The timing of the coffee harvest is an important factor in the production of coffee beans due to the fact that the timing of the coffee harvest will determine the flavor of the coffee beans once they are processed. If the coffee cherries is harvested at the correct time, the coffee beans will contain sweetness and acidity. However, if the coffee cherries are harvested at the incorrect time, the coffee beans will have flat or fermented flavor, and those flavors cant be corrected during the roasting of the coffee beans.
Because coffee cherries does not all mature at the same time, they must be continually monitored to ensure that they are harvested at the proper time. Coffee plants produce white blossoms after periods of rain following dry periods. The plants take approximately nine month to develop those blossoms into cherries.
When to Harvest Coffee Cherries
During the first stage of the development of cherries, the plants produce small green nubs, which swell to contain the coffee beans with flavor. When the cherries turn a deep red or yellow, the coffee beans within the cherries have reached peak ripeness. If coffee cherries are picked too early, the beans within will not contain as much sweetness as they could of when they were harvested.
If the cherries are picked too late, though, they will begin to break down while still attached to the plants. Many different countries has different schedules for harvesting coffee due to the different rainfall and elevation levels within these countries. Brazil, the largest producer of coffee beans in the world, harvests its coffee between May and September, which is the dry season in Brazil.
Coffee is also grown in countries like Colombia, which lies near the equator, so it experiences two growing seasons each year. The main growing season for coffee in Colombia occurs from October until February, but there is a second growing season between April and June. Coffee is grown in Ethiopia between October and January within the highland zones of the country, while robusta beans are grown in Vietnam between October and March.
Guatemala produces coffee between November and April, while Indonesia’s harvest occurs between May and October. The timing of the coffee harvest is important to consider for reasons beyond the flavor of the coffee beans. The timing of the coffee harvest will determine when farmers require the labor to harvest the cherries, process the cherries, and dry the coffee beans.
The elevation of the coffee plants can also have an impact on the timing of the harvest; coffee plants at elevations of only 400 meters above sea level will have matured to the point of harvest earlier than coffee plants at elevations of 1,600 meters above sea level. Finally, the methods that are used to harvest the cherries can be used to ensure that each location’s laborers can remain active in harvesting the cherries; staggered harvest schedules allow for the movement of labor crews uphill to those of higher elevations as the coffee begins to reach maturity. The method that is used to harvest the coffee cherries will have an impact upon the quality of the coffee beans.
Methods like selective hand picking allow those with ripe cherries to pick the coffee cherries only, and allows these individuals to return to the same coffee trees over time. This method produces some of the cleanest coffee beans. Methods like strip picking allow one individual to pick the cherries en masse from the same branches, but this method is less precise than selective hand picking.
Finally, mechanical harvesting of the cherries is only possible on flat terrain with coffee plants of consistent ripening times. The coffee farms employ a processing method that will have an impact upon the flavor of the coffee beans. Coffee that is processed in the natural method, which leaves the cherries to dry in the sun, will develop flavors that are reflective of the cherries.
Coffee beans that are washed will have brighter acidity than natural coffee beans. Coffee that is processed through honey processing will retain some of the mucilage from the beans, resulting in flavors that are sweet and full-bodied. Coffee in Indonesia undergoes a wet-hulling process, wherein the parchment layer is removed from the coffee bean while it is still moist.
Coffee wet-hulled in this manner will contain an earthy flavor. Beyond considering the factors related to the coffee plants and their growth, farmers utilize several specific tools and indicators to determine when the coffee cherries should be picked. For instance, a refractometer will allow the farmers to determine the amount of sugar that is within the cherries; when the sugar content reaches levels between 18 and 24 Brix, the cherries are considered to have peak sugar content.
The farmers can also observe the color of the cherries, though this factor is less precise than others; some coffee varieties will remain yellow even when the cherries are ripe. Additionally, the farmers can test the firmness of the cherries; ripe cherries will yield somewhat when pressure is placed to them. Finally, float testing can be used to separate cherries from coffee beans; float testing allows farmers to separate dense cherries from hollow cherries.
Beyond the initial steps in the coffee bean harvest, there are additional steps that must be performed over several weeks to ensure that the coffee beans are harvested in a manner that maintains the quality of those coffee beans. Coffee is harvested during several rounds over time to ensure that the beans that are harvested have matured to the point of peak ripeness. These initial rounds will harvest coffee cherries that have matured to the point of peak ripeness, and later rounds will harvest the remaining cherries on the coffee plants.
These separate rounds allow for the even distribution of labor requirements for harvesting coffee beans. After the cherries are harvested, the coffee beans must be dried to ensure that they contain 11 to 12 percent moisture. If the coffee beans are dried too quickly or with too much heat, they may crack during the drying process.
If the beans are dried too slowly, though, mold may begin to grow on the coffee beans.