Coffee and Caffeine FAQ

First and foremost you will only want to harvest the cherries that have reached a ripe red color.

Once you have harvested your cherries you are ready to process them. The method I will attempt to describe below is a wet process method. If someone would like to describe dry process please let me know.

First remove the sticky fruit from the berries. This can be done by pushing the seed out with your fingers. You will be left with one or two seeds.

Immerse the beans in water for one or two days. This is known as fermentation. Any beans that float to the top should be culled, as they are bad. This will help to remove the pulp as well as loosening the skin.

Once the beans are removed dry them by laying them in a thin layer in the sun. Cover them at night to protect them from moisture. As a shortcut you can also use a dehydrator to speed this part of the process up. The drying process will loosen the outer protective skin.

Remove the outer husk from the beans.

Once this is done your beans are ready to roast.

Tom at Sweet Maria's has create a short page about his experience wet processing coffee. Home Processing Coffee - Wet Process Method