Green Bean Processing Methods: What's the Difference Between Natural, Washed, Honey, and Red Wine Processing?

Green Bean Processing Methods: What's the Difference Between Natural, Washed, Honey, and Wine Processing?

It's said that the most common and effective method for coffee enthusiasts to select coffee beans is to examine the information on the coffee bean packaging.

If the packaging contains complete information about the coffee bean's variety, origin, estate, altitude, harvest year, and processing method, then the entire history of these coffee beans can be traced and verified.

However, this information on coffee packaging might seem too technical for coffee beginners. What flavors do coffee beans from different altitudes produce? What do different processing methods represent?

Today, let's explore the world of coffee bean processing methods.

The Basics: Coffee as a Agricultural Product

We all know that coffee is essentially an agricultural product. Coffee trees bloom and bear fruit.

Coffee flowers are white with a fragrance similar to jasmine. After the flowers fade, they produce fruit. The fruit is initially green, and depending on the variety, gradually turns red, yellow, or other colors when mature.

These fruits are what we commonly call coffee cherries. The seeds within the coffee cherries are the actual coffee beans.

Coffee cherries are perishable and difficult to store, so they must be processed immediately after harvesting to separate the coffee beans from the coffee cherries.

This processing procedure is what we commonly refer to as coffee bean processing methods.

Common Coffee Processing Methods

There are three common coffee bean processing methods: natural, washed, and honey processing.

Natural Processing

Natural drying is the traditional method for processing green coffee beans.

The typical process is: harvest coffee cherries — sun-dry them on drying patios — use a huller to remove the pulp — sort and grade the coffee beans.

After harvesting, coffee cherries are placed in batches on drying patios and raked for sun exposure. Once sunlight and wind have removed moisture from the coffee cherries, machines are used to remove the dried fruit skin and pulp, extracting the coffee beans.

While hullers help people separate the fruit skin and pulp from the coffee beans, the sun-drying process must be completed manually.

Manual processing means complexity, variability, and difficulty in quantification.

Therefore, naturally processed coffee beans have richer flavors and more layered textures. They retain the fruit flavors of coffee cherries while subtly incorporating the essence of sunlight and wind. They have lower acidity and are sweeter and more mellow.

Of course, if not processed properly, the natural method can easily produce poor-quality coffee beans.

Therefore, if you want to purchase naturally processed coffee beans, you should buy specialty beans produced by reputable estates.

Washed Processing

Washed processing is currently the most popular method for specialty coffee beans. Compared to natural processing, the washed method makes it easier to control various variables during processing, though the process itself is more complex.

The typical process is: harvest coffee cherries — place in water tanks to filter out impurities and unripe cherries — use machines to remove the cherry pulp — remove mucilage attached to the parchment in fermentation tanks — filter out light, hard beans in washing pools — dry on drying patios (or in drying machines) — remove parchment with machines — sort and grade the coffee beans.

Washed processed coffee beans have relatively fewer impurities and defects, with clean flavors and bright fruit acidity.

However, if not handled properly during fermentation, coffee beans can easily acquire astringent and sour flavors.

Honey Processing

Honey processing, also called semi-washed, is widely practiced in Central and South America.

Honey processing does not involve using honey to process coffee beans.

Because the inner skin mucilage of unprocessed coffee beans is extremely high in sugar content and relatively sticky, the industry calls it "honey." Honey processing refers to methods that preserve some or all of this "honey."

Compared to washed processing, this method skips the fermentation step, thus preserving some or all of the parchment mucilage, or "honey," from the coffee cherries.

Honey processed coffee has rich sweetness and balanced fruit acidity, with abundant crema. It excellently restores the original flavors of the coffee beans and is highly sought after by coffee enthusiasts.

The most famous coffee beans processed this way are honey processed Costa Rican coffees.

Wine Processing

Additionally, there is a very special processing method: wine processing.

It was introduced by Sasa, the 2015 WBC (World Barista Championship) winner, bringing wine processed Colombian coffee beans to the attention of coffee enthusiasts.

This processing method is inspired by the fermentation process of red wine, using acetic acid or lactic acid for fermentation. It can control the degree of fermentation through pH levels, so it's also known as the controlled fermentation method.

Coffee beans processed this way have sweeter flavors with elegant acidity and unique characteristics.

Conclusion

The above are the most common coffee bean processing methods currently available. FrontStreet Coffee's natural processed Yirgacheffe, FrontStreet Coffee's honey processed Costa Rican, FrontStreet Coffee's wine processed Colombian, and other coffee beans are all available for purchase at our store.

Important Notice :

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