration varies depending on the depth and flavor desired. Lighter roasts retain more of the original flavor and acidity, while darker roasts produce a richer, bitter taste.

5. Grinding

After roasting, the coffee beans are ready for the final processing step: crushing or "grinding".

Typically, we use manual or electric coffee machines to turn whole coffee beans into powder at home, while in commercial settings, professional equipment is used to quickly grind large quantities of coffee beans into powder suitable for brewing various types of coffee drinks.

Summarize

From picking to grinding, every step of the coffee bean processing process has an important impact on the final coffee quality. Growers, processors and roasters are working hard to ensure that every coffee bean can bring out its best flavor. Whether at home or in a professional setting, we can better appreciate and enjoy a cup of delicious coffee by understanding these processes.