Coffee Processing

How can coffee processing from origin affect the flavor of your coffee?

Have you ever bought a "washed coffee" and wondered what exactly does that mean; washed of what, and why? Let us talk about that this means, and how it can affect the taste and flavor of your coffee.

During the harvest of coffee seeds (beans), coffee farms and coffee producers go through a processing method that will substantially affect coffee when it comes to the flavor of your cup. Depending on where the coffee is from, it will be processed according to either how the culture is governed or what resources are available to the farmer and/or coffee producers.

Washed Process

The most popular method of coffee processing is Washed Processing. When coffee cherries are picked, they are sorted through at the washing mill. Workers are looking to separate ripe coffee cherries from the underripe cherries. Providing the ripest coffee cherries will produce the best tasting coffee beans. The coffee seeds (beans) are pulped (hulled) out of the cherry fruit and the fruit is either discarded or kept for cascara tea.

Natural Process

Natural Processing is a method used by areas or regions where water resources are hard to come by or are strictly monitored by the government infrastructure. Coffee cherries are left out to dry in the sun on raised beds; with the coffee seeds left inside the cherry and intact. The flavor of natural coffees are quite unique, giving them lots complexity and sweetness.

Honey Process

Honey processing is similar to the Natural method, however only a small portion of the coffee cherry and mucilage is left on the coffee seed and dried on raised beds. This also creates some very sweet and bright coffees. This method is mostly done in the Wester Hemisphere countries.