The 7 stages of the coffee production process

Maria Paula Rey

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The 7 stages of the coffee production process - Forest Coffee

To obtain the best quality coffees, it is necessary to be clear that it is a long process and with different stages that are necessary to be able to have extraordinary profiles and flavors, in our farms we have around 7 stages which we will tell you about in this blog

1 # Plantation

We start by looking for the best seeds and varieties of coffee plants, paying attention to their growth process until maturity. This part is essential for their performance and allows us to guarantee optimal growth to achieve amazing results.

2 # Pick up

The coffee plant after about 2 years begins to bear fruit which is collected by hand, mainly taking into account its color which must be red (or better known as UVA color) to ensure a homogeneous and quality harvest.

3 # Separate

This stage is essential to be able to separate the best coffee beans and minimize any coffee that does not meet the appropriate standards, this is done through different methods, mainly the revision of the colors and size of the seeds, then the weight them with tanks of water where we make them float, and the good and bad grains are separated.

4 # Processing

Then all the coffees are taken away and the appropriate process is carried out. We have four different processes:

NATURAL

We leave the cherry in whole and then pass it through the selection, and once finished, we send it to fermentation, which goes from 20 up to 140 hours.

We then use our secret multi-stage drying process to dry the beans and prepare them for the next phase.

WASHED

The washing process is the most used in Colombia; We peel the cherry and pass it through the mill. Then we wash the beans, removing the remains of cherries and rotten beans.

Fermentation times can range from 25 to 60 hours and are then passed to the drying phase, which is made either mechanically or to the sun.

HONEY

In our honey process, we peel the cherry without using water, which helps us to retain the mucilage in different proportions. After it, coffee is put through different hours of fermentation and then sun-dried with constant movements of the beans so we can ensure a homogenous drying of all the beans.

KOJI

Using the aspergillus oryzae, this process can transform its substrate differently than yeast or bacteria on the coffee. This process requires no more complexity than typical temperature-controlled cherry fermentation and careful drying

5 # Fermentation

The fermentation process is of vital importance to create exceptional flavors, this process has been perfected through experience since each variety requires a certain fermentation time.

This process is normally carried out in different types of tanks, with different methods, where the coffee is left from 20 up to 140 hours with or without oxygen or light.

6 # drying

This part of the process can be done in two ways, the first naturally with the sun, which can take weeks, and the second with drying machines that rotate the coffee and allow a much more homogeneous and faster drying, so that the beans are completely dry and ready for export.

7 # Dry milling

This is the last step before shipping. Here we separate the last layer of the shell of each of the beans, in which the last quality control is carried out, checking its size, color, and that it does not have any defects (or in the different preparations selected) , this process is carried out by different machines which are over 6 different steps, and at the end is al selected by hand to ensure the exact norm we want to send the coffee