What is Coffee Parchment?
Coffee parchment is the protective layer that surrounds the green bean, important during drying and storage. It helps the bean dry slowly and evenly while shielding it from moisture, pests, and contamination, preserving quality until milling. Many producers store coffee in parchment for weeks or months to stabilize flavor before hulling.
In washed coffees, the parchment dries around the clean seed once the mucilage is removed. In honey lots, it dries with some sticky mucilage still attached. In natural coffees, the parchment remains inside the whole fruit until the final hulling stage.
The difference between parchment coffee and green coffee
Parchment coffee still has a thin outer shell, parchment layer, around the bean. Green coffee is the result of removing that layer through dry milling. Parchment coffee is not export-ready, while green coffee is cleaned, graded, and packed for shipment.
Coffee Parchment in Specialty vs Commercial Coffee
In Specialty Coffee, the producers and mills often dry parchment on clean concrete patios, parabolic dryers or raised beds, stir regularly, and rest the coffee in clean, dry warehouses. This ensures better shelf life, clarity in the cup, and fewer physical defects at the green stage.
In commercial coffee, parchment is often dried and handled with less precision, sometimes on tarps or even on the ground by the small farmers, or sold wet to middlemen who finish drying. Coffee may be dried in large piles on patios or mechanically in bulk with high heat, which can lead to uneven moisture, mold risk, and more defects compared to controlled specialty drying.
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Where Nordic Approach fits in
We buy green beans after they were processed and dried, often while still in parchment. This gives us more control and insight into the post-harvest process. We work with mills and exporters that maintain quality through storage and hulling, ensuring the parchment protects he beans. By understanding how parchment affects drying, stability, and final cup quality, we can support producers in improving this stage. Whether it's guidance on drying practices or storage layout, parchment coffee is one of the key checkpoints for preserving flavour potential.
FAQ about Coffee Parchment
Q1: When is the parchment removed?
It’s removed during milling, just before the beans are prepared for export.
Q2: Why is the condition of the parchment important for quality?
Intact, well-dried parchment protects beans during handling, minimizing defects and ensuring the coffee meets specialty standards.
Q3: Why do dry mills focus on both machines and hand sorting after parchment removal?
Machines remove most impurities, but hand sorting ensures that any remaining defective or discolored beans are removed, preserving cup quality without unnecessary losses.