Story of the Bean
BLOSSOM
After the arrival of first monsoon showers, coffee plants receive adequate water to blossom. These Jasmine like white colored flowers cover our estate like a white blanket. During blossom, our estate is a vision of white and intoxicating aroma as the coffee plants flower into tufts of delicate hue. It is a magnificent sight to behold.
HARVESTING
The coffee fruit, also called cherry, depending on the degree of ripeness, turn from green to bright or dark red. At Kelagoor Esate, coffee is hand-harvested by people to ensure that only the ripe cherries are picked. This selective picking is an intensive process where people need to carefully check cherries for ripeness. Cherries mature at different periods and up to three round of pickings are needed to clear the farm.
CHERRY PROCESSING
This processing stage involves sorting, pulping and drying coffee. The harvested cherries are further sorted to clean and remove any unripe ones. Then the outer skin of the cherry is removed through a pulping process which squeezes out the skin without damaging the beans inside. These beans are then thoroughly washed repeatedly to remove any leftover stickiness. The coffee beans are then evenly spread out in our drying yard and naturally sun dried. The beans will take roughly a week to dry and turn to a golden brown color. The resulting coffee bean is called Parchment.
HULLING
Hulling parchment coffee involves removing the dried husk; exocarp, mesocarp and endocarp. The hulled coffee beans are then further sorted and graded based on size and weight. The beans are also checked for color inconsistencies and other flaws by hand. Coffee beans post this stage of process is called Green Coffee.
ROASTING
Roasting coffee beans seeks to transform the green coffee into the aromatic brown beans. Roasting is carried out at temperatures of approximately 250C during which time the green coffee beans are turned continuously to avoid burning. As the temperature continues to rise, the color changes to medium brown and a fragrant oil (caffeol) starts to emerge. Roasting gives coffee the aroma and flavor that you witness every time you taste this magical drink. You can also choose different degree of roasts like Light, Medium and Dark roast. Roasting is an art, and a good roaster is able to accurately predict the internal temperature of individual beans: something that cannot be taught; it can only be learnt from years of experience.
