What Is Dry Processing? – Dry Processed 

Vietnamese Coffee Exporter
What Is Dry Processing? Dry processing is one of the most basic and oldest coffee processing procedures in history, and it’s commonly used to process Robusta coffee. This procedure aims to reduce the moisture content of the coffee to 10 -12 percent by drying it in the sun or using a drying appliance.

There are various reasons why dry-processed coffee is so popular, although drying creates only average coffee. In exchange, this method consumes less water and energy. It also necessitates fewer infrastructural investments.

Characteristics of dry-processed coffee

Natural processing (often referred to as “Natural processing” or “Dry process”) is the most basic technique of post-harvest processing of coffee. Still, it is also one of the most challenging ways to produce good coffee.

Dry processing has always been a simple, inexpensive cooking method: all you need is sunlight and a flat surface. After the coffees are harvested, they are sun-dried until the humidity drops to 11-12%, taking 30 days (weather permitting).

What Is Dry Processing? - Dry Processed 
What Is Dry Processing? – Dry Processed

There are several different methods for drying coffee: some farmers use raised beds, others dry the coffee in the yard, and others combine drying with a mechanical dryer. However, the natural drying process does not require fancy equipment regardless of these variations.

Getting the hang of dry processing

Dry-processed coffee has its pods removed relatively soon after harvest, whereas wet-processed coffee has its pods removed somewhat slowly. Coffee cherries are harvested when ripe and allowed to dry completely before being peeled (peeling). While this peeling used to be done by hand with a mortar and pestle, it is now done by machines that can be finely calibrated.

The first step in dry processing is to pay attention to the harvest and ensure that you pick it at the optimal moment — when it’s ripe. Sorting the coffee at various stages of ripening is another crucial process. When unripe or overripe berries are dried together, the finished product’s flavor suffers (according to perfect daily grind).

Managing the fermentation process

Fermentation occurs at every step of the coffee production process, beginning with picking the beans. The yeasts and bacteria that are present on the fruit’s surface (or that have penetrated the fruit due to mechanical impact during collection and transportation) will instantly begin metabolizing the sugars and acids inside the coffee fruit.

Fermentation can continue until the coffee reaches the recommended moisture level of 11%.

Unlike wet processing, the coffee is not stored in a “fermentation tank” and is not managed. However, numerous factors influence its fermentation in dry processing, including ambient temperature, sun exposure time, shadow density, fruit density in drying beds, raking—island – coffee rotation during drying, etc.

What Is Dry Processing? - Dry Processed 
What Is Dry Processing? – Dry Processed

The entire drying process relies entirely on environmental conditions, such as sunshine, and can take one to three weeks. During this period, rake the island several times a day to ensure that the fruit layer dries uniformly and mold growth is prevented.

To avoid night dew, the coffee must be heaped high and covered with canvas at night. The enzyme system may ferment the coffee fruit in the fruit of the coffee layer is not spread uniformly or spread too thickly, resulting in an unpleasant taste afterward.

On-time completion (processing)

After three to five days of drying; as the pods lose water, furrow the coffee 5-6 inches thick to expand the area. After about a week, you’ll start to examine the drying process and decide when it’s time to stop.

The drying process stops when the skins shrivel, dry up, and practically turn black, allowing the close-to-the-shell stitch to beginning. For dry processing, the end of the drying process is critical. Coffee cherries that aren’t dry enough are prone to bacterial and mold degradation (mold).

Meanwhile, too-dry (over-dried) coffee will become brittle and produce a lot of debris when grinding (the coffee bean may also break). It is critical to dry the coffee to a moisture content of less than 11% (or 12-10%), necessitating a warm environment.

As a result, dry processing is typically done outside at temperatures of 29-31°C. (An overview of the coffee drying process can be found here). Finally, once the coffee has reached the desired humidity, it can be gathered, packaged, and stored in an excellent, dry location until the buyer is ready to receive the items.

Is dry-processed coffee any good?

Coffee processing methods: Coffee roasters often avoid Dry specialty processing. They understand that temperature and humidity, which are inconsistent and difficult to predict, significantly impact coffee bean quality.

As a result, dry-processed coffee is frequently sourced from producers unconcerned about quality, lack the financial resources to invest in post-harvest infrastructure, or work in places where water is rare during harvest preparation (especially Ethiopia, Indonesia, Yemen, and Brazil).

What Is Dry Processing? - Dry Processed 
What Is Dry Processing? – Dry Processed

There are a variety of reasons why dry-processed coffee has grown in popularity. The taste of natural processing will be substantially enhanced with scientific application and regulated fermentation.

It consumes less water and electricity. It also necessitates fewer infrastructural investments. In other words, dry processing is high-quality, environmentally benign, and inexpensive — a winning combination provided you live in the correct climate.

Pulped natural process

Pulped Natural processing is a method that exposes the fruity layer of the coffee cherry by removing the outer skin and allowing it to dry in the sun (or sometimes, with mechanical dryers). It’s considered to be halfway between dry and wet processing – it takes longer to process and uses more water than straight natural processing, but it produces a higher-quality cup.

Honey processed coffee

Pulped natural process, also known as honey-processed coffee, is a method of depulping fresh coffee cherries without washing them. Some fruit remains, but not nearly as much as in the natural process. The cherry is mostly gone, but the remaining golden, sticky mucilage tastes like honey, which is where the process gets its name.

One advantage for producers is that honey processing requires less water. Allowing the fruit to dry on the bean allows it to be physically removed during milling rather than being washed off, as is common with washed coffees.

Dry processed coffee

This is the most traditional method of processing. Whole coffee cherries are dried in the sun in the natural processed coffee or dry process, leaving the fruit on the bean and allowing it to “raisin-ify” around the bean.

Fermentation occurs naturally, resulting in the formation of complex flavors and sugars. This is a more time-consuming method than others. In the final cup, naturally processed coffees frequently have complex fruity notes like berries or citrus.

Reference source:

  • wwww. perfectdailygrind.com/ A Guide To Coffee Drying
  • wwww. perfectdailygrind.com/ How to Improve Quality When Drying Washed Coffees
  • http://www.coffeeresearch.org/ Coffee Drying

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