Selective Harvest
Fermentation
Pulping
Drying
Hulling
INDONESIA IS ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST DIVERSE COFFEE PRODUCING NATIONS
With centuries of coffee growing heritage and unique microclimates across islands like Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, Bali, and Flores, Indonesia offers a rich variety of coffee beans processed through traditional and modern methods.FnB Coffee are passionate about sharing the story behind every bean, how it’s cultivated, harvested, and processed with care.We take you through the key processing methods used across the Indonesian archipelago, and how they influence flavor, body, and aroma.
Selective Harvest
Selective harvesting is a traditional and meticulous method used by Indonesian coffee farmers to ensure only the ripest coffee cherries are handpicked. Unlike mechanical or strip harvesting, this process involves manual selection where each cherry is chosen at the peak of ripeness, often over multiple passes during harvest season. Selective harvest requires trained pickers and precise understanding of ripeness indicators, making it a crucial first step in producing high quality coffee.
This method is especially common in regions producing specialty grade Indonesian Arabica coffee, such as Aceh Gayo, Toraja Sulawesi, Bali Kintamani, and Flores.
Fermentation
Something magical happens after the cherries are picked. Long before the beans are roasted, and long before the first pour-over is brewed, there’s a critical stage that quietly shapes every flavor note in your cup,fermentation. Fermentation is a natural biological process where yeast, bacteria, and enzymes break down sugars and mucilage surrounding the coffee bean after the cherry is depulped.
Fermentation conditions (time, temperature, pH, oxygen availability, and microbial population) influence flavor precursors, organic acid profiles, and aromatic compounds which shape the resulting coffee’s acidity, sweetness, and aroma.
Fermentation methods such as aerobic, anaerobic, or controlled inoculation are tailored to the desired cup profile.
Pulping
The journey from cherry to bean begins with the rhythmic, almost meditative process of coffee pulping,where freshly handpicked, ruby-red cherries are carefully stripped of their outer skin to reveal the precious seeds within. Often done within hours of harvest, this step is not just mechanical but deeply intentional, preserving the natural sugars and setting the stage for fermentation.
Proper machine calibration is vital to preserve the bean’s structural integrity while maximizing removal efficiency. Inadequate pulping may damage the parchment layer or leave residual pulp, increasing microbial risk and fermentation inconsistency. Indonesian farmers treat pulping as a critical moment of transformation , one that bridges ancient tradition with the promise of a clean, vibrant cup.
Drying
Freshly pulped coffee beans begin their slow, careful transformation through the drying process, a stage where time, temperature, and touch come together to shape flavor and quality, effectively decreasing the moisture level from about 65% to a safe storage level of 11-12%. The drying curve which consists of rate and duration is critical.
Rapid drying can trap moisture internally, while slow drying risks fungal contamination. Uniform exposure, airflow, and temperature control are key to preserving volatile flavor compounds and ensuring bean stability.
Hulling
The hulling process brings Indonesian coffee one step closer to its final form, transforming parchment dried or wet hulled beans into clean green coffee. Whether it’s the soft, jade colored beans of Sumatra’s Giling Basah method or the crisp, fully dried parchment from Flores or Java, hulling is a moment of revelation, where layers are shed and quality is revealed.
This stage requires precise calibration to prevent physical damage to the green bean, which can lead to defects and inconsistencies during roasting.
Sorting
After drying and hulling, Indonesian coffee beans enter one of the most meticulous and human centered stages of the journey, the manual sorting process. Skilled hands carefully inspect each bean, separating the perfect from the flawed, removing black beans, broken pieces, and visual defects with quiet focus and deep pride.
This is not a one-time task; in many specialty lots, especially those destined for high end roasters or export, the beans go through double or even triple hand sorting, each round finer than the last,ensuring that only the best, cleanest, and most consistent beans move forward.
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