Coffee

The secrets to producing fine coffee


Good coffee is harvested one berry at a time, and only ripe berries that have turned red can be harvested. It is these berries that our factory chooses for coffee production.



We at Nakhly take control of our coffee beans at stages as early as harvesting. Some countries, like Brazil, harvest the stems at a certain stage of ripeness, leading to a mix of coffee berries that includes both ripe and unripe fruit. This makes the coffee taste quite poor. After gathering the coffee berries, the baskets of coffee are taken to a factory, where they are rinsed thoroughly. Then, they pass through a machine that removes the red husks from the cherry seeds, resulting in two seeds harvested for each berry. The berries are then processed through channels, which separate the seeds from the husks, and the seeds are then poured into large pools of water, to rinse them and soak them for some time. This has an affect on the taste of the coffee, and seeds that are soaked to early or too late can have an inferior taste. Afterwards, the seeds are rinsed one more time, and dried, either in the sun or in special drying machines. The process leaves a thick white film on the seeds, which has to be removed by placing the seeds in a de-husking machine. After this process, a golden coating remains on the beans. Some countries remove this film, while others let it remain, until the roasting process eventually removes it.

The wet method

The most important principle in this method is to keep the time from harvesting to processing to an absolute minimum. Processing begins when the coffee cherries, fresh from the fields, are rinsed thoroughly. The leaves and impurities are flushed out, the red husks are removed, and the seeds are soaked in special pools for a period of 18-36 hours (the soaking time depends on the temperature in that region). Afterwards, the seeds are dried, either in the sun or in enormous tanks, until the moisture content of the seeds reaches the desired level. The seeds are stored in large storage tanks, and finally, the white film that forms on the seeds is removed right before the seeds are sold, since this film preserves the color and quality of the seeds.

The dry method

The difference between this method and the wet method lies in the harvesting. In dry processing, the berries are harvested when 70-80% of them have ripened, resulting in a mixture that contains green, unripe berries as well. The berries are then transferred for processing, where they are rinsed to remove leaves, sticks, dried berries and soil. The berries are then dried and de-husked, and they are now ready to be sold.