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Sunday, January 26, 2014

Of coffee and spoons

In the main the weekend has been given over to doing a few chores; and a bit of art. Key chores were putting together shelving and sorting some metal (boring but necessary to get the studio-grage in shape); and husking the coffee (very important to getting to the roasting stage). Art took the form of finishing and delivering some Leaf-spoons to Maleny Additions for sale.

©2014 Barry Smith - Coffee bean husks
I have got a system now for husking and winnowing the coffee husks - all low tech: a hand operated husker; a box fan; and a few trays and bowls for catching beans. The photos below show the husking work-station with fan and husker; a great photo of the husks been blown away; and various photos of the end product.

©2014 Barry Smith - Low tech coffee husking work station
©2-14 Barry Smith - First run through the husker - beans separated from the husks
©2014 Barry Smith - Down view of the husker's hopper
©2014 Fiona Dempster - Separating the beans from the husks using the box fan
©2014 Barry Smith - End results - green coffee beans and husks for the veggie garden
©2014 Barry Smith - Closeup of husks and green coffee beans
We are now set to do a roasting next week of these 2013 beans - will share that when we have done the roasting and tasted the coffee. I did about 1.5 hours of husking and produced 2.1kg of clean green beans. That will equate to about 8 X 250gm bags of coffee when they are all roasted. When I husk the remainder of the beans we picked I think there will be another 3-3.5kg of beans.

©2014 Barry Smith - Silver plated copper Leaf-spoons
©2014 Barry Smith - Silver plated copper Leaf-spoons - closeup of the swing tags
Photos above show the six Leaf-spoons that went to market. Maleny additions sells my Ladles and Leaf-spoons which appear to be quite popular. Good example of having the right work at the right price in the right setting. I'm fortunate to have Fiona to do the swing tags - gives the work a nice handmade look.
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8 comments:

  1. PennyJanuary 27, 2014 at 7:25 AM

    Love the coffee bean photos, what variety of beans? bet they tast and smell wonderful when roasted.

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  2. CarolJanuary 27, 2014 at 2:54 PM

    Coffee beans and husks look wonderful! The husks must be great for the garden. Your spoons are so well set off by Fiona's labels, you make a good combo.

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  3. brandiJanuary 28, 2014 at 1:59 AM

    ~b...so happy you shared the process of husking...after hearing about your coffee plantation you had sparked a curiosity in me to see how it all worked! looking forward to seeing the roasting part!?! your spoons are just plain gorgeous along with their handmade tags...be well and much love light and blessings~

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  4. Velma BolyardJanuary 29, 2014 at 9:14 PM

    fascinating to see your coffee production, each cup must be rich in every way.

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  5. BarryJanuary 30, 2014 at 8:35 PM

    P, C, B & V - good to share the processing of our bounty with you. P - arabica robusta; bit smokey when roasting but delightful immediately afterwards. C - yes the husks went straight on the veggie garden. C & B - I think Fiona's labels add a lot - for some reason people just love labels and packaging. V - at least each cup is filled with our energy. All - go well and may we all drink good coffee. B

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  6. Luthien ThyeFebruary 3, 2014 at 12:37 AM

    love love love the coffee process :) i've seen it 3 times already on your blog and still love it! how wonderful it must be to drink your own coffee. How long would that batch last you?
    And as always, the tadpole spoons always bring a smile to my face ... something about the shape ;)

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  7. BarryFebruary 3, 2014 at 8:57 PM

    Hi L - there is something simple and delightful in producing our own coffee. We think what we harvested this year would last us the whole year - but I suspect we will give some away and trade some so it might not cover the whole year. The next crop is already starting to form. Peace. B

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  8. AnonymousJuly 27, 2018 at 7:19 AM

    Hello there! I just wish to offer you a huge thumbs up
    for your great information you have here on this post.

    I will be coming back to your blog for more soon.

    ReplyDelete

Comments are welcomed - it is good to connect with fellow travellers.