Pulping
Next, the ripe coffee cherries are "pulped," (the skin and fleshy fruit of the cherry are removed) in a pulper, whose pulping pressure is set to liberate the beans from the ripe soft cherries. The ripe, pulped coffee is then given several more chances to "fail" quality tests, primarily based on bean density at this stage. Passing through density channels and "cribas," the selection process of the best coffee continues.
Drying
Next, the pulped beans are hydrowashed to remove the sticky mucilage that coats them, then sent to pre-dryers, a fluidized bed of air that is the start of the drying process. After this, the beans are gently dried in heated drying elevators for 18 to 36 hours. The bean temperature is carefully monitored during drying, and the heat is turned off for 8 or more hours per day to simulate cool night breezes associated with patio drying. The result is parchment coffee, or pergamino, at about 11-12% moisture.
Milling
The coffee rests in parchment for a while, and is then milled to remove the parchment and silverskin, again taking great care to monitor bean temperatures and preserve each bean's flavor and quality. Sizing screens and density tables further sort out the best beans.