Coffee specifications

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After coffee cherries are picked, they must be depulped within 24 hours - either at the farm or a centralized depulping station. Depulping is the process of separating the coffee seeds from the outer layer of flesh. If the cherries pass the hour mark without being depulped , they may produce an overly fruity, rotten flavor that can ruin the quality of the coffee. Hand Depulpers: Many producers have hand depulpers on their farms or share a hand depulper with their neighbors.

A hand depulper is a machine with a small rotating burr that tears off the outer layer of the coffee flesh, exposing the two coffee seeds inside. Some producers operate their depulpers by hand and others have mechanized them to help with the labor. The depulper deposits the coffee seeds into a tank and the remaining skin and flesh is separated and commonly used for compost.

Centralized Depulping Stations: Anywhere from 10 to farmers may share a centralized station, depending on the size of the depulper and the makeup of their organization. The depulper station is usually run by electricity or some kind of sustainable energy source. As is the case with hand depulpers , the outer layer of the cherry is removed and separated from the beans that are deposited into a tank to begin the process of fermentation.

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The fermentation process is thought to accentuate the body and flavor of the coffee beans. To begin the fermentation process, the depulped coffee beans are deposited into large, clean tanks that are made of cement, wood and sometimes plastic water collection receptacles. The coffee beans ferment in the mucilage that is left on the bean after the depulping process, transforming the natural sugars to liquid. Fermentation can take from four hours to three days depending on the country, altitude and humidity of a particular area.

It is especially important that the tanks are cleaned out after each use to avoid bacterial build up which can affect the flavor of the next batch of fermenting coffee. One common method used to determine if the fermentation process is complete is to submerge a clean stick into the fermentation tank, then pull it out.

If the circle created by the stick remains, the sugars have not dissolved enough, and the coffee is not ready to be washed to end the fermentation process. If the coffee beans easily flow back together, fermentation is complete and the beans are ready to be washed.

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Many specialty coffees are washed once the fermentation is complete to halt the fermentation process. This is called "wet processing," where coffee beans are washed in a series of concrete or wood channels with clean water. This process ensures that the fermentation process has stopped. The coffee is then dried, either by the sun or mechanically.

The process for sun drying coffee can take three to five days or almost two weeks, depending on the weather.

From Bean to Cup

It is very important that the drying coffee is turned many times each day and does not come into contact with any water after the washing process is complete and the drying process is underway. All of the coffee that we buy at Equal Exchange is dried by the sun on concrete patios or on raised screens. Coffee is processed in many different ways throughout the world. In some cases, coffee cherries are not depulped , but harvested when ripe and laid out to dry.

Or, the coffee cherries may be left to partially dry on the tree, then picked and placed on patio to dry in the sun. In both methods, the cherries are left to dry in the sun for two to three weeks and then put through a hulling machine to remove the dried pulp, parchment and silverskin.

Nimbus - Green Coffee Beans sorting

This type of processing, called "dry processing," is believed to produce a heavy-bodied cup of coffee. Within the coffee industry, these beans are usually referred to as naturals. By Hand : Coffee is sorted by hand removing all of the defects at individual and group tables. By Hand With Conveyor Assistance: A conveyor belt slowly moves coffee down a line of people, usually women, and they pick out the imperfect beans and remove them from the conveyor belt.

By Machine : A mechanized system moves the beans through a chute at a controlled rate, while a "mechanical eye," programmed to sort beans by color, blows a puff of air to remove discolored, defective beans from the line of production. Roasting requires a skill set somewhere between art and science.

Roasters need to have a strong attention to detail, excellent sensory skills and sensory memory, and a love of all things coffee. These traits differentiate between good roasters and great ones. The goal in coffee roasting is to enhance the qualities of the green coffee beans and to develop them to their fullest potential. For example, we might try to tame a coffee's acidity while accentuating its citric flavor, or we might try to bring out the mouthfeel in a coffee while also enhancing its natural chocolate notes.

As our roasters will tell you, the process is both challenging and extremely rewarding. Each batch of roasted coffee is tested with an Agtron roast analyzer to scientifically test the classification of the roast.


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The Agtron system is common in the Specialty Coffee Industry and the rating system is from 0. These samples are also "cupped" to ensure that the flavor matches our specifications and to provide our customers with consistency. Medium Roast: As coffee beans begin to develop, they reach the first stage of roasting that is light in color and bright in the cup.

Color : Cinnamon Brown. Full City Roast: The most desirable characteristics of a particular country or region are exemplified in our full city roast. Beans are at their most complex and most flavorful. Color : Chestnut Brown. Vienna Roast: Rich coffee oils evenly cover the surface of the beans to produce a smokey aroma and smooth, rich cup.

Color : Dark Chocolate Brown. French Roast: The intensity of this dark roast is seen in the deep coffee oils that cover its surface. The sweet intensity of the aroma and velvety flavor make this an international favorite. Color : Mahogany Brown. We employ two methods of blending called pre-roast blending and post-roast blending. The concepts are different, and each produces an array of flavor combinations that are unique to the palette and are a fresh experience for the coffee lover.

Pre-Roast blending: Green origin coffees are selected to create an exclusive profile and then blended before they are roasted. Post-Roast blending: Two or more green coffees are roasted individually and blended after they have been roasted. The color difference between the roasts is distinct, and this method creates an exceptional flavor profile. Our farmer partners take representative samples from each lot of coffee in their warehouse set for export. The samples are milled to remove the parchment, then sent to Equal Exchange for approval.

Each green coffee sample sent to Equal Exchange is put through a strict physical quality examination of the size, the color, the smell, the density, the number of imperfections and the amount of moisture in the green coffee beans. If the sample does not fall within our adopted quality standards - those set by the Specialty Coffee Association of America SCAA - the lot of coffee will be rejected.

Each sample is then roasted to a cinnamon color in our double barrel Probat sample roaster.


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  • This style of roasting is required for tasting the sample through "cupping. Committed to sourcing sustainably grown coffees and to partnering closely with the farmers who grow it, our roasters know that by working together, cooperatively, they can more readily impact and multiply the positive effects of their selective coffee purchasing. We work in partnership with farmer cooperatives from all over the world, and maintain 28 direct and Fair Trade relationships in 13 coffee growing countries. These cooperatives are local organizations founded and democratically governed by the farmers themselves.

    They work towards sustainable development in their communities, and strive to produce and deliver exceptional specialty coffee. Cooperative Coffees is committed to helping these co-ops participate directly in and benefit from the world of international trade. Maya Vinic — Acteal, Chiapas, Mexico.