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Harvesting strategies: selective vs strip

This topic explains the two main coffee harvesting strategies—selective picking and strip harvesting—highlighting their methods, advantages, disadvantages, and impact on quality and yield.

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  • Coffee Basics Nerds
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Article 9 of 12 in Farm Management & Agronomy/
Harvesting strategies: selective vs strip

Selective Picking

  • Method: Only ripe, red cherries are picked by hand.
  • Advantages:
  • Highest quality—ripe cherries produce uniform, sweet, and complex cups.
  • Reduces defects from unripe (sour/astringent) or overripe (fermented) cherries.
  • Preferred in specialty coffee production.
  • Disadvantages:
  • Labor-intensive and costly.
  • Requires multiple passes through the farm as cherries ripen unevenly.
  • Slower harvest speed.

Strip Harvesting

  • Method: All cherries (ripe and unripe) are stripped off branches at once, either manually or mechanically.
  • Advantages:
  • Faster, cheaper, and less labor-intensive.
  • Suited to large farms and regions with labor shortages.
  • Common in Brazil with mechanized harvesters.
  • Disadvantages:
  • Lower quality—mix of ripe, unripe, and overripe cherries.
  • Requires post-harvest sorting to separate defects.
  • More stress on plants from rough handling.

Mechanical vs Manual Harvesting

  • Manual strip picking: Done by hand, faster than selective picking, but quality still mixed.
  • Mechanical harvesters: Efficient for flat terrains (e.g., Brazil), drastically reducing labor needs but unsuitable for steep, mountainous regions.

Impact on Quality & Market

  • Selective picking: Delivers specialty-grade lots, fetches higher prices.
  • Strip harvesting: Suited for commodity-grade coffee, where volume outweighs quality.
  • Sorting and processing methods can partly mitigate strip harvesting defects, but not fully.

Choosing a Strategy

  • Specialty farms: Favor selective picking despite costs, aiming for premium prices.
  • Large-scale commercial farms: Favor strip harvesting to maximize efficiency.
  • Hybrid approaches: Some farms combine both—selective picking for premium lots, strip harvesting for bulk.

Lasting Importance

Harvesting strategy is a critical determinant of cup quality and profitability. Selective picking preserves terroir expression and flavor, while strip harvesting maximizes efficiency. The choice reflects farm size, labor availability, and market orientation.

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Coffee Basics Nerds

Written by : Coffee Basics Nerds

Expert coffee historians and brewing enthusiasts dedicated to sharing the rich heritage and techniques behind your perfect cup of coffee.

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