Do you
want to learn how to process coffee from seed to your cup? You can learn that
in Samosir Island or other parts of Lake Toba.
Lake Toba is
well known as a source of the best coffee in the world. Some popular brands are
Lintong Coffee, Mandhailing Cofee, Simalungun Coffee.
But, one farm
and café that is available to teach you about Lake Toba Coffee is Pardosir Farm
and Café. Pardosir Farm is in Parbaba Dolok Samosir. While Pardosir Café is in
Parbaba Toruan Samosir.
Pardosir offers
you a Lake Toba Coffee tour package. Learn how to grow coffee from the seed,
see the coffee trees, pick the cherry fruit coffee, and process the cherry
until it becomes a cup of coffee.
These are steps
on how to process coffee from cherry to your cup. The cherry fruit must be
picked at the right time. If they are not fully ripe, they will lack flavors.
If overripe, they fall to the ground and spoil.
Then the cherry
fruit is sacked and taken to the machine to peel it is to peel fruit from the
skin or spread by hand on level areas to be dried in the sun.
The cherry
fruit can be broken open by hand, the time is right for them to be put through
a machine that takes off the husks.
If the weather
is suitable, three to ten days is sufficient time to complete the drying.
Quote from some
resources on the internet, depending on location and local resources, coffee is
processed in one of two ways:
The Dry Method.
The Dry Method is the age-old method of processing coffee and is still used in
many countries where water resources are limited. The freshly picked cherries
are simply spread out on huge surfaces to dry in the sun.
In order to
prevent the cherries from spoiling, they are raked and turned throughout the
day, then covered at night or during rain to prevent them from getting wet.
Depending on
the weather, this process might continue for several weeks for each batch of
coffee until the moisture content of the cherries drops to 11%.
Pardosir Coffee
The owner of
Pardosir Coffee showed to the visitor about Dry Method Processing.
The Wet Method.
The Wet Method removes the pulp from the coffee cherry after harvesting so the
bean is dried with only the parchment skin left on.
First, the
freshly harvested cherries are passed through a pulping machine to separate the
skin and pulp from the bean.
Then the beans
are separated by weight as they pass through water channels. The lighter beans
float to the top, while the heavier ripe beans sink to the bottom.
They are passed
through a series of rotating drums which separate them by size. After
separation, the beans are transported to large, water-filled fermentation
tanks.
Depending on a
combination of factors — such as the condition of the beans, the climate and
the altitude — they will remain in these tanks for anywhere from 12 to 48 hours
to remove the slick layer of mucilage (called the parenchyma) that is still
attached to the parchment.
While resting
in the tanks, naturally occurring enzymes will cause this layer to dissolve.
When
fermentation is complete, the beans feel rough to the touch.
The beans are
rinsed by going through additional water channels and are ready for drying.
Drying the
Beans
Coffee cherries
on the tree If the beans have been processed by the wet method, the pulped and
fermented beans must now be dried to approximately 11% moisture to properly
prepare them for storage.
These beans,
still inside the parchment envelope (the endocarp), can be sun-dried by
spreading them on drying tables or floors, where they are turned regularly, or
they can be machine-dried in large tumblers.
Milling the
Beans
Hulling
machinery removes the parchment layer (endocarp) from wet processed coffee.
Hulling dry processed coffee refers to removing the entire dried husk — the
exocarp, mesocarp, and endocarp — of the dried cherries.
Grading and
sorting is done by size and weight, and beans are also reviewed for color flaws
or other imperfections.
Finally,
defective beans are removed either by hand or by machinery. Beans that are
unsatisfactory due to deficiencies (unacceptable size or color, over-fermented
beans, insect-damaged, unhulled) are removed.
In many
countries, this process is done both by machine and by hand, ensuring that only
the finest quality coffee beans are exported.
Roasting the
Coffee
Roasting
transforms green coffee into the aromatic brown beans that we purchase in our
favorite stores or cafés.
Most roasting
machines maintain a temperature of about 550 degrees Fahrenheit. The beans are
kept moving throughout the entire process to keep them from burning.
When they reach
an internal temperature of about 400 degrees Fahrenheit, they begin to turn
brown and the caffeol, a fragrant oil locked inside the beans, begins to
emerge.
This process
called pyrolysis is at the heart of roasting — it produces the flavor and aroma
of the coffee we drink.
Grinding Coffee
The objective
of a proper grind is to get the most flavor in a cup of coffee. How coarse or
fine the coffee is ground depends on the brewing method.
The length of
time the grounds will be in contact with water determines the ideal grade of
grind generally, the finer the grind, the more quickly the coffee should be
prepared.
That’s why
coffee ground for an espresso machine is much finer than coffee brewed in a
drip system.
To Your Cup
When ground
coffee is available, you may choose how to serve your coffee. Whether you want
to brew your coffee using V60 instruments or serve it traditionally, depends on
you. As usual in Pardosir Café, people order traditional coffee served.
Taste Pardosir
Coffee
Taste freshly
roasted coffee and get high-quality local coffee as souvenirs. A professional
guide will take you to the coffee processing center, and you can see how green
beans are processed into roasted beans we all know.
After learning
about the history of coffee and its processing, you can also taste freshly
roasted coffee on the spot.
Do not miss the
chance to bring home some locally-made coffee as souvenirs.
Also, do not
miss the chance to bring home some locally-made coffee Pardosir Coffee as
souvenirs.
It is the best
way to spend your day in Samosir to learn about coffee and taste Pardosir
Coffee, especially if you are a coffee lover.
If you want to
book the Coffee Tour Package, you can contact this tour guide by Whatsapp
+6285297732855.
Writer:
Damayanti Sinaga
Writer and also
a Tour Guide
