Some aspects of the storage of coffee under warehouse conditions.

Storage of the coffee beans under proper
conditions is an important aspect of the
marketing of coffee. Optimum conditions for
monsooned and unmonsooned raw beans differ
widely'. The green coffee, especially the
Plantation type, is prized for its colour and
appearance while the monsooned coft:e for its
mild flavour, golden yellow bleached colour,
low density and other characteristic changes
brought about in the beans during the
monsooning process. The monsooned coffee is
highly susceptible to infestation by the coffee
bean weevil, Araecerus lasciculatus Deg. due to
the associated physical, chemical and biological
changes that take place during monsooning.
Plantation coffee, however, is relatively
resistant to the attack by the weevil but the
susceptibility to the infestation increases with
the absorption of moisture. The green colour of
the Plantation coffee bleaches with the
absorption of moisture during humid weather.
In view of the high degree of sensitivity of
coffee beans to the influence of moisture, the
drying of coffee beans to the optimum moisture
level is the most important prerequisite for
warehousing of coffee. After drying, prevention
of moisture pick-up by the beans during storage
from the high humid atmosphere is the most
important aspect for the sound storage of coffee.