COFFEA 



ARABICA 



Manufacture 



THE COFFEE PLANT 



Berries. 



Pea-berry. 



Pulp. 



Parchment. 



Silver-skin. 



Cherry. 



Seasons. 



Bain. 



Colour of 

 Cherries. 



Greenish Tint. 



Jackal Coffee. 



Pulping. 



Machinery. 



Disc-pulper. 



MANUFACTURE. 



Terms Employed. The ripe coffee fruit is called the " Cherry " ; the 

 contained twin seeds are the " Berries." When only one seed is developed 

 it is spoken of as " Pea-berry." This is often upheld to be richer in flavour, 

 and accordingly much has been said about the possibility of producing 

 a plant that would yield mainly, if not entirely, pea-berries. The succulent 

 outer coat of the fruit is the " Pulp," and the inner adhesive layer is known 

 as the " Parchment." The seed-coat within the parchment which adheres 

 closely to the seed is called the " Silver-skin." The pulp is commonly 

 removed at the plantation, but it is frequently the case that the berries 

 are sold in parchment and either submitted to treatment in the coast 

 towns or exported in that condition to Europe, where they are hulled 

 and finally prepared for the market. The machinery for this purpose 

 is expensive, and the operation of final cleaning can be as effectually if 

 not better accomplished in Europe than at the plantation. It is believed 

 moreover that the coffee carries best in parchment, so that the extra 

 freight charges are more than compensated for by the quality of the coffee 

 turned out in Europe. [Of. Kew Bull, 1893, 128-33.] 



The preparation of the berry from the cherry is effected by certain 

 distinct operations that may be here indicated very briefly. It would, 

 however, be impossible to describe all the methods and appliances used 

 without devoting many pages to this subject. 



Seasons and Crops. The blossoms as a rule appear in March and 

 the fruits commence to ripen in October and continue till January. The 

 more gradually the blossom fades the better : a superabundance of flowers 

 is not considered a good prognostication, since only a small percentage 

 form fruits. Kain during flowering is unfavourable, but after the fruit 

 has set a shower or two is beneficial. It is usually advocated that none 

 but fully ripe fruits should be collected. In Arabia a cloth is placed below 

 and the bushes shaken, when the ripe cherries fall into the cloth. In India 

 they are hand-picked, and it is believed not necessary that they should 

 be pink-coloured all round ; the slightest tinge is sufficient, and in fact with 

 the appearance of colour the sooner picked the better. The berry (seed) 

 inside will be found to be of a fine dark-greenish or bluish-green colour. 

 It is the endeavour of the planters to preserve this greenish tint as much 

 as possible. Berries that have dried into a reddish or chocolate colour are 

 spoken of as " foxy," and the presence of such lowers very greatly the 

 price. Berries that have fallen to the ground are collected at the end of 

 the season and are known as " Jackal Coffee." 



Pulping. The operation known by this name is the removal of the 

 pulp which surrounds the " berries " (seeds). This is best done day by 

 day on the collections being brought to the factory. If unavoidably de- 

 layed it may be necessary to produce fermentation before the cherries can 

 be pulped. There are two chief forms of the pulper, viz. the disc or the 

 cylinder, but a long list of special machines, mostly developments of these, 

 might be given. The principle in both is a grater, working against a smooth 

 chop, adjusted according to the size of cherries. The disc-pulper is the 

 simplest contrivance, and this may be either single or double and worked 

 by hand or steam. A single pulper will accomplish 20 to 25 bushels 

 an hour, a double one 40 bushels, or twice that amount if driven by steam. 

 In design it is somewhat like a cotton-gin : it tears off the pulp and drops 

 the seeds through a sieve kept in position so as to carry forward the pulp 



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