 Depulping coffee by hand After coffee cherries are picked, they must be depulped within 24
hours - either at the farm or a centralized depulping station. If the
cherries pass this mark of 24 hours, they will begin to ferment in
their own juices and 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. The depulper spits
the seeds into a tank and
the remaining skin and flesh is separated and commonly used for
compost.
Centralized Depulping Stations
Anywhere from 10 to 100 farmers may share
a centralized station, depending on the size of the depulper
and the make-up 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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