Giling Basah
Encyclopedia
Giling Basah is a term used by Indonesia
n coffee processors to describe the method they use to remove the hulls of Coffea arabica
. Literally translated from Indonesian
, the term means "wet grinding". Confusingly, the Arabica coffee industry also uses the terms "wet hulled", "semi washed" and "semi dried" to describe the same process.
Most small-scale farmers in Sumatra
, Sulawesi
, Flores
and Papua
use Giling Basah. In this unique process, farmers remove the outer skin from the cherries mechanically, using locally built pulping machines, called “luwak”. The coffee beans, still coated with mucilage
, are then stored for up to a day. Following this waiting period, the mucilage
is washed off and the parchment coffee is partially dried for sale (to 30% to 35% moisture content).
Processors and collectors then hull the coffee in a semi-wet state, which gives the beans a unique bluish-green appearance. This method of coffee processing
is thought to reduce acidity and increase body, resulting in the classic Indonesian cup profile.
The Giling Basah process can create a physical defect called a "goat's foot" in green coffee beans. Sometimes the hulling machine partially crushes a soft bean, giving the bean a shape that looks like a cloven hoof
.
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n coffee processors to describe the method they use to remove the hulls of Coffea arabica
Coffea arabica
Coffea arabica is a species of Coffea originally indigenous to the mountains of Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula, hence its name, and also from the southwestern highlands of Ethiopia and southeastern Sudan. It is also known as the "coffee shrub of Arabia", "mountain coffee" or "arabica coffee"...
. Literally translated from Indonesian
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
, the term means "wet grinding". Confusingly, the Arabica coffee industry also uses the terms "wet hulled", "semi washed" and "semi dried" to describe the same process.
Most small-scale farmers in Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, Sulawesi
Sulawesi
Sulawesi is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Maluku Islands. In Indonesia, only Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua are larger in territory, and only Java and Sumatra have larger Indonesian populations.- Etymology :The Portuguese were the first to...
, Flores
Flores
Flores is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, an island arc with an estimated area of 14,300 km² extending east from the Java island of Indonesia. The population was 1.831.000 in the 2010 census and the largest town is Maumere. Flores is Portuguese for "flowers".Flores is located east of Sumbawa...
and Papua
Papua (Indonesian province)
Papua comprises most of the western half of the island of New Guinea and nearby islands. Its capital is Jayapura. It's the largest and easternmost province of Indonesia. The province originally covered the entire western half of New Guinea...
use Giling Basah. In this unique process, farmers remove the outer skin from the cherries mechanically, using locally built pulping machines, called “luwak”. The coffee beans, still coated with mucilage
Mucilage
Mucilage is a thick, gluey substance produced by most plants and some microorganisms. It is a polar glycoprotein and an exopolysaccharide.It occurs in various parts of nearly all classes of plant, usually in relatively small percentages, and is frequently associated with other substances, such as...
, are then stored for up to a day. Following this waiting period, the mucilage
Mucilage
Mucilage is a thick, gluey substance produced by most plants and some microorganisms. It is a polar glycoprotein and an exopolysaccharide.It occurs in various parts of nearly all classes of plant, usually in relatively small percentages, and is frequently associated with other substances, such as...
is washed off and the parchment coffee is partially dried for sale (to 30% to 35% moisture content).
Processors and collectors then hull the coffee in a semi-wet state, which gives the beans a unique bluish-green appearance. This method of coffee processing
Coffee processing
Processing of coffee is the method converting the raw fruit of the coffee plant into the coffee. The cherry has the fruit or pulp removed leaving the seed or bean which is then dried...
is thought to reduce acidity and increase body, resulting in the classic Indonesian cup profile.
The Giling Basah process can create a physical defect called a "goat's foot" in green coffee beans. Sometimes the hulling machine partially crushes a soft bean, giving the bean a shape that looks like a cloven hoof
Cloven hoof
A cloven hoof is a hoof split into two toes. This is found on members of the mammalian order Artiodactyla. Examples of mammals that possess this type of hoof are deer and sheep. In folklore and popular culture, a cloven hoof has long been associated with the Devil.The two digits of cloven hoofed...
.