Green Coffee
Green Coffee – Specialty Grade
Coffee is called green coffee until it is roasted. The value of green coffee is in its flavor and how it can be used. Hacienda Monte Alto cultivates and processes a specialty grade, single – origen, highland green coffee exclusively from the misty mountains of Adjuntas, Puerto Rico.
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The coffee is 100% Arabica mostly of the Varietals Typica, Borbon, Caturra, Catuai and grown in altitudes of 2,500ft to 3,000ft.
We do not warehouse fresh-picked coffee. Hacienda Monte Alto processes and dries the coffee immediately as it comes in to our “Beneficio”. During harvest (September through March) our “Beneficio” operates around the clock.
Rigorous Selection Process
The selection process begins at the farm where workers select only those coffee cherries that are ripe and free of defects. At the “Beneficio”, the selection process continues with our receiving foreman setting aside cherries for HMA's Green Coffee exportation program according to color (ripeness), freshness (temperature) and size.
Coffee cherries are then immersed in tanks of pure mountain spring water to check for bean density and to remove any foreign matter.
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Wet Processing
Once the coffee is picked, processing begins as quickly as possible to prevent any deterioration of the cherries. The coffee cherries are pulped and demucilageinated using state of the art, ecologic machinery consuming reduced amounts of water.
Coffee Drying
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The drying operation is the most important stage of the process, since it affects the final quality of the green coffee. Our coffee is dried slowly, at low temperatures (no more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit) to 10 -12% moisture to preserve the aromatics and flavor potential of the green beans.
Our Specialty Grade coffee is routed to Ecologic Static Dryers. These specialized units are considered ecologic due to their highly efficient methods of drying coffee. A unique double layer configuration, allows the same heat that dries coffee on the bottom tray to be ducted to the upper tray where more coffee beans are pre-dried, saving on fuel energy.
After completing the drying process the coffee is packed in bags and stored in humidity controlled storages where the coffee is allowed to rest in parchment. This resting period is very important to impart certain unique characteristics to our coffee.
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Size of the Bean - The Final Test
Every shipment of our specialty grade green coffee is hand sorted, selected by size and density. Only AA Green Beans size 17/64 or larger qualify for Export.
Shipping Specifications
Our Green Coffee is bagged in either 45.36 Kg (100 lbs) or 22.68 Kg (50 lbs) sacks depending on client requirements. Before shipment each lot is graded following the guidelines of the SCAA Green Coffee Grading Protocol.
