Step three: Processing the Cherries

If the cherries are sitting out for too long once they've been picked, they can spoil! That's why processing must begin as quickly as possible. There are two different ways to process the freshly picked coffee cherries: dry or wet processing.


Dry method is the oldest method of processing of either of the methods. Once the cherries have been picked, they're immediately set out in the sun to dry. In order for them to stay healthy and not go bad, they have to be raked and turned over on a large surface several times during the day. If it starts to rain, the cherries will be covered in order for them to stay dry. The moisture in the air at night can cause them to spoil, so they're covered every night whether it rains or not.
Wet method has many more steps. The pulp of the cherry is removed after harvesting and the bean remains and is eventually dried with the parchment skin still hanging on.
Firstly, the harvested cherries are passed through a pulp machine which strips the skin and pulp from the bean. Then the beans are separated by weight as they venture through water channels. Little beans float, the riper beans sink to the bottom.
Then they pass through big drums to be sorted by size.
They end up going to water-filled fermentation tanks after being sorted. Depending on the condition of the beans and the altitude of the process, it takes anywhere from twelve to forty-eight hours. On the beans, there is a slimy layer of mucous-like substance called the parenchyma. Natural enzymes within the fermentation tank will cause this slimy stuff to dissolve. The beans then turn hard and rough rather than soft.
Now they're ready to be rinsed and dried! Huzzah!