Friday, August 6, 2010

Friday coffee day

Now this doesn't have a lot to do with art, in fact nothing really, but it does just show how some of my Friday got spent instead of making art.

A couple of weeks ago we picked our first coffee cherries and began the lengthy process towards a cup of our own home grown coffee.  Today we picked some more and here are some shots of the progress to date.

Today I 'pulped' the new cherries (my own term) which means popping the slimy beans out of the bright cherry skin - here is the pulp. Honestly they skitter and skate and slip and pop all over the place if you don't control them! This took an hour or two watching a dvd.

Then you soak them for a while so that the enzyme action can remove the slimy skin factor. They can do this by themselves.

Then you dry them for quite a while. These have been drying for about two weeks. Again, pretty much leave them alone and just check them occasionally.

Then you 'husk' them and you can see there is one more 'rub' of the skins to do yet. This took another couple of hours listening to the radio.

The roasting comes next, then the grinding. Stay tuned!

5 comments:

  1. Yummy!
    This is most definitely "art-y" I can see all sorts of etching possibilities here.Maybe because I'm a coffee buff? To define that further, I'm an Arabica girl.Even to the extent of embroidering a cushion cover. ;-)

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  2. Ah Dinah ( I hope I have the name right) it was meditative in an arty way and let me ponder all sorts of things. I love a good coffee and am a bit picky so am not sure our brew will live up to expectations but why not try!?!?!

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  3. Very interesting process. You have a lot of patience! I am a big coffee lover too-can't wait to hear how it all turns out!

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  4. You certainly do have a lot of patience and I hope the taste comes up to your expectations. Keep us posted!

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  5. I had no idea how the fruit that produces coffee grains looks like and having this glimpse of the process... I understand why the price of coffee is what it is!
    Thank you for showing us; it does take an artist to talk, write, illustrate this task so beautifully!!!

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I appreciate your thoughts and comments; thanks for taking the time.