Coffee culture
THE EARLY STAGES OF THE TRIP TO DISCOVER THE WORLD OF COFFEE
FLORA
Coffea, a coffee tree, is part of the Rubiaceae family. Only Coffea Arabica and Coffea Canephora (Robusta) are sold out of the 73 existing species. Several varieties exist for each species, with organoleptic differences and productivity which varies between 3 and 12 tons per hectare. The older varieties of coffee trees can live for up to 50 – 70 years.
If we analyse the sensory properties of these coffees, Arabica is refined, aromatic and tangy while Robusta is stronger and more bitter.
If we analyse the sensory properties of these coffees, Arabica is refined, aromatic and tangy while Robusta is stronger and more bitter.
ARABICA
Origin: Ethiopia
Altitude: High and medium (900 – 2000 metres)
Ideal temperature: 15 – 25°C
Picking: mainly manual
Yield: 4 – 10 tons per hectare, can be reduced by disease
Caffeine content: 0.8 – 1.5%
90% of coffees imported by Malongo
ROBUSTA
Origin: East Africa (Guinea and Central Congo)
Altitude: On flat areas (0 – 900 metres)
Ideal temperature: 20 – 30°C
Picking: mainly mechanical
Yield: 5 – 20 tons per hectare, resists disease well
Caffeine content: 1.6 – 4 %
10% of coffees imported by Malongo
REGIONS
As is the case for wine, we can refer to the different”vintage” for coffee. The quality of the coffee will depend on several natural factors as well as human contributions: the botanical species and variety, soil, climate, temperature, humidity, altitude, exposure, shade, rain, wind, and local expertise. The farming methods used are frequently passed on from generation to generation, however they are also constantly changing. Regional identity is formed by the combination of all of these factors, reflecting the authenticity and the quality of regional products.
Regional identity is formed by a combination of human and natural factors!
Regional identity is formed by a combination of human and natural factors!
FLOWERS, LEAVES AND CHERRIES
The leaves of a coffee tree are shiny green, while the flowers are white, similar to jasmine. The gentle scent of the flowers will only last 24 to 36 hours, before they turn into fruit: cherries.
The cherries will take 6 to 9 months to mature, transforming from pale green to bright red when they reach the ideal stage for harvesting. These two very different cycles mean that both flowers and yellow, red or even purple fruit can be found on the same branch: cherries at different stages of maturity.
Two coffee beans surrounded by a membrane, the parchment, can be found at the heart of the cherry. The membrane and beans are coated with pulp (or mucilage) and protected with a waxy skin, which gives the fruit its beautiful red coat.
PICKING
The quality of green coffee depends extensively on the care taken with harvesting. Ripe cherries (red) are very sweet – hinting at the aromas and taste – while green cherries lack this property. Selecting the coffee at the right stage of maturity is therefore critical. Four harvesting methods exist, with different degrees of precision and cost.
Stripping: growers hold the branch with one hand and all of the fruit, whatever the stage of maturity, plus the flowers, etc. are pulled off.
Mechanical methods: brushes fitted on tractors are used to pick the cherries, flowers and leaves. This method eliminates all shade and destroys the green cherries. It might be efficient, but the quality will suffer!
Combing: a comb with well spaced flexible teeth is passed along the branch: the red cherries fall off, the green cherries resist and stay on the branch.
Picking: only mature cherries are picked, one by one, by hand. Malongo exclusively supports this method.
The beans must be removed from the pulp and then prepared for export. 2 methods are then used to transform the cherry into green coffee ready for roasting.
Wet process
"WASHED COFFEES"
Malongo’s preferred method
The cherries are placed in water within 6 hours of harvesting to eliminate anything that floats: branches, leaves, damaged cherries or with disease… The skin is then removed from the bean before dry or wet fermenting to force the remains of the pulp to decompose. The coffee’s aromas will develop during this phase. The coffee is then washed to remove any fermentation residue. The parchment coffee is then dried under the sun or in artificial dryers. This complex process creates more subtle and bitter coffees.
Dry process
"natural COFFEES"
Cherries are spread out in the sun for 15 – 20 days to allow the heat to dry the pulp straight after harvesting. This relatively simple technique gives strong, bitter, coffees with just a tiny tangy touch and requires no fermentation. To give just one example, Brazilian coffees are often treated using the dry process.
After this stage, the batches of coffee still contain impurities and beans with various defects: sorting is now required.
The beans are sorted based on size using a particle size sorter. Roasting conditions will be optimised if well balanced batches are created. A densimetric sorter is then used to remove unwanted light content (bits of skin or parchment, husks, misformed beans, etc.). Colorimetric sorting is used to eliminate two types of unwanted beans: “black beans” and “white beans”.
Finally, the green coffee can be placed in 60 kg (or 69 kg) hemp or sisal sacks and then stored in warehouses at a humidity of 12%, pending shipping by sea.
