Quintal
When it comes to coffee, you’ve probably heard the word “Quintal.” A quintal is a unit of mass that was used in ancient times. Its etymology derives from the Hispanic Arabic “quintar”, which in turn, comes from the Syrian “qantira” and this comes from the Latin “centenarium”, which means “centenary”.
According to this, a quintal in the coffee item is equivalent to 100 pounds or approximately 46 kilograms. Although quintal is not widely used today, some Latin American nations continue to use it to weigh wholesale food.
Green coffee quintal
Coffee Quintal
From the time of harvest to roasting, coffee cherry undergoes a series of transformations where it loses weight. So the weight of a quintal of coffee cherry will be different from the weight of a quintal of roasted coffee.
Below we show you the weight in quintal, of the coffee in each transformation.
COFFEE CHERRY
• 1 Quintal = 250 Kg.
• Coffee collected in the harvest.
PARCHMENT COFFEE
• 1 Quintal = 57.5 Kg.
• This coffee has been mechanically pulped.
• The mucilage is removed.
• Moisture is extracted from the grain (dried).
GREEN COFFEE
• 1 Quintal = 46 Kg.
• The parchment is removed.
• The grain is dried to reach values of 11% -12% humidity.
• This is the coffee that is usually sold wholesale.
ROASTED COFFEE
• 1 Quintal = 37 Kg.
• Coffee loses its moisture during this phase.
• This is the coffee that is sold for consumption.
