Influence of Solar Radiation and Wet Processing on the Final Quality of Arabica Coffee

Abstract

The coffee growing in the state of Espírito Santo has some peculiarities that differ from the other regions producing Arabica coffee in Brazil because it has a diversity of edaphoclimatic conditions that influence the final quality of the bean. This study aimed to demonstrate and quantify the effect of solar radiation and of different forms of wet process on the final quality of Arabica coffee in crops located in the altitude range of 950 meters, in order to understand what would be the best wet processing methods for the coffee cultivated to the East (sun-grown) and coffee cultivated to the South-Southeast (shade-grown). The results indicate that shading has a significant effect on the final quality of the Arabica coffee, as well as the type of wet process used to process the beans after harvest. Therefore, there is a need to study in depth the factors related to the processing, edaphoclimatic, and relief conditions inherent to mountain coffee cultivation.