Harvesting Coffee Fruit — Selecting Ripe Cherries by Hand

Look at the color of the cherry on the coffee tree. Ripe cherries have a deep red color or red-purple. Green or yellow cherries are not yet ripe — let them continue to ripen on the branch.

A ripe cherry should feel slightly soft when gently squeezed between your thumb and forefinger. A ripe cherry should feel slightly soft and release a little juice. If it's hard, it's not yet ripe.

Place a clean cloth inside the picking basket to protect cherries from bruising. The basket should easily carry 5-8 kilograms. Close the basket at the waist so both hands are free for picking.

Stand near the coffee tree and start harvesting from the lower branches going upwards. This enables you to harvest all the reachable cherries before using a ladder for the upper branches.

Hold a ripe cherry between your thumb and forefinger, twist gently like a clock. The cherry will separate from the branch easily. Do not pull hard — this can damage the branch and buds for next season.

Green, yellow, and yellow-orange cherries — all remain on the branch. They will ripen after 7-14 days and be ready for harvesting in the second round. Selective picking is the secret to Kenya's best coffee.

Black or brown cherries that are rotten or dried on the branch. Remove them and set them aside in a separate bucket — do not mix them with good cherries. These cherries can spread fungal disease to others.

Move systematically around the tree, pruning all branches on one side before moving on. A single coffee tree aged 5-8 years yields 2-5 kilograms of cherry in one harvesting round.

When the basket is full, carefully pour cherries into a burlap bag or sack. Do not fill more than 20 kilograms per bag — excess weight presses the bottom cherries and causes bruising.

Pour cherries onto a sorting table. Remove leaves, small branches, and cherries damaged by insects. Look for small holes in cherries — this is a sign of being eaten by coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei).

Fill a 20-liter bucket with clean water. Water test (float test) is a simple method to separate good cherries from defective ones. Water should be cold, not hot.

Pour cherry into a bucket of water carefully. Stir gently for 10-15 seconds so all cherries come into contact with water.

Cherries floating on water are bad — they have defects, are eaten by insects, or have dried inside. Remove them with a spoon or hand and set them aside. Good cherries sink to the bottom of the water.

Pour submerged cherries through a strainer or cloth. Let water drain for 2-3 minutes. These cherries are the best — they will continue to the processing stage.

Measure good cherry varieties filtered by scale. Record weight — one tree produces an average of 2-5 kg per harvest round, 2-3 times per season (October-December Kenya).

Place cherry in a shaded area with circulating air. Do not place them in direct sunlight — heat will begin unwanted fermentation that will spoil the coffee flavor.

Coffee cherries must begin processing (pulping) within 12 hours after harvest. Delay causes uncontrolled fermentation, which imparts unwanted sicky or alcoholic flavors in the coffee.

Wash baskets, buckets, and filters with clean water after each harvest day. Cherries left on equipment can rot and spread bacteria to the next day's harvest.