Quest for the Supreme Bean- part three

The coffee cherries at this farm are dried using one of the oldest methods: dry processing. The beans are separated from the cherry using coffee pulping equipment as seen in the background of this first picture.



The cherries are then disposed of and the beans are spread out in the sun to dry. It takes about a week for the beans to fully dry and it is important step in the overall quality of the coffee. If the beans become to dry they will be brittle and break but if they are too moist then bacteria and fungus will begin to grow on them.

Here one of the farmers is sifting through the drying beans to make sure they dry evenly and thoroughly. After the beans are dried another outer shell is removed. Finally, the beans are sorted by size so that the grade of beans can be determined. After this final step the beans are then bag and made ready to be shipped or sold.

Its at this point that we now buy directly from the coffee farm (for local Yunnan beans) or through a third party (for buying imported beans from around the world.) For us we then cup the coffee to test its quality and then roast the beans so they are ready to make into various beverages from coffee to lattes.