A study case on coffee (Coffea arabica): Limu Coffe - IRD

The arrival coffee test, Addis Abeba
The Ec ex, in Saris’ Coffee Processing and Warehouse Enterprise facilities,
approximately deals with 45 trucks/day during the summer (keremt or heavy rain season) and
between 100 and 200 during harvesting time up to the next heavy rain season. Each truck
loads one grade.
First room: the sampling room. Samples are made; in each bag, beans are taken from
the top, the middle and the bottom. For each truck, a three-kg-sample is realized and has to be
representative for 10 000 kg. The woredas’ clearance paper data are registered in the
computer. Then, using these data, a SAMPLING TICKET is printed (place, owner, number of
bags, etc.) as an identity card of each truck. All samples pass through this room.
Second room: the coding room. The sampling ticket is translated into the CODING
TICKET which is added to the sample. Sampling ticket data are registered in a data base. This
data base recognizes the coffee and its series meanwhile sampling ticket data are registered
then orient the EC ex staff to the concerned cuppers; those specialized in different Ethiopian
regions (Sidamo, Harar, etc.)
Third room: the sample preparation room. Here the coded coffee sample is mixed.
Unwashed coffee is directly mixed in a kind of hoper whereas washed coffee is first relieved
of its parchment, an operation which is mixing it at the same time. The three-kg-samples are
distributed as follows:
- 300 g for raw evaluation (defects are picked by women then classified and
measured as it has been formerly described)
- > 300 g for cup evaluation (roasted, infused the cupped)
- 300 g for physical analysis (moisture content)
- > 300 g : client sample
- 300 g : witness sample for the owner
Fourth room: the roasting and boiling room. For cupping, a medium roasting is used.
Water is 96°C boiled.
Fifth room: the laboratory of cupping. Cupping is made on five cups.
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