Encyclopaedia

It is through subspecies of the plant Coffea Arabica that most of us have become well acquainted with coffee. This species originated in what is considered the home of coffee, Ethiopia. Today, Arabica is the most important coffee plant and accounts for more than half of the world's coffee production. In addition, the plant produces beans of far higher quality than the Robusta and Liberica species.

From Ethiopia, the coffee plant was exported to Yemen where it was commercially cultivated as early as the 6th century. Since then, Arabica has been transported to countries throughout the tropical belt where mutations and crosses have led to the creation of new bean types. The best-known varieties are Borboun and Typica, and these are also the basis for a number of other subspecies.

The Arabica plant, which most of us think of when we talk about coffee, is a large shrub with dark green, oval leaves. It is different from other coffee species, as it has four sets of chromosomes instead of two (technically called tetraploid - cell that has quadruple set of chromosomes). What's special about this is that it allows scientists to distinguish whether a cultivar comes from an Arabica strain or a Robusta strain. The differences in the chromosomes determine the characteristics of the coffee, which can affect flavor, body and acidity.

There are two scientifically recognized botanical varieties (offspecies) of Arabica - Typica and Bourbon. From these come a wide range of subspecies - resulting from mutations, natural hybrids and man-made crosses.

As the name implies, a berry-dried coffee is dried with the whole coffee berry intact. This means that more of the sweetness in the pulp is transferred to the coffee bean. A berry-dried coffee often offers very sweet, strong and complex flavors in the cup.

Berry drying is also called "unwashed", "naturally dried" or "natural". This is the oldest form of processing and is the easiest to perform in terms of equipment, water and resource requirements. However, berry drying of coffee involves several critical factors and requires careful monitoring to avoid uncontrolled fermentation.

After picking, the coffee berries are mostly sorted and cleaned by hand or in water tanks. In the tanks, the ripe coffee berries sink and are separated from the berry species, leaves and twigs. The berries are then dried on large concrete areas, smaller patios or raised beds. During the drying period, the berries are turned regularly to ensure even drying and air supply. It can take up to four weeks for the coffee berries to dry completely, depending on the weather. Drying is the critical step in processing. If the crop is exposed to rain during this phase, there is a risk of mold and toxins. These occur between the pulp and the bean, which can destroy the coffee batch. Finally, the dried pulp is removed using machines (hulling) before the beans are sorted and graded. The berry-dried coffee beans are now ready for sale.

Coffee trees flower after prolonged periods of heavy rainfall. As a rule, this happens in three rounds, about twenty days apart, with each flowering lasting two to three days. The coffee flower is white and can resemble jasmine, both in appearance and scent. Fertilization occurs with the help of wind and insects, and it takes about nine months from flowering to ripe coffee berries. After fertilization and flowering, the coffee berries, which are initially small and green, gradually grow.

From week 10, the bean, i.e. the seed inside the coffee berry, begins to grow rapidly. At the same time, the coffee beans absorb more than half of the tree's production of photosynthesis. This inhibits the growth of the coffee tree. About five weeks after the coffee beans have finished growing, the color of the berry changes. The green color transforms to yellow before the ripe coffee berry turns a juicy red color. There are exceptions, and Yellow Bourbon is an example of this. Due to a defective color gene, this bean type is completely yellow when ripe.

The coffee industry has been scientifically keeping track of coffee botany since the 18th century, when Swedish botanist Carl von Linne first described the genus Coffea in 1753. From the botanical family Rubiaceae come the three species used to grow coffee commercially; Coffea Arabica, Coffea Canephora and Coffea Liberica.

We know that Coffea Arabica originates from the great plateaus of Ethiopia. The coffee plant was exported to Yemen where it was commercially cultivated as far back as the 6th century. Since then, the plant has been moved around the entire tropical belt and is today the most traded agricultural product in the world.

Canephora has its origins in central Africa. When we talk about Coffea Canephora, we normally refer to the Robusta variety.

The third species - Liberica - originates in West Africa. This coffee is only sold locally, but is sometimes used as a rootstock for Arabica coffee, especially in areas where the roundworm parasite is a problem.

Characteristics

The Arabica plant, which most of us think of when we talk about coffee, is a large shrub with dark green, oval leaves. It is different from other coffee species as it has four sets of chromosomes instead of two (technically called tetraploid - cell that has quadruple set of chromosomes). What's special about this is that it allows scientists to distinguish whether a cultivar comes from an Arabica strain and a Robusta strain. The differences in the chromosomes determine the characteristics of the coffee, which can affect flavor, body and acidity.

There are two scientifically recognized botanical varieties (offspecies) of Arabica - which are Typica and Bourbon. In addition, there are unclassified varieties, but there is a great deal of work to be done before these can be categorized as a genetically distinct variety.

Cultivated varieties of Typica and Bourbon are usually called cultivars (cultivated plant). There are a number of coffees, such as Geisha and many other recently rediscovered Ethiopian coffees, for which it has not been possible to determine whether they are varieties or cultivars. Future research, largely based on chromosome studies, will enable us to accurately describe the correct terminology to use for these coffees.

Some of the cultivars have arisen naturally as mutations, such as Caturra and Pointu. Other cultivars, such as Mundo Novo and Maragopype, are the result of natural hybrids. Some are also the result of breeding programs, such as Catuai, Pacamara and Catiomor. One of the reasons for creating new cultivars is to increase resistance to insects and diseases such as coffee rust, coffee berry diseases and coffee borer (worms that bore into the berry and bean). Others have been developed in an attempt to reduce the height of growth to make picking the coffee berries easier, while at the same time providing higher yields in terms of the number of coffee berries on the bush.

There are currently a few breeding programs that attempt to modify coffee quality, caffeine content, acidity, body and/or flavor. New cultivars are currently being produced in Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Brazil and Hawaii.

Basically, all the world's tea varieties come from the same plant; Camellia Sinensis. This tree still grows wild in some places in India and China, where specimens have been found that are over a thousand years old.

Today, Camellia Sinensis is mainly grown commercially - in the form of manicured bushes and small trees - in many parts of the world. The tea plant thrives best in tropical and subtropical climates, and the best growing areas are located in a belt around the equator in mountainous areas up to 2000 meters above sea level. China, India, Japan, Sri Lanka and Taiwan are considered the classic tea-producing countries.

Botany: Camellia Sinensis was classified by Swedish botanist Carl von Linne back in 1753. He called the plant Thea Sinensis (tea from China). Because the plant belongs to the Camellia family, it is today known as Camellia Sinensis. The five main categories of tea - white, green, black, Oolong and Pu Ehr - all come from Camellia Sinensis. The difference between these is the way they are processed.

Just as with grapes and coffee beans, there are several botanical varieties of Camellia Sinensis. A distinction is usually made between two species, Camellia Sinensis Sinensis sinensis and Camellia Sinensis Assamica, but within each of these there are also many variations. Sinensis Sinensis is the Chinese type that is resistant to cold. It can grow up to 4-5 meters tall and has small leaves.

Camellia Sinsesis Asamica is named after the area it originally comes from, Assam in India. It is more hardy and robust than the classic Chinese tea plant. Assam teas can be grown right down to sea level and tend to be strong, malty and dark in the cup.

On the southern slopes of the Himalayas, with the mighty Kanchenjunga mountain as a backdrop, lies Darjeeling. In this world-famous district, tea has been grown since 1841, at altitudes of over 2000 meters. From here comes what many call the 'champagne of tea'. For almost 200 years, Darjeeling has cultivated outstanding qualities of the classic Chinese tea plant Thea Sinensis. Combined with a very special climate far above sea level, this means that the area offers complex and delicate flavors that are completely unique in the tea world.

Picking: The tea grown in Darjeeling is picked in several rounds, and each harvest has distinctive flavor characteristics. The most famous is called First Flush, which is the hand-picking of the very first tea shoots of spring. This harvest produces bright and fresh teas with complex and floral flavors. This is followed by an intermediate harvest before the second major harvest of the year, Second Flush, begins in mid-June. From this picking, we tend to get stronger teas, reddish-brown in color and lots of flavor. The last harvest of the year takes place in the fall and offers light and mild teas.

One of five main categories within what is considered real tea; that is, it is made from the leaves and shoots of the original tea plant, Camellia Sinensis.

Green tea is the oldest category of tea and a central part of the culture in many parts of Asia. The tea can be produced in several ways, but a distinction is usually made between two methods: Chinese and Japanese. The main difference is the way the tea leaves are heat-treated after plucking, roasting and steaming respectively. The category offers great differences in the cup and the flavors can range from the mineral, oceanic to the vegetable and nutty.

Green tea - Roasted (China)

Production: The leaves are "withered" (controlled weathering) before being heat treated in a pan or drum until the enzymes are neutralized. The leaves are then rolled and dried. The leaf style varies from bullets (gunpowder) to long whole leaves that are rolled/shaped into different shapes (Chun Mee, Green Monkey) or pressed (Lung Ching).

In the cup: Golden green, vegetal, occasionally nutty. May also have a slight smokiness.

Green tea - Steamed (Japan)

Production: The leaves are "withered" before being steamed for less than one minute to neutralize the enzymes. Then the leaves are rolled or pressed and dried. The leaves are often straight, narrow and flat leaves, often with irregular sizes (Sencha, Gyokuro). Often cut into pieces during picking. Selected leaves are ground into a fine powder (Macha).

In the cup: Fresh, clear, vibrant green color. Often grassy on the palate, oceanic/salty, mineral and some with a toasted, hazelnut-like flavor and aroma.

One of five main categories within what is considered real tea; that is, it is made from the leaves and shoots of the original tea plant, Camellia Sinensis.

This category is named after the light-colored hairs that cover the shoot of the tea plant. White tea is picked very carefully and air-dried immediately afterwards. In this way, oxidation is kept to a minimum. White tea usually contains newly emerged shoots and is therefore considered an exclusive category. The tea is characterized by delicate, mild and floral flavours.

Originally, white tea was only made in China, from two botanical varieties of Camellia Sinensis; Shui Hsien (Water Spirit) and Dai Bai (Big White). The tea category is now produced in several places around the world. For the most exclusive varieties, only the outermost shoot of the tea plant is used - picked before it has fully opened. This leaves the leaf straight, cylindrical and covered in small white hairs. If the tea consists of two leaves and a shoot, it will be voluminous, open and irregular in size. White tea is neither rolled nor shaped.

Tip: White tea is best enjoyed on its own. That way, the mild and delicate flavor is not overpowered. Tea in this category can be brewed several times.

Docking guide

Temperature: 75-80°C
Amount of tea: 1-2 grams per dl of water
Steeping time: 3-10 min

From berry on plant, to black brew in cup. Coffee begins with the flowering of a coffee tree. What we know as coffee beans is the seed inside a coffee berry. From flowering to brewed coffee, there are many important events that affect the flavors you find in your coffee cup.

Home: First and foremost, the growing area plays a major role. The coffee world's great richness of flavor is partly due to the wide geographical spread of the growing countries. Today, the world's coffee production is dominated by large parts of South and Central America, and some parts of Asia and Africa. On all these continents, there are some areas where the soil is fertile up to 2,000 meters above sea level, which are particularly well suited to cultivating coffee of exceptional quality. It is in these places, where the climate, soil and vegetation are perfectly matched, that we look for lots for our farm and local coffees.

Coffee bean: Just as there are apple and grape varieties, coffee beans come in many varieties. In addition to growing conditions and processing methods, it is the type of bean that gives coffee its flavor potential. All coffee belongs to the botanical family Rubiaceae. The best-known member of the family is Coffea Arabica, and almost all coffee imported to Norway comes from this plant. This species originated in what is considered to be the home of coffee, Ethiopia. Since then, Arabica has been transported to all the major coffee countries in the world, where new bean types have been created. The best known are perhaps Borboun and Typica, and these are also the starting point for a number of other subspecies. It is often the case that the different bean types are specific to certain growing areas.

Processing: One of the most important events in the coffee's long journey is the processing process - which has a major impact on both taste and quality. There are a wide range of processing methods, and it is often knowledge and experience, as well as access to resources and water, that influence which one is used. The most well-known processing methods, which are also two opposites, are called wet processing and berry drying. In very simple terms, the beans in a washed coffee are dried completely without pulp and sugar skin. A berry-dried coffee, on the other hand, is dried with the entire coffee berry intact. This results in radical differences in the cup. Where a berry-dried coffee is full of sweetness and strong, complex flavors, a washed coffee is often characterized by clean and fresh flavor profiles.

Roasting: The combination of growing area, bean type and processing method determines how the coffee is roasted. It is the roasting process that unlocks the beans' flavor potential, and as with most raw materials, the result is best when the coffee is fresh. Depending on how the coffee is to be enjoyed - from strong espressos to light filter brews - each coffee gets its own tailor-made roast profile.

Brewing: The fruits of the coffee beans' long journey are harvested when the coffee is brewed. It's your opportunity to explore and influence the flavors. Whether you prefer an espresso machine, mocha pot, hand brewer, press pot or coffee maker.

Just as there are apple and grape varieties, coffee beans come in many flavours. Alongside growing conditions and processing methods, it is the type of bean that gives coffee its flavour potential.

All coffee is part of the botanical family Rubiaceae and belongs to the genus Coffea. The most recognised species in the coffee family is Coffea Arabica, and it is from this plant that almost all coffee imported to Norway originates. This species originated in what is considered to be the homeland of coffee, Ethiopia. Since then, Arabica has been transported to all the major coffee countries in the world where new bean varieties have been created. The best known are Borboun and Typica, and these are also the starting point for a number of other subspecies. It is often the case that the different types of beans are specific to particular growing areas.

New subspecies are created by mutations or hybrids. Because Caffea Arabica is self-pollinating, natural hybrids are rare, and most subspecies are created by natural mutations or crosses influenced by humans. In principle, virtually all Arabica coffees are related to Borboun or Typica, either in the form of mutations, crosses or hybrids. In addition to Caffea Arabica, coffee is also produced from the species Canephora and Liberica, but these are mainly used by players in large-scale industry and are considered to produce coffee of lower quality. However, there are examples of hybrids between Canephora and Arabica subspecies that produce coffee that meets the requirements of quality operators. Examples include Colombia and IHCAFE, crosses between Robusta (Canephora) and Borboun (Arabica) subspecies that have been bred to increase production and disease resistance.

Typica and Typica-based cultivars: Typica, Maragogype, Mocha, Kent

Borboun and Bourbon-based cultivars: Borboun, Caturra, Pacas, Pointu.

Hybrids, mutants and crosses: Catimor, Pacamara, Catuai, Colombia, Ethiopian Heirloom, Geisha, Jember, Ruiru 11, SL28, SL34, SL795

It's during the firing process that the magic happens. A slightly featureless green bean is transformed into a flavourful starting point for making a fantastic beverage. By heat-treating raw coffee, the beans darken in colour and develop flavour and aroma. Coffee roasting can be explained as simply as that, but in reality it is an advanced and constantly evolving discipline.

The challenge is to utilise the potential of each individual bean. That's why all our coffees, from farm-grown coffee to espresso blends, are given a customised roast profile. With access to some of the world's best coffee raw materials, great demands are made when defining the roast profiles. This focus on quality contributed to our early adoption of a lighter roast style. In this way, roasting becomes a tool used to emphasise the flavour of the ripe coffee berry. This raw material character, which is the result of factors such as bean type, growing area, microclimate and cultivation, means that a light roasted coffee can be flavoured differently between regions, countries and continents.

A roast can last from 9 to 16 minutes and the temperature of the beans reaches up to 200 degrees centigrade. First, the beans go through a drying phase where the humidity must be lowered before they begin to develop flavour. This takes place in the phase known as "1st crack" where the coffee beans swell and begin to pop (the pyrolytic phase). In this phase, chemical reactions occur and the cell structure breaks down.

The cell structure now becomes more porous. The coffee beans develop sweet, acidic and aromatic flavour characteristics, at the same time as caramelisation and browning occur (Maillard reaction). Proportionally to this development, the amount of bitter substances in the coffee increases. After a while, the bitter flavours will dominate the coffee beans. This happens during the "2nd crack", which is the development phase where the beans are so dark that they are considered espresso. The vast majority of our coffees are removed from roasting before this phase. This is because we want the coffee's distinctiveness to come from the raw material, the coffee berry, rather than from the roasting. Just like in a perfectly ripened fruit. It is with the aim of emphasising this natural, raw fruit sweetness that we develop our roast profiles.

Burner style for filter, pressure pot and similar.
As a consequence of coffee being a raw material, we mainly roast in a "light" style here at Solberg & Hansen. This gives us cleaner and more transparent coffee, with a clearly developed sweetness and flavour from the coffee berry. The natural, fresh acidity adds life and character to the cup. If the raw material is of high quality, this in itself will give the coffee a natural fullness. We generally don't want the flavour of carbon, ash or the strong bitter intensity of dark roasted coffee (not to be confused with body). The light roasted coffee is mainly developed during roasting until just after "1 crack".

Examples: Gårdsegen and stedsegen coffee (Single Origin).

Roast style for light espresso and dark filter/press pot
As a rule, we stretch the burn profile of our espresso. This means extending the roasting time, but at a lower temperature than normal. That way we avoid the beans getting a sweaty and oily surface. This light-roasted espresso is cleaner, sweeter and fresher than many are used to. In addition, the raw material character - which comes from factors such as bean type, processing and location - is far more prominent than in most espressos. As a funnel coffee, however, this style will provide less freshness, complexity and raw material character than a light roast. Espressos and dark coffees roasted in this way are taken out of the roaster towards the end of the "1st crack".

Examples: Farmhouse and local espresso, SH Espresso, French Roast, Sertaozinho.

Roast style for our classic espresso blends
Although considered classics, the burn profiles of these blends are constantly evolving, and even in this category the style is lighter than before. In general, you could say that these are degrees of burn that are moving towards what we like to call "Italian burn". This style is characterised by a nutty caramel sweetness that comes from the roasting process rather than the raw material. This is the darkest we allow ourselves to roast coffee, but it's still not so dark that the entire character of the raw material disappears. Coffee roasted in this way is well suited to espresso-based milk drinks.

Examples: Half &Half and Italian Roast

During monsooning, natural forces leave their mark on the coffee beans. This processing method is peculiar to India and is considered one of the most specialised in the coffee world. The process involves exposing the coffee beans to the Asian south-west monsoon.

The coffee berries are harvested from February to May and those that are particularly suitable for monsooning are picked during the harvest. Due to the special processing, the coffee berries must be large and fully ripe. After sun-drying, the coffee beans are ready for monsooning. The coffee is spread across the floor of large open-walled warehouses as the monsoon sweeps in over the coast. After eight days, the beans are stacked in sacks that are exposed to the monsoon winds until they crack. The beans are left on the floor before the process is repeated approximately every ten days throughout the monsoon season. During the monsoon, the beans absorb a lot of moisture, causing them to swell. The colour of the beans changes from green to golden yellow and they become considerably larger. The combination of salty sea air, monsoon rain and wind means that the coffee undergoes a total transformation - both in appearance and flavour.

Oolong is the name for teas that are partially oxidised. You can see this in the tea leaves, which are brown and green spotted, a cross between black and green tea. Oolong is a varied category that offers many sweet and complex teas. Oolong has traditionally been produced in China and Taiwan.

Oolong is the tea category that is most complicated to produce. The leaves are withered (softened) for about eight hours (depending on the moisture content). Then they are lightly crushed by rolling or shaking. This starts the partial oxidation of the leaf edges. Pan-firing and air-drying are used to further reduce the moisture content. Often rolling and drying are done alternately and this leads to a slow, partial oxidisation. Many teas in this category are further heat treated in the form of baking after the initial processing.

Oolong is most often picked as three leaves and a shoot. The category includes both leaves that are curled into small balls (Tie Guan Yin, Dong Ding) and those that are straight and voluminous (Formosa oolong, Scarlett roab). Oolong is commonly grouped into five categories based on oxidation level and shape. These are Jade, Amber, Champagne, Pouchong and Aged.

In the cup: Well-developed, rich, complex and occasionally fruity. The colour varies from light and green, to dark and reddish brown

The flavours you find in your cup are coloured by a series of events that happen in the growing country. Among the most crucial is the period after picking, when the coffee beans go through a refining process. This can be done in a number of ways and has a major impact on quality and flavour. The best-known processing methods, which are also two opposites, are called wet processing and berry drying.

In very simple terms, the beans in a washed coffee are dried without any pulp or sugar coating. A berry-dried coffee, on the other hand, is dried with the entire coffee berry intact. This produces radical differences in the cup. Where berry-dried coffee is full of sweetness and strong, complex flavours, a washed coffee tends to be characterised by clean and fresh flavour profiles.

Between wet processing and berry drying, there are a number of processing variants where the coffee beans are dried with the pulp more or less intact. Sugar-dried is a collective term used for these variants. The terms "honey" and "pulped natural" are also familiar from other countries.

In other words, the processing process is mainly determined by how much pulp is left on the bean when it is dried. Within each individual method, however, there are many different procedures and a wide range in the quality of the work carried out. There are also some methods that are so distinctive and different that they have been given their own names. These are often linked to specific countries or cultivation areas. The Indian processing method "monsooning" and the Indonesian "wet hulling" are two well-known examples.

Basically, all the world's tea varieties come from the same plant: Camellia Sinensis. This tree still grows wild in some places in India and China, where specimens have been found that are over a thousand years old. Today, Camellia Sinensis is mainly grown commercially - in the form of manicured shrubs and small trees - in many parts of the world. The tea plant thrives best in tropical and subtropical climates, and the best growing areas are located in a belt around the equator in mountainous areas up to 2,000 metres above sea level. China, India, Japan, Sri Lanka and Taiwan are considered the classic countries for tea production.

Just as with grapes and coffee beans, there are several botanical varieties of Camellia Sinensis. This is the starting point for the tea's flavour potential, which in turn is influenced by soil, climate, temperature and rainfall. Then there are human influences such as cultivation, harvesting and processing that shape the quality and flavour of the tea. The sum of all these variables makes the range of teas large and varied.
In the wild, the tea bush will grow as big as a tree, while in the tea garden it is often trimmed to a height that is convenient for picking. The freshly sprouted leaves from the plant are picked at six-week intervals from the first flush of spring until autumn arrives. The smaller the leaves, the more expensive the tea.

In theory, only the extract from Camellia Sinesis is considered tea. In Norway, however, the word has become a generic term for beverages that are brewed in the same way as tea. These can be anything from herbs and dried fruit to leaves and flowers. The varieties that come from the tea plant are white, green, black, Oolong and Pu Ehr. The way in which the leaves and shoots are dried and processed determines which category the different teas belong to.

Wet processing is a processing method where the beans are dried completely without pulp and sugar skin. This method requires a lot of labour and resources, as well as access to machinery and clean water. On the other hand, wet processing is a process that is relatively easy to control, and the farmer can expect coffee batches that are of a consistently high quality. A wet-processed coffee is often characterised by clean, fresh and delicate flavour profiles.

Wet processing in practice
This process is carried out in many different ways, due to varying factors such as equipment and water availability. Nevertheless, the basic principles of the sequence of events are quite similar. After picking, the ripe coffee berries are sorted before being transported to the processing unit. Here they are often placed in receiving tanks where the berries are separated by quality. The fresh berries have a higher density than those that are dried out or damaged by insects. They are therefore sorted in the water by sinking the best berries to the bottom, from where they are transported to the wet mill via channels or a funnel. The fruit pulp is usually removed (pulping) mechanically in the wet mill, for example by pressing the coffee beans through a grate. Manual wet mills also exist and are commonly used on smaller farms that are not part of a larger co-operative. Some coffee farmers have their own wet mills on their farms, while others transport the freshly picked beans to co-operatives.

Once the pulp has been removed, the mucilage that remains must be broken down. This is done by placing the beans together in water basins, or fermentation tanks, where microorganisms are given room to break down the mucilage. This is called fermentation and can be described as a biological cleaning of the beans. Fermentation is an exact science and requires good time control, as well as conditions that ensure the right microorganisms grow. Sloppiness in this phase can cause the wrong organisms to multiply too quickly through cell division, or the biochemical process to overrun in time. Consequently, this can result in defects that can destroy the beans in their entirety long before they see the inside of a roasting machine.

The actual fermentation takes place in concrete tanks or pools, where the beans are left long enough for the sticky mucus layer to be removed biologically by enzyme effects. It is important that the pH value does not exceed 5.5-6.0. At this value, the correct level of yeast is maintained, while other microbes such as mould and coli bacteria are prevented from developing. These can lead to infection, which gives the coffee beans an off-flavour. The fermentation time is mainly rooted in temperature, the quality of the crop, and the farmers responsible for the process. It is common for the beans to remain in the fermentation tanks for anywhere from 12 to 36 hours.

In recent years, machines have been invented that remove both the fruit flesh and the sugar membrane by creating friction. The machines are unable to remove 100 per cent of the skin, but they come very close. The advantage of this method is that it uses far less water and also creates less waste. This machine is also used by farmers using the semi-washed method because it allows you to control how much pulp is left behind.

Ideally, only ripe coffee beans should be fermented. However, over- and under-ripe beans are sometimes included. Unripe berries are fermented slowly while ripe ones are fermented quickly. During normal fermentation, the sugar membrane will remain on the unripe beans, which can have a negative impact on quality and a flavour that can be described as green and unripe. There is a fine line between a successful and an unsuccessful fermentation process, and it is consequently monitored and stopped at the right time. Optimal execution can give the coffee batch a fresh and clean flavour, fruity acidity, as well as fine and aromatic notes. Over-fermentation, on the other hand, leads to bean defects (ferment), resulting in a downright unpleasant flavour that will ruin the coffee completely. At the end of the process, the coffee beans are washed with water, either manually or mechanically, where the aim is to wash off the loose mucus layer.

After washing, the coffee beans should be dried. A moisture content of 60-53% should be reduced to 12%, ideally as quickly as possible. Drying usually takes place on concrete pitches, patios or mesh beds. Parchment and silverskin are then removed before the green, export-ready beans are ready for sorting and grading.