How to Harvest Coffee Beans

Determine the right time to harvest: The timing of the harvest is crucial as it can affect the flavor and overall quality of the coffee beans. In general, coffee beans are ready to be harvested when they turn a deep shade of red and feel firm to the touch. It’s important to monitor the coffee plants regularly and wait until the majority of the beans on the plant have reached this stage before starting the harvest. 

Choose the right tools: It’s important to have the right tools on hand to make the harvest as efficient and effective as possible. A coffee cherry picker or scissors can be used to gently remove the cherries from the branches. It’s also a good idea to have buckets or bags on hand to collect the harvested cherries.

Sort the cherries: Once the cherries have been harvested, they should be sorted to remove any damaged or underdeveloped beans. This can be done by hand or using a machine.

Process the beans: After the cherries have been sorted, the beans need to be extracted from the cherries. This can be done through one of two methods: wet processing or dry processing. Wet processing involves removing the beans from the cherries using water, while dry processing involves leaving the beans to dry in the sun before removing the outer layers.

Dry the beans: After the beans have been extracted from the cherries, they need to be dried to remove any remaining moisture. This can be done by spreading the beans out in a thin layer and allowing them to dry in the sun or by using a machine to dry them.