72 The Cultivation and Preparation of Coffee 





out of order. I understand that in the planta- 

 tion " Westfalia," in Guatemala, and others,* 

 this machine has given particularly good 

 results. These coffee-drying machines are 

 supplied with either exhaust steam heaters or 

 direct fire heaters for heating the air, which 

 enters the machine by means of a powerful fan. 



In drying coffee artificially there is some- 

 thing new worthy of the attention of both 

 planters wit: existing drying machines and 

 intending buyers. 



From the time when Don Jose" Guardiola 

 invented the machine of the same name up to 

 the time when the new Okrassa Patent Coffee 

 Dryer was put into the market it was thought 

 that 65 deg. Centigrade was the maximum 

 temperature for drying coffee, but it has since 

 been found that a much higher temperature 

 can be used, without any fear of being detri- 

 mental in any way to the appearance or quality 

 of the coffee. An authority like Don Eoberto 

 Okrassa says that, when starting to dry 85 deg. 

 to 90 deg. Centigrade can safely be used for 

 the first few hours, and from 75 deg. to 80 deg. 

 as an even temperature for the rest of the 

 drying operation, with the result that, instead 

 of taking 36 hours to dry a charge of wet coffee 



* In Uganda, where this machine is largely used, the results are said 

 to be highly satisfactory. 



