Coffee is the main crop in Dak Nong with about 143,000 hectares, accounting for 35% of the total agricultural land area of the province. At this stage, Dak Nong coffee is preparing to enter the harvest season.
Improving the quality of Dak Nong coffee is always a concern of the province to be able to compete in the domestic and international markets. Before the harvest season, the Department of Agriculture and localities promote propaganda and guidance for people to harvest coffee properly, contributing to ensuring product quality.
Mr. Tran Van Phu, Director of Cong Bang Dak Ka Agricultural and Commercial Cooperative, Dak Ru Commune, Dak R'lap District (Dak Nong), who has more than 10 years of experience in producing high-quality coffee, analyzed that harvesting at the wrong time, especially when picking green coffee, will affect the quality and flavor of the product later.
Green coffee beans lose weight and are easily crushed during processing, leading to fermentation, mold, or affecting the taste when brewed.
In 2024, about 131,000 hectares of Dak Nong coffee will be harvested. Harvest time is from late October to January of the following year.
Mr. Nguyen Thien Chan, Deputy Head of the Department of Agricultural Development of Dak Nong province, analyzed that the quality of coffee beans depends largely on harvesting at the right time.
To produce the best coffee beans, coffee cherries must be harvested when they are red or just ripe. This ensures that the beans inside have all the flavours of the coffee bean, giving them a rich flavour and aroma when roasted.
Mr. Chan believes that coffee should be harvested in batches, the first time when 3-5% of the fruit is ripe, the second time when it reaches 90%, and the last time to collect all the remaining fruit on the tree. This not only optimizes quality but also increases yield.
The important step after harvesting is to process and store the coffee properly. For wet processing, fresh cherries need to be processed within 12 hours, while for dry processing, no more than 24 hours.
Failure to meet this time frame will inevitably result in a deterioration in coffee quality. Fresh cherries may begin to ferment or develop mold, which can greatly affect the final quality of the product.
In addition, farmers should avoid storing coffee beans for too long to shorten the drying time. This is a common practice but leads to many consequences such as reducing the quality of flavor, changing the color of the beans and increasing the risk of mold.
Instead, coffee should be dried on a ventilated surface, about 30-40cm thick, and raked regularly to avoid heat accumulation.
Currently, there are 3 common processing methods applied in coffee production including dry processing, wet processing and honey processing.
Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, however, to improve the quality and value of Dak Nong coffee, farmers need to choose a method that suits their weather conditions and financial capabilities.
After processing, coffee needs to be stored in a suitable environment to ensure that its quality is not degraded. The storage warehouse must be airy, clean, and not allow coffee to come into contact with chemicals or polluting materials.
Coffee should be stored on shelves about 5-10 cm away from the wall and floor to avoid contact with moisture from the ground. In particular, regularly check the storage area to detect and treat problems such as termites, insects or mold.
Coffee quality not only increases economic value but also shapes the Dak Nong coffee brand on the world coffee map.
Source: https://baodaknong.vn/thu-hoach-khau-quyet-dinh-chat-luong-ca-phe-dak-nong-231595.html
Comment (0)