15/02/2022
The 'coffee bean' we know is actually a seed of a fruit.
It is comprised of the following layers;
- the exocarp or outer skin (pulp)
- the mesocarp or mucilage, a sticky layer
- endocarp, or parchment which is a papery layer
- silverskin, which is a membrane covering the two coffee seeds inside the fruit
After being plucked from a tree in cherry form, the seed has to be seperated from the fruit, before spoilage occurs and taints the flavour of the coffee bean. This can be done in primarily three ways- washed, natural and honey.
Natural processed coffee is putting the coffee out in the sun to dry, until the cherry skin falls off the seed, isolating the bean. The microorganisms inside the cherry ferment the cherry due to exposure to heat and moisture.
Washed process is putting the coffee in a pulper, which mechanically removes the cherry and isolates the seed. Fermentation is used to remove a sticky substance called mucilage. The coffee seeds are put into a water bath known as a ‘fermentation tank’ which uses microorganisms from the environment surrounding the bath to separate the mucilage.
Honey process removes only the cherry, while keeping the mucilage intact on the coffee bean. This is then put out to dry, with more fermented flavors being imparted on to the seed, without the heavy fermentation flavors that some natural process coffees are known for.
This is another topic we’ll be covering in detail at our .coffeefestival event in partnership with and .
To win a single pass to the event DM us the answer to this question:
What is the optimal moisture content range that coffee beans are dried to?
A) 6-8%
B) 8-12%
C) 12-15%
Along with the answer you MUST send in the following:
(1) your name
(2) your phone number
(3) your email address
(4) your vaccination status
(5) any dietary restrictions
Only those DMs with all the information requested above will go into the draw and you can only enter once. We’ll announce the winner on our stories (and via DM) tomorrow morning (Wednesday 16th February). Entries close at midnight on Tuesday 15th.