Sensory characterization of coffee (Coffea arabica L.) Harvested in different percentages of the cherry maturation stage

The physiological maturity stage with which the coffee fruits are harvested may influence the quality of the beans and the final quality of the coffee beverage. The objective of this study was to verify the quality of the coffee harvested in different percentages of the cherry maturation stage: Lot 1 (90.9%), Lot 2 (81.5%), Lot 3 (65.4%) and Lot 44.7%). After being harvested, the individualized lots were washed, and each lot was subdivided into a cement yard and suspended. The fruits were scattered every day until coconut coffee batches reached the safe water content, recommended for storage, 11% buThe evaluation of the sensorial attributes (cup test) was done with selected roasted beans (medium roast) and presented in the form of espresso. The statistical analysis of the sensorial evaluations was conducted according to the 4x2 factorial scheme (four coconut coffee lots, different percentages of the cherry maturation stage and two types of terreiro during the drying process) in the randomized complete block design (DBC) with three repetitions. The quality of the coffee beverage was not negatively affected, since no significant differences were observed between the evaluated sensorial attributes that infer inferior quality drink.