Revisiting the need to wash raw coffee beans

We are frequently asked the question, "Is it true that green beans are dirty and should be washed?" We would like to provide our opinion on this matter once again.

In conclusion, no washing is necessary.

In advertisements for shops that wash their beans, it is written that the raw beans are not handled hygienically and are therefore dirty, with many of them having mold growing on them.

What is meant by not handling the beans hygienically is that the beans are simply placed in burlap bags, then placed in containers at room temperature and exposed to high temperatures for long periods of time before being shipped.

First of all, I have never seen specialty coffee beans being transported directly in burlap bags these days. They are generally transported in green plastic bags such as Grain Pro. These bags can break during transport, but this is not an unfair way to treat general imported grains.

Our store offers GrapePro and takes measures to ensure that the quality of small portions of beans and other items is maintained as much as possible when stored.

Next, regarding the inclusion of dust and foreign objects, it is true that we often see hemp lint and stones in the beans. This is especially noticeable in beans purchased in regular bags (hemp bags). These can be removed by hand picking before roasting. Also, some coffee bean dealers will remove foreign objects when dividing into smaller portions using a stone remover or by determining the specific gravity (such as Wataru). Therefore, by purchasing in smaller portions rather than regular bags, you can improve the quality.

The disadvantage of packaging in smaller portions is that the price per kilo is higher, and even if the beans are JAS organic, they are no longer JAS organic once they are packaged in smaller portions.

As mentioned earlier, moldy beans can be removed to some extent by hand picking, but even if some moldy beans remain, they are heat-treated during roasting, so mycotoxins rarely remain. Even if they do, it has been tested and confirmed by various organizations and companies that they do not pose any health risks.

The reason why most companies do not rinse with water is because there is little benefit to doing so compared to the effort, and it also ends up washing away important flavors.

As for hand-picking to remove defective beans, everyone does it because it takes time, but there are great benefits. Even in mass-production factories, they install machines that can remove defective beans.

One of the reasons often cited for washing with water is diet coffee such as Bulletproof Coffee and Bulletproof Coffee. The coffee used here should be of the highest quality possible. Specialty coffee like the one we sell falls into this category of high-quality coffee. On the other hand, beans of a grade below commodity, with raw material costs at the level of a few yen per cup, would be considered low quality. However, beans of a grade below commodity are handled in very large quantities, so it is unlikely that they would be sold as raw beans in general stores.

Therefore, when it comes to coffee purchased from a store that uses high-quality beans, whether specialty coffee or commodity coffee, there is no safety issue even if the coffee has not been washed .