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Post-harvest processing · Step 6

Resting (reposo)

The holding period of dried parchment or dried cherry before dry milling, used to even out moisture across the lot; what storage conditions it needs, what happens in the seed, and what the storage literature shows.

Source-checkedby Coffearium verification pass· Last source-checked 8 Oct 2026· Prepared with AI assistance· 15 sources (14 tier A)· 4 contested· Updated 8 Oct 2026
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Contents
  • After drying, parchment or dried cherry is held before hulling so that its moisture evens out; Guatemala’s national coffee association recommends at least three to four weeks.2,3
  • Coffee rests in bags or bulk in a clean, ventilated store, off the floor and away from the walls, at a moderate temperature and relative humidity.3,6,7,15
  • The parchment protects the seed: in one study, seeds stored in parchment stayed alive for more than a year, while hulled beans lost viability within six months.1
  • Controlled studies of resting time itself are scarce; most evidence comes from the wider literature on storing parchment and green coffee.1,8
A · End of dryingB · After resting231456

A · End of drying

  1. Uneven lot. Dryers leave moisture gradients along the airflow path, so some beans come out wetter than others.9
  2. Parchment. The coffee rests in it; Cenicafé attributes the better keeping of parchment coffee to the parchment and silverskin acting as barriers to water.4
  3. Drier outer layers. In casehardening, the outer layers dry faster than the interior and form a hard shell.9
  4. Wetter core. The shell traps residual moisture inside the bean.9

B · After resting

  1. Lot evened out. Holding the lot together lets the wetter and drier beans converge; Anacafé recommends at least three to four weeks to stabilise moisture.2,3
  2. Bean evened out. The intended effect: trapped water evens out within the bean. No source opened for this entry measures it happening.
What resting is meant to do to a lot held in parchment after drying; dot density stands for moisture, with no measured values behind it. Schematic, not to scale.

What resting is#

Resting – reposo in Spanish-speaking producing countries – is the time dried coffee is held before it goes to the dry mill. The coffee rests as parchment (washed and honey coffees) or as dried cherry (naturals). Guatemala’s national coffee association recommends holding coffee in the store for at least three to four weeks to stabilise the moisture of the bean.2,3 The same body also recommends a short rest on the patio: once a batch reaches its drying end point, it is covered with sacks for 8 to 10 hours before bagging, again to stabilise moisture.3

In Kenya, dry parchment is held in co-operative stores for a short while before it is delivered for hulling, for a maximum of six months.6 On farms in Lao PDR, parchment or dry cherry is stored in jute bags, woven polyethylene sacks, special polyethylene bags or silos.7

What resting is not. Resting of roasted coffee – letting beans degas after roasting – is a different subject and is not covered here. Storage of green coffee after hulling and export is also a separate topic; it is touched on below only where it helps explain why parchment keeps better.

A word of caution on terms. In Colombian quality language, reposado is the name of a defect, not of the rest period: a stale, aged flavour with bleached, whitish beans that comes from poor storage.5 A well-managed reposo is meant to prevent exactly that.

Why producers rest coffee#

Even moisture. Drying never ends with a completely uniform lot. Moisture gradients form along the airflow path in dryers, and casehardening leaves beans with a dry outer shell that traps moisture inside.9 Uneven drying, casehardening and rewetting all lead to inconsistent cups and poorer storage stability.9 Resting gives the water time to move until the lot settles at one level; that is the stated purpose of the rest in Guatemalan guidance.2,3

Protection in parchment. Coffee keeps better in parchment than hulled. Cenicafé reports that hulled coffee is more exposed to deterioration in storage than parchment coffee, and attributes this to the parchment and silverskin acting as barriers to water.4 In a laboratory storage study, hulled washed coffee lost viability within six months, while seeds kept in parchment stayed alive for more than a year.1

Logistics. Resting also bridges the time between drying and milling or sale. In Kenya this holding is limited to six months.6

How coffee is rested#

Moisture going in. Coffee should go into storage at 10–12% moisture; the sources do not state the basis, and Anacafé gives the range for the hulled bean (grano oro).3,5 The Codex code of practice considers parchment coffee protected from fungi at below 12.5% moisture (wet basis) and a water activity of at most 0.67–0.70.15 Cenicafé warns against storing coffee drier than 10%, because very dry coffee also oxidises more readily.5

The store. Kenyan co-operatives stack sacks on wooden pallets 0.5 m above the ground and 0.5 m away from the walls, in stores built for good air circulation.6 Anacafé gives the same 50 cm distance from the walls, asks for ventilation between stacks and for no light inside the store.2 Stored coffee takes up strong odours, so fuel, fertilisers and agricultural chemicals must be kept away from it.7

Air. Anacafé recommends about 20 °C and 65% relative humidity.2,3 Cenicafé reports that sound parchment at 10–12% moisture keeps its quality for up to 10 months at 65–70% relative humidity, at 8–15 °C in one bulletin and 15–18 °C in a later one.4,5 Colombian coffee zones average 18–22 °C with humidity above 75%, which is why Cenicafé insists on ventilated stores.4

Bags. Jute bags are the usual choice;2 uncovered jute in a moist climate lets parchment or green coffee take up water and go mouldy.7 Hermetic systems are also recommended.2 The evidence on impermeable bags is mixed. In a Brazilian trial, parchment and dried cherry stored for 150 days at ambient conditions (about 27.6 °C and 71.2% relative humidity) gave better cups in jute, and the silo bag added no protection.12 A master’s dissertation from the same group found the opposite under high-humidity stress: there the silo bag prevented rewetting and limited the loss of cup quality better than jute.14

051015202530°CCenicafé 2006(keeps up to 10 months, 65–70% RH)8–154 Cenicafé 2015(keeps up to 10 months, 65–70% RH)15–185 Anacafé recommendation(65% RH)202 Selmar et al. storagestudy(63% RH)221 Coradi et al. storagestudy(60% RH)2310
Data table
Point°CSource
Cenicafé 2006 (keeps up to 10 months, 65–70% RH)8–158–154
Cenicafé 2015 (keeps up to 10 months, 65–70% RH)15–1815–185
Anacafé recommendation (65% RH)20202
Selmar et al. storage study (63% RH)22221
Coradi et al. storage study (60% RH)232310
Store temperatures recommended for holding dried coffee, and the temperatures used in two storage studies. Cenicafé 20064, Cenicafé 20155, Anacafé2, Selmar et al.1, Coradi et al.10

What the evidence shows#

The evidence base for reposo as such is thin. No controlled study found for this entry compares resting times – say one, four and eight weeks – against cup quality. The recommended three to four weeks comes from producer guidance, not from a published trial.2,3 What exists is research on neighbouring questions: pauses during drying, and the storage of parchment and green coffee over months.

Pauses during drying. In a Brazilian trial, drying of parchment was stopped at 16, 20 or 24% moisture (wet basis) and the coffee held in wooden boxes for 2, 6 or 12 days before drying was finished to 11%.8 After 12 months of storage, the 2- and 6-day pauses showed less membrane damage than continuous drying and the 12-day pause; sugars, acidity and cup quality showed no significant differences.8

Storage over months. Quality does decline with time. In coffee dried to 11% (wet basis) and stored for 12 months in jute bags in an uncontrolled store, electrical conductivity, potassium leaching and fat acidity rose with storage time, and pulped (washed) coffee kept a better cup and changed less chemically than natural coffee.11 In another study at 23 °C and 60% relative humidity for 90 and 180 days, washed coffee showed better quality than natural coffee, and coffee dried at 60 °C was worst after 90 days.10 Colour changes too: after eight months, the green and blue colour and the lightness of beans depended on processing, hulling and storage conditions (10 °C and 50% RH versus uncontrolled 25 °C).13

Reference values#

The values come from producer guidance and from storage studies. They describe practice and research conditions, not a single correct recipe.

Parameter Value reported Source
Rest in store before milling At least 3–4 weeks, to stabilise moisture Anacafé2,3
Short rest at end of drying 8–10 h under sacks before bagging Anacafé3
Maximum holding before hulling (Kenya) 6 months FAO6
Moisture going into storage 10–12% (basis not stated; Anacafé: hulled bean) Anacafé3, Cenicafé5
Fungal safety, parchment Moisture < 12.5% (wb) and aw 0.67–0.70 maximum Codex15
Lower moisture limit Not below 10% (oxidation) Cenicafé5
Store air About 20 °C, 65% RH Anacafé2,3
Parchment kept up to 10 months 8–15 °C, 65–70% RH (2006); 15–18 °C, 65–70% RH (2015) Cenicafé4,5
Conditions linked to reposado defect Store above 20 °C; grain moisture above 12.5% Cenicafé5
Mould warning Poor ventilation and RH above 65% FAO7
Stacking Pallets 0.5 m above ground, 0.5 m from walls FAO6, Anacafé2
Pause during drying (trial) 2–6 days at 16–24% wb: less membrane damage than 12 days Borém et al.8
Viability, hulled washed coffee (22 °C, 63% RH, 11.5% moisture) More than half lost within 3 months; under 10% viable at 6 months; none at 1 year Selmar et al.1
Viability, parchment coffee (same conditions) More than half still viable after more than 1 year Selmar et al.1

Moisture redistribution#

Coffee is hygroscopic: its moisture changes with the temperature and humidity of the surrounding air.4 The physics of sorption and equilibrium moisture is covered in the entry on moisture and water activity. For resting, two gradients matter.

Between beans. Dryers leave moisture gradients along the airflow path, which is why static beds are stirred or partly unloaded.9 Bagging and holding the lot together lets the wetter and drier beans converge.2,3

Within the bean. In casehardening, the outer layers dry faster than the interior and form a hard shell that traps residual moisture.9 Resting is meant to let this trapped water even out, but no source opened here measures it happening. The intermittent-drying trial shows the same principle in a controlled way: holding partly dried parchment for a few days before finishing the drying did not harm the coffee, and short pauses reduced membrane damage.8

The sources opened for this entry give no measured moisture profile across a single coffee bean before and after resting, and no published curve of moisture spread in a lot over resting time. The figure at the top is therefore a schematic only.

The seed during rest#

The coffee seed is still alive when it comes off the patio. The germination and drought-stress responses that processing sets off belong to the drying stage and are covered in the drying entry. By the time coffee rests, water is scarce: Selmar and colleagues note the general assumption that in cells with a residual water content below about 20%, water is so restricted that the cell’s metabolism is shut down.1

What remains is slow death of the seed. At 22 °C and 63% relative humidity with 11.5% moisture, more than half of the hulled wet-processed seeds lost viability within three months, fewer than 10% were alive after six months and all were dead after a year.1 More than half of the seeds stored in parchment were still alive after more than a year.1 Over the same storage, glucose and fructose fell slightly and glutamine declined significantly.1 The authors link loss of viability to the “flattening” of cup quality in stored coffee, and propose Maillard reactions during storage, not metabolism, as the cause of the loss of aroma precursors.1

020406080100% viableHulled, 3 monthsunder 50% (more than half lost)1 Hulled, 6 monthsunder 10%1 Hulled, 1 year0% (all dead)1 Parchment, more than 1yearover 50% still viable1
Data table
% viableSource
Hulled, 3 monthsunder 50% (more than half lost)1
Hulled, 6 monthsunder 10%1
Hulled, 1 year0% (all dead)1
Parchment, more than 1 yearover 50% still viable1
Share of seeds still viable (tetrazolium test) in wet-processed Arabica stored hulled or in parchment at 22 °C and 63% relative humidity (as given in the study’s methods; its own figure caption says 20 °C and 60%). The study reports thresholds, not exact percentages, so each bar shows the reported range.1

Risks and defects#

  • Rewetting and mould. Coffee that is not dry enough, or that takes up water from humid air, can go mouldy in store.7 Cenicafé asks for protection from rewetting through drying, transport and storage.5
  • Uneven lots. Unevenly dried or rewetted coffee gives inconsistent cups and keeps less well.9
  • The reposado defect. Aged, bitter, low-acid, heavy and “stored” flavours with discoloured, very light green, whitish beans.5 Cenicafé links it to store temperatures above 20 °C, grain moisture above 12.5% and exposure to oxygen, heat and moisture outside the safe range, and notes that deterioration accelerates with time.5
  • Over-dry coffee. Coffee stored below 10% moisture is also prone to oxidation.5
  • Taint. Stored coffee picks up odours from fuel and agricultural chemicals, and these carry into the cup.7
  • Resting too long. Storage time itself degrades quality: membrane-damage markers and fat acidity rose over 12 months in stored coffee.11 Parchment slows this but does not stop it.1,4

Measurement#

The moisture reference for rested coffee is the 10–12% storage range,3,5 with the Codex limit of below 12.5% (wet basis) and a water activity of at most 0.67–0.70 for protecting parchment coffee from fungi.15 Storage studies track quality with physiological tests – electrical conductivity and potassium leaching of soaked beans, which rise as cell membranes degrade – together with acidity, sugars and cupping.8,11 Viability is tested with the tetrazolium test.1 Bean colour can be measured instrumentally as colour intensity and lightness.13

The spread of moisture within a lot – the thing resting is meant to reduce – is not reported as a measured variable in any source opened for this entry. Water activity, discussed in the moisture entry, is the natural companion measurement, but no study of resting time using it was found.

Open questions#

  • How long is long enough? The three-to-four-week recommendation is guidance.2 A trial measuring moisture spread and cup quality after different resting times, under defined store conditions, was not found.
  • Does resting improve the cup, or only protect it? Producer guidance speaks of stabilising moisture;2,3 no source opened here shows a cup score that rises during a rest.
  • Why does parchment keep the seed alive? The storage study that found the effect could not explain it.1
  • Where to rest. Store climate clearly matters,4,5 but a direct comparison of resting at a cool highland farm and at a warm, humid port or mill was not found.

Key studies#

Selmar, Bytof & Knopp, 2008 – Viability and aroma precursors in storage. Wet-processed Arabica was stored for up to two years at controlled temperature and humidity, either hulled or in parchment. Hulled seeds died within months, while parchment kept most seeds alive beyond a year; the authors connect the loss of viability with the flattening of stored coffee and point to Maillard reactions as the cause of falling aroma precursors.

Annals of Botany 101(1), 31–38 · doi:10.1093/aob/mcm277

Borém et al., 2014 – Pauses during drying. Parchment was dried to 16, 20 or 24% moisture, held for 2, 6 or 12 days, then dried to 11% and stored for a year. Short holds of 2 and 6 days gave less membrane damage than continuous drying or a 12-day hold; other chemical and sensory measures did not differ.

Bioscience Journal 30(Suppl. 2), 609–616 · seer.ufu.br

Coradi et al., 2007 – Drying and storage of natural and washed coffee. Coffee dried on a yard or at 40 and 60 °C was stored at 23 °C and 60% relative humidity for 90 and 180 days. Washed coffee showed better quality than natural coffee, and coffee dried at 60 °C had the poorest quality after 90 days.

Coffee Science 2(1), 38–47 · coffeescience.ufla.br

Sperotto et al., 2015 – Jute versus silo bag. Parchment and dried cherry were stored for 150 days at ambient store conditions in jute bags or in an impermeable silo bag. All treatments lost cup quality; jute gave the better cups and the silo bag added no protection. An earlier master’s dissertation by the first author, under high-humidity stress, had found the silo bag better.

Energia na Agricultura 30(2), 210–216 · doi:10.17224/EnergAgric.2015v30n2p210-216

Contested
  • Store temperature for keeping parchment up to 10 months: an earlier Cenicafé bulletin gives 8–15 °C4, a later one 15–18 °C5, both at 65–70% relative humidity; Anacafé recommends about 20 °C and 65% relative humidity.2,3
  • Store humidity: the two Cenicafé bulletins accept 65–70% relative humidity4,5, while the FAO manual for Lao PDR warns that poorly ventilated stores above 65% relative humidity create mould problems.7 The FAO warning combines humidity with poor ventilation, so the two may not be in direct conflict.
  • Why the parchment keeps the seed alive longer: the effect was clear in one storage study, but the authors state that there is no clear explanation for it.1 Cenicafé attributes the better keeping of parchment coffee to the parchment and silverskin acting as water-impermeable layers.4
  • Jute versus an impermeable silo bag: in a peer-reviewed trial at ambient store conditions (about 27.6 °C and 71.2% relative humidity for 150 days), jute gave the better cups and the silo bag added no protection12, while a master’s dissertation from the same group found that under high-humidity stress the silo bag prevented rewetting and limited the loss of cup quality better than jute.14 The two results come from different store climates.
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Sources

  1. ASelmar, D.; Bytof, G.; Knopp, S.-E. (2008). The Storage of Green Coffee (Coffea arabica): Decrease of Viability and Changes of Potential Aroma Precursors. Annals of Botany 101(1), 31–38. doi:10.1093/aob/mcm277 · other copies
  2. AAnacafé, Departamento de Asistencia Técnica, Equipo Técnico Poscosecha y Calidad Recomendaciones básicas para el almacenamiento adecuado del café. Asociación Nacional del Café (Anacafé), Guatemala.
  3. ABarrios Orozco, M. A.; Chacón, C. A.; Santos, D. A.; Monterroso Yanes, J. L. (Centro de Investigaciones en Café, Cedicafé) (2018). Buenas prácticas de beneficiado húmedo del café, fundamentales para mantener la calidad. Asociación Nacional del Café (Anacafé), Guatemala.
  4. APuerta-Quintero, G. I. (2006). La humedad controlada del grano preserva la calidad del café (Avances Técnicos 352). Cenicafé (Colombian Coffee Research Centre).
  5. APuerta-Quintero, G. I. (2015). Buenas prácticas para la prevención de los defectos de la calidad del café: fermento, reposado, fenólico y mohoso (Avances Técnicos 461). Cenicafé (Colombian Coffee Research Centre).
  6. AMutua, J. (2000). Post Harvest Handling and Processing of Coffee in African Countries, Annex 5: Coffee Post Harvest Handling and processing in Kenya. FAO.
  7. AWinston, E.; Op de Laak, J.; Marsh, T.; Lempke, H.; Chapman, K. (2005). Arabica coffee manual for Lao-PDR. FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok.
  8. ABorém, F. M.; Isquierdo, E. P.; Oliveira, P. D.; Ribeiro, F. C.; Siqueira, V. C.; Taveira, J. H. S. (2014). Effect of intermittent drying and storage on parchment coffee quality. Bioscience Journal 30(Suppl. 2), 609–616.
  9. ADuque-Dussán, E.; Figueroa-Varela, P. A.; Cruz-Ospina, V.; Banout, J. (2026). Advances in coffee drying: A comprehensive review of traditional, solar, mechanical, hybrid, and emerging methods. Foods 15(10), 1737. doi:10.3390/foods15101737 · other copies
  10. ACoradi, P. C.; Borém, F. M.; Saath, R.; Marques, E. R. (2007). Effect of drying and storage conditions on the quality of natural and washed coffee. Coffee Science 2(1), 38–47.
  11. ASaath, R.; Biaggioni, M. A. M.; Borém, F. M.; Broetto, F.; Fortunato, V. A. (2012). Alterações na composição química e sensorial de café (Coffea arabica L.) nos processos pós-colheita. Revista Energia na Agricultura 27(2), 96–112.
  12. ASperotto, F. C. S.; Biaggioni, M. A. M.; Silva, M. A. P. da; Brandão, F. J. B.; Saath, R. (2015). Qualidade dos grãos e da bebida do café armazenados em dois tipos de embalagens e dois tipos de processamento. Energia na Agricultura 30(2), 210–216. doi:10.17224/EnergAgric.2015v30n2p210-216 · other copies
  13. AAbreu, G. F. de; Pereira, C. C.; Malta, M. R.; Clemente, A. da C. S.; Coelho, L. F. S.; Rosa, S. D. V. F. da (2015). Alterações na coloração de grãos de café em função das operações pós-colheita. Coffee Science 10(4), 429–436.
  14. BSperotto, F. C. S. (2014). Qualidade do café em coco e em pergaminho armazenados em atmosfera modificada. Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas, Botucatu (master's dissertation).
  15. ACodex Alimentarius Commission (FAO/WHO) (2009). Code of Practice for the Prevention and Reduction of Ochratoxin A Contamination in Coffee (CAC/RCP 69-2009). Codex Alimentarius.

Tier A · authoritative · B · trade and expert · C · general. Supporting quotes for every source are in the data version of this entry. If a publisher’s site refuses access, try the doi link or “other copies”.

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