THE HARVEST
The long path of coffee begins with the harvest of the coffee cherries (the fruit of the Arabica or Canephora plant). Picking and stripping are the two main methods used.Picking: This procedure is done entirely by hand and it consists of picking the perfectly ripe cherries one by one. This yields uniformed, high-quality results.
Stripping: This consists of harvesting all the cherries at once, using mechanical or manual beating machines. The harvest must be sorted at a later point because the under-ripe or already fermented cherries are harvested together with the ripe ones.
Coffee processing
The next stage is the processing phase, where the coffee beans are separated from the fruit by eliminating the pulp and the skin. At the end of this phase, it is already possible to identify the coffee with specific commercial types that comply with international classifications. This is an area in which Lavazza follows strict control and tasting procedures that are entrusted to the experts of the Quality Laboratory. Paying close attention to our raw material is essential in order to ensure constant procurement of the same varieties of coffee throughout the year.
The first step is to check that each variety complies with Lavazza’s Quality Standards. Strict standardisation is important for the uniformity of the final blends.
Different types of treatment can be used.
1. Wet processing, which is used for the most highly prized qualities of coffee, yields a product classified as 'washed' or 'mild' coffee. It is uniform in appearance and has no physical defects. This treatment requires cherries distinguished by a uniform maturation and consistency. A machine strips the flesh and separates the skin (epicarp) from the beans and they are then placed in special water tanks for one or two days to ferment. Once the mucilage has been removed, the beans are washed and dried in the sun or in mechanical dryers at a temperature of 45-60°.
The coffee that is obtained still has some of the protective membranes (the parchment and the silverskin), which are removed with a special machine (husker). The bare green coffee beans are now ready to be collected in well-ventilated warehouses.
2. The dry processing yields what is known as 'natural' coffee and it has a rather uneven appearance. Immediately after the harvest, the fruit is spread out in layers and left outdoors for two or three weeks. Exposure to the sun is followed by machines separating the bean from the pulp and from the two protective membranes.
3. Semi-washed coffee is characterised by a much lower water consumption than that obtained using the wet processing method. The pulp is removed from the cherries by a pulping machine that removes the skin (epicarp) as well as the pulp, making it possible to "skip" the fermentation phase. The coffee that is obtained is then dried in the sun or in dryers. The seeds are then selected and graded, using screens with different diameters, or automatically with special grading machines.
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