Refining refers to the entire process of coffee processing, from harvesting to the finished product. Each step of the refinement is of great importance and decisive for the quality of the final product. There are different processes and ways in which each step of the refining process is carried out.
Refining begins with the harvesting of the coffee cherries, which can be done either by hand or by machine. Green coffee is then extracted from the coffee cherries. This is done by drying and removing the pulp so that only the coffee beans remain. There are different methods of processing, including wet processing and dry processing. In wet processing, the coffee cherries are first separated from the pulp and then dried, while in dry processing the order is reversed. The final step of the refinement process takes place in the coffee roasting plants, where the beans are roasted in different ways to bring out their full aroma.
During the roasting of the coffee beans, complex chemical reactions take place under heat, in which sugar substances and amino acids are recombined. An estimated thousand new aroma substances and chemical compounds are created in the process. This refinement step is particularly important for the taste of the finished coffee. Roasting is also crucial for gastric tolerance, as it breaks down the aggressive fruit acids contained in the coffee beans. The roasting time usually varies between one minute and twenty minutes, whereby often only a few seconds can decide the quality of the coffee. In general, slow roasting at low temperatures is gentler than short roasting at high heat.
