What happened when I tried to grind green coffee...

Drying Coffee
Photo by Arah Ko, Sept. '12

Green coffee is what processed coffee beans are called before they are roasted. While green coffee can be green, it also ranges from a light green to a chalky grey.

Some studies had been conducted to see whether or not green coffee can aid weight loss, but so far it remains a myth because no scientific study has proven it yet. In any case, I decided I wanted to try green coffee for myself, but was surprised when I put it in the coffee grinder and it started to make a noise like a breaking lawn mower. Little bits of shell were being torn off tiny grey-green coffee beans. After a little more careful research I found out that my coffee had been green coffee with the hull and dried pectin (or mucilage) layer still on and that the blender had taken the outer layer off while leaving the very hard little green beans behind.
 

Above to left is green coffee, to the right is coffee with parchment skin.
Photo by Arah Ko, Sept. '12

 



While my green coffee blending experience didn't turn out exactly as I'd hoped, I did learn some things about coffee that I hadn't known before.

Coffee fruit are made up of seven layers and we only end up using the center cut of the bead, the part in the very middle, and the bean itself surrounding the center cut. The outer skin, pulp and mucilage layers are removed in both dry and wet processing. The parchment layer comes off during the coffee washing or drying. The last remaining layer called the silver skin is either removed by machine or it burns off in the roasting and becomes chaff. What is left of the fruit is roasted and ground for our enjoyment.

 

I curbed my disappointment about not being able to drink green coffee by brewing myself a cup of 100% Hawaiian coffee-- which was great-- but I'll have to tell you about it next week...

Yours Caffeinatedly,

Arah