Ways Coffee Beans are Processed

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	There are two primary ways coffee beans are processed. They are known simply as wet processing and dry processing. There is also a third process far less common process known as semi-dry processing. First, we will take a look at wet processing. Wet Processing In this method, the fruit covering the coffee beans is removed before they are dried. The wet method requires the use of special equipment and large quantities of water. The coffee produced by this method is usually regarded as being of better quality than coffee that has been dry processed. For this reason, wet processing is the most common of the ways coffee beans are processed. The first stage of wet processing involves soaking the green coffee beans in water. The bad fruit will float to the surface and is removed. The skin of the coffee fruit is then removed by pressing the fruit in a machine using water and a screen. The exposed coffee bean will still have a significant amount of the pulp clinging to it that needs to be removed however and this is done either by fermentation or with the aid of a machine. Once the pulp has been removed, the coffee beans are left with an layer which must be removed. These layer is known as the parchment. To accomplish this the coffee beans must be dried. Coffee beans can be dried in the sun or by machine but is most commonly done using a combination of the two. After the drying process, the parchment becomes crumbly and can easily be removed by a machine known simply as a huller. Dry Processing In this method, the coffee fruit is first cleasned away and the coffee beans are left out in the sun to dry. Dry processing is often touted as being "natural coffee" and is the oldest known method of processing coffee. It is the second most common of the ways coffee beans are processed. The first stage of dry processing is to sort and clean the coffee fruit. This is most often done by hand using a large screen. Dirt, leaves and other debris falls away leaving only the coffee fruits on top where the bad fruits can be easily sorted out. In dry processing, the coffee beans are dried with the fruit still fully intact. The coffee fruits are spread out on tables in the sun and left to dry. As the fruits dry, they are raked and turned to ensure even drying and prevent mildew. As you might suspect, weather conditions play a big part of this process and it can be quite lengthy if conidtions are less than optimal. As with wet processing, machines are often used to speed up the process after the coffee has been drying in the sun for a few days. The dried coffee fruits are then stored in silos until they are sent to the mill where hulling and grading. Once dried all the outer layers of the dried coffee fruit can be removed in by the hulling machine. As the name would suggest. the drying stage is all important in dry processing. It has the greatest affect on the quality of the coffee once processing is complete. Semi-Dry Processing This is a relatively new method for processing coffee and as such has seen very limited use (mainly in Brazil where nearly all coffee is dry processed). The main difference between this method and the other two is that the fruit is passed through a screen to remove the skin and some of the pulp like in the wet process but are then place in the sun to dry without the use of fermentation or the aid of machines.

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