CQI - Introduction to Post-Harvest Processing

Tasting notes

In this one day in-person class, coffee enthusiasts and practitioners do not only gain a comprehensive understanding of the main post-harvest processing methods — naturalNatural processThe whole cherry is dried with the fruit still on the seed. Gives heavier body and big fruit flavors — think berries and wine — sometimes with a fermenty edge., honeyHoney processThe skin is removed but some sticky fruit mucilage is left on during drying. Lands between washed and natural: more sweetness and body than washed, cleaner than natural., mechanically demucilaged, fully washedWashed processThe fruit is removed from the seed before drying, usually with fermentation and a water rinse. Tends to give clean, transparent cups where origin character shows clearly., and wet hulledWet-hulledIndonesian method (giling basah) where parchment is stripped while the seed is still wet, then dried bare. Gives the earthy, spicy, heavy-bodied profile classic to Sumatra.. They also get a refresher on the history of coffee and establish fundamental knowledge of the critical actions that lead up to processing, such as coffee harvesting approaches and pre-cleaning measures. As a non-certificate course, it is a comfortable starting point for students to appreciate the role of post-harvest processing in producing the coffees they enjoy the most, and to assess how much further they would like to take their Q Processing studies.