|
In the nursery, two seeds per plant pot are sown and after eight to ten months are transferred to fields in rows. Irrigated plants will produce coffee after two years but non-irrigated trees will take three years to start producing.
A pulping machine separates the coffee seeds from the fruity pulp before the beans are fermented in tanks for 24 hours until they feel gravelly or gritty. Over or under fermenting leads to coffee with a too-fruity taste.
Grading is a process in which fan-forced air from underneath the beans separates the beans from any chips and chaff before they are sieved for size ready for dispatch.
Planters and brokers (who buy the beans) test the beans in green bean form and roasted comparing the tastes with previous crops and with beans from other estates to establish final grading and price. Roasting While much of the process depends on Nature, the final product is ultimately governed by the roaster's skill and Origin's Roger Sheppard has 15 years' experience behind him.
1) the length of time the coffee is in the roaster
Origin Coffee is roasted in a continuous flow, gas fired roaster. The roasting is done personally by Roger to make sure the correct roasting level is achieved. Once roasted the beans are rolled in a draught to remove excess husks and then cooled rapidly to hold in the maximum flavour. When cooled the coffee is bagged in bulk ready for final packaging and dispatch. Origin coffee purchases all its beans from plantations with which the company has an intimate knowledge and an on-going relationship to guarantee quality. |
In Origin Coffee's designated plantations
in Malawi, the mature trees flower in October and the red berry
fruit which contain the coffee seeds, is ready
for harvesting in April/May. The berries are handpicked every two
weeks until August.
The next step is to wash the beans which is
a quality self-selection process - the higher grade beans sink
while the lesser grade floats and is destined for use in instant
coffees or products with a percentage of coffee mixed with
chicory.
Drying takes one to two weeks, during which any
damaged and remaining low quality beans are eliminated. After the
sale, usually a few months later to allow the moisture levels to
become consistant, a hulling machine removes a parchment covering
to reveal the green bean.
An important aspect of the grading and sales process is
'liquoring,' a term used for tasting each batch in and out of
storage.
To achieve an even roast the coffee has to be continuously
turning. This usually occurs in a revolving drum in batch
roasters or jiggled around on an airbed in continuous flow
roasters. Level of roasting is adjusted by
The roasting process produces two distinct cracks in
the coffee as it expands. The aroma changes from one of being
just dusty, no different from dried peas, to a fabulously
inviting coffee aroma. It is essential not to allow burning or
the oils are released and the coffee is left lifeless and firey.