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| COFFEE PRODUCTS |
Coffee Growing |
Utilizing over 120 hectares of prime growing slopes, in the most salubrious climatic conditions in the world, we harvest about 150 tones of the finest Arabica and Robusta Coffee Beans each year. For Arabica we have specifically chosen S.795 strain of coffee; usually avoided by other planters, because this strain is prone to disease and requires extra tender care. The fruit produces the most sought after flavour of Arabica coffee in the world. This is grown at optimum elevations of 3000 – 4000 feet above mean sea level.
Robusta Coffee a mix of old Robusta and S.274 are grown at lower elevations.
In Coffee, just as in Tea the Kelagur Mathias Plantation differs from other growers and processors in many ways:
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The expansive tea growing infrastructure is strategically synergized with coffee cultural operations to maximize irrigation, growing, labour and processing efficiencies. This results in industry leading yield averages, enhanced productivity ratios and award winning product quality.
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Coffee plants are protected by not one but two levels of natural canopy shade cover. Upper canopy comprising of trees such as ficus, albizzia, cedrella toona, and javanica and lower canopy comprising of erithrina.
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Sourced naturally from the Kelagur Hills, pure spring water is harvested and sprinkled over the plants. This is the final link in the growing chain that differentiates them from most of our competitors.
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On site pulping and curing capabilities ensure that the harvested fruit is processed at its peak of freshness without delays in transportation or holding.
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The final differentiation from our competition comes from storing washed and dried beans for 2 to 3 months in a seasoned hardwood dunnage box. Many growers, have tried and tested various alternatives of bean storage, but the awards to the Kelagur Mathias Plantation confirm our method is just that little bit superior! “Much like the aging process in good wines, the beans go through this maturation process, that they have pioneered, during which they develop full bodied flavuor profiles much sought after by coffee aficionados around the world,” says Managing Partner Peter Mathias.
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| Coffee Processing |
The estate has fully integrated facilities for Coffee Processing, with on-site pulper house and curing works. Fourteen perennial springs on the estate ensure that the washed Arabica and Robusta are of the highest standard.
Hand picked ripe coffee is sorted, stored in a cherry loft then goes to a bean size separator to ensure that the correct bean size is pulped individually in three separate three disc pulpers. This eliminates the cutting of beans and escape of un-pulped beans. These pulped beans are sent to next stage for fermentation; which is done in three separate fermentation tanks. For Arabica 12 to 18 hours and for Robusta 24 to 36 hours fermentation is done. Fermentation time is varied depending on climatic conditions. After fermentation the beans are washed with clean spring water, soaked for 2 hours and then dried on the barbeque tile drying yard. It is stirred every hour and heaped and covered in the evening. Coffee is dried to the correct moisture content. The coffee is then packed in clean gunny bags and stored in a seasoned hardwood dunnage box (maturation bin). The facility also exists on the estate for curing, grading and roasting.
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| Pulping Unit |
Pulped Sun Dried Coffee |
Arabica Washed Coffee in
Drying Yard |
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| Arabica Parchment |
Arabica Coffee Ripe Fruit |
Engel Berg Coffee Huller |
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