Download THE ESSENCE OF COFFEE

THE ESSENCE OF COFFEE
SCAA
Trainer’s Guide to Specialty Coffee
Myth, History, Cultivation through
Export
COFFEE BASICS:
Harvesting of the Bean
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Harvesting—Conditions Determining the
Number of Harvests
The Timing of the Harvest
Harvesting Methods
 Selective Picking
 Strip Picking
 Mechanical Harvesting
HARVESTING OF THE
BEAN
A particular region’s temperature and rainfall
determine the number of harvests during the
year.
Growing regions such as Brazil, which
experience 1 distinct rainy season, will
produce 1 crop and 1 harvest per season.
Costa Rica on the other hand, has 2 distinct
rainy seasons and usually produces 2 annual
crops.
Colombia’s
hilly terrain
provides
diverse and
distinct
microclimates
for growing
coffee.
Each microclimate has its own growing cycle
thus harvesting can take place almost all year
long.
In regions where the rainfall is more equally
distributed throughout the year, flowers,
immature berries, and ripe cherries can
appear all at the same time on a single coffee
branch.
Rain as you may have
guessed, serves as a
signal to the coffee
plant. Within about two
weeks after the rain, the
coffee plant will begin to
flower.
It is from the fertilized
ovary of the flowers that
coffee berries begin to
develop.
coffee cherry
The Timing of the Harvest
Coffees are harvested at varying times
of the year depending on their
relationship to the Equator.
Countries North of the Equator harvest
between September and December.
Examples of these include Ethiopia and
Guatemala.
Countries South of the Equator primarily
harvest in April or May though the harvesting
season can last until August.
Examples of these include Brazil and
Zimbabwe.
Those countries that are situated on the
Equator and take advantage of planting at
different altitudes are able to harvest nearly
all year around.
Examples of these include Colombia and
Sumatra.
Harvesting Methods
The harvesting methods used are
largely determined by the number and
types of harvests as well as by the
terrain.
Selective Picking
When the coffee cherry is in various
stages of maturation on the same tree,
a method of harvesting is used called
Selective Picking.
This method requires the pickers to
walk among the trees with baskets or
bags secured to their waists.
With both hands free, the pickers pick
only the ripe cherries from each tree.
Selective Picking
This process is very labor intensive. As
the beans mature, pickers are sent back
out to pick the ripe cherries.
During the harvesting season, this
occurs every 8 to 10 days.
Strip Picking
Strip Picking is used in areas with distinct
seasonality and when all of the coffee
cherries ripen at the same time.
With one rapid movement, a picker places a
hand around the branch and pulls from the
base of the branch to the tip.
Coffee cherries as well as leaves and twigs
fall into a cloth placed on the ground.
All of the debris is picked or sifted out leaving
only the cherries.
Mechanical Harvesting
Mechanical Harvesting relies on a machine
to shake the coffee trees and knock the ripe
cherries onto a conveyor belt.
This method offers lower labor costs.
However its use is limited for it requires flat
terrain and long, even rows of coffee trees in
order to be effective.
The majority of the world’s coffee harvest is
picked by hand.
Coffee harvesting, therefore, is a laborious
and intensive seasonal process.
Mechanical Harvesting
Cherry Pickers must be skilled in both
the method of hand picking as well as in
their ability to identify ripe, perfect
cherries.
Cherries that are defective in any way
can spoil the rest of the crop.