English Reference

Word

strip picking

Phoneticsstrip-pick-ing

US/strɪp ˈpɪkɪŋ/

UK/strɪp ˈpɪkɪŋ/

Definition

compound. a way of picking coffee where all the fruit is pulled off a branch at once by hand or machine, including ripe and unripe berries

compound. a non-selective harvesting method in which all cherries are removed from a coffee branch simultaneously, typically resulting in a heterogeneous mixture of fruit maturity levels.

Examples

“The farm used strip picking to harvest all the coffee berries quickly.”

“Because the estate relies on strip picking, the roastery must spend more time sorting out the underripe green beans.”

“While strip picking significantly reduces labor costs and accelerates the harvest cycle, it necessitates rigorous post-harvest processing to mitigate the flavor inconsistencies inherent in a non-uniform yield.”

Examples

simple

“The farm used strip picking to harvest all the coffee berries quickly.”

contextual

“Because the estate relies on strip picking, the roastery must spend more time sorting out the underripe green beans.”

complex

“While strip picking significantly reduces labor costs and accelerates the harvest cycle, it necessitates rigorous post-harvest processing to mitigate the flavor inconsistencies inherent in a non-uniform yield.”

Real-World Examples

“Strip harvesting, also described in agricultural literature as strip picking, is a coffee harvesting method in which all cherries present on a branch are removed simultaneously and in a single motion, regardless of their stage of maturity.”
Roastopedia · 20 Sept 2026
“On some farms, the pickers will harvest all the cherries at one time. Often they will just put their hand around the base of a branch and then pull their hand along it, tugging all the cherries off. This is called strip picking.”
Perfect Daily Grind · 6 Jul 2017

Etymology

Derived from the English verb 'strip', meaning to remove a covering or growth, combined with the agricultural process of 'picking'. It emerged as a technical term to contrast with selective 'hand picking'.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/strip-picking

English Reference