The appearance of some green coffee types can be confusing, even to experienced home roasters. We have a new photo system to alert you when ordering.
If you know green coffeeGreen coffee refers to the processed seed of the coffee tree fruit. Coffee is a flowering shrub that produces fruit. The seeds of the fruit are processed, roasted,... ...more, or you think you do, there are always a few surprises around the corner. Unusual green coffee types, varieties, and process methods can make you wonder if your eyes are playing tricks on you. If you’re used to roasting wet-processed GuatemalaGuatemalan coffee is considered a top quality coffee producer in Central America. Due to our proximity to Guatemala, some of the nicest coffees from this origin come to... ...more for example, the first time you try out natural Yemeni coffee, you might find that all your expectations go flying out the window.
We get the most … ahem … comments about our Liquid Amber blend, which relies heavily on India Monsooned MalabarIndian Monsooned coffee refers to a method of aging coffee in India where the unroasted green coffee is exposed to humid monsoon winds. Monsooned coffees are stored in... ...more coffee. The first time people see it, they wonder what they heck it is, or perhaps that Sweet Maria’s has lost their way and shipping moon beans instead of coffee.
Green Coffee Comparison Photos
To set people up for success (and yeah, to prevent them from emailing us about what the heck we are shipping to them), we will start including comparison photos with coffees that are visually out of the “norm”.
This might be due to the varietyA botanical variety is a rank in the taxonomic hierarchy below the rank of species and subspecies and above the rank of form (form / variety / subspecies... ...more, the size of the bean (large or small), the color, the fact the coffee still has a ton of silverskinOn dried green bean coffee, the thin inner-parchment layer that clings to the bean and lines the crease on the flat side. Silverskin becomes chaff and falls off... ...more (what becomes chaffChaff is paper-like skin that comes off the coffee in the roasting process. Chaff from roasting is part of the innermost skin (the silverskin) of the coffee fruit... ...more in roasting), or any other reason that makes a coffee unique to the eye.
If the review you are looking at includes one of these images, you might want to note bean size. Some people struggle with small bean size in roasters like the BehmorA popular electric drum roaster designed for home use, with variable batch sizes (from 1/4 pound to 1 pound) and a smoke-reduction system. It has been modified and... ...more, or excessively large bean size in air roasters … which might make you want to slightly reduce your batch size.
Yellow shades in green coffee indicate that it might be a natural (dry processDry process coffee is a method for taking the fruit from the tree to an exportable green bean. The whole intact coffee cherry is dried in the sun... ...more) coffee that produces a lot of chaff in roasting. It also can indicate a fruityIn some coffee taster’s lexicon, “fruity” means the coffee is tainted with fruit, and “fruited” means a coffee is graced by positive fruit notes. We don't exactly see... ...more alternative process like anaerobic coffee.
In each comparison photo, we have a standard size wet-process (AKA washed coffee) on the right side so you can benchmark yourself to the “unusual” coffee on the left. They are shot using our super sophisticated imaging system, which you can read as a special cardboard box we made, and an iPhone! Actually, this low-tech set up means every image has the same lighting condition and same magnification … which is what we are going for here. Nothing fancy needed, if some duct tape and bailing wire work, why not use it!
Green Coffee Comparison Examples
Here’s a sampling of coffee using he exact same wet processWet-processing starts by removing the outer skin of the coffee cherry with a machine called a pulper, then fermenting the remaining fruit (with green bean inside) in water... ...more Guatemala on the right and some of our current selections of “unusual” coffees on the left. Click on any image to see them in the lightbox gallery.
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