COFFEE 101 



CHAPTER XI. 



Collection and Preparation of Coffee 



Picking. The operation of collecting the crop 

 is a very simple one, but it demands a large amount 

 of labour and must be performed at a definite time. 

 The period over which berries may be allowed to 

 remain on the tree after becoming ripe is only a 

 few days. The pulp surrounding the beans then 

 commences to decompose, and the berry drops off. 

 If the berry is over-ripe pulping is not cleanly 

 done, whilst decomposition results in stained or 

 black parchment. The picking of unripe berries 

 must be guarded against, as a small proportion of 

 these will result in an uneven sample of Coffee. 



The berry is ready for picking when it has 

 turned red. 'Occasionally, in very wet weather, 

 the berries will not assume a bright red colour, but 

 remain, even when fully ripe, a dull yellowish 

 colour. A good test of ripeness is to pick a few 

 berries and press them between a finger and 



