CHAPTER VI 

 PREPARATION OF THE COFFEE-BEAN 



The coffee-bean, as one obtains it from the retail merchant, is the 

 coffee-seed after it has been removed from its pulp and parchment 

 coverings. It has been dried and usually roasted. The processes 

 to which the beans are subjected are exceedingly important, as they 

 affect the aroma and flavor of the beverage. 



I have outlined the treatment which is applied in the chief coffee- 

 growing areas and by the wholesale coffee-houses of the importing 

 countries : 



§a. PLANTATION TREATMENT 



( 1 ) Arabia : — In this region, the coffee-trees produce their prin- 

 cipal crop in May. The ripe berries are shaken from the trees and 

 fall upon cotton cloths which are spread over the ground. The 

 fruit is spread out on a matting to dry the berries intact, as the 

 Arabians, unlike the inhabitants of other coffee-producing countries, 

 prepare a tea-like infusion from the pulp. The dried berries are 

 passed under heavy wooden or stone cylinders which break the pulps 

 and separate the beans. The process of winnowing follows, after 

 which they are placed in the sun to dry; or they are placed in the 

 shade and dried by air, and the hulling-process is delayed for a period 

 of eighteen months. Subsequent to hulling, the beans are ready to 

 use or ship. 



(2) West Indies, Mexico, Central America, and parts of Brazil: — 

 The fruit is picked one by one by hand several times a year, or a 

 branch is held down with one hand while the berries are stripped 

 off with the other. This method results in the removal of many 

 leaves and stems which become mixed with the fruit. Men and 

 women, both Whites and Indians, are employed to gather the crop. 

 The laborer carries his full wicker basket to the mill. The berries 



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