Flavor Characteristics of Natural Coffee Beans_Impact of Processing Methods on Coffee Flavor_Natural Coffee Bean Prices

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Dry Process (Natural Method)

The dry process is the oldest and most primitive method for processing coffee beans. Compared to the washed process, this drying method produces what are often called "naturally dried coffee" or "sun-dried coffee beans." The harvested coffee cherries are directly exposed to sunlight for about two to four weeks. This method is typically used in countries with distinct wet and dry seasons.

We often hear terms like washed process, dry process, honey process, and similar classifications. What kind of impact do these different coffee bean processing methods have on coffee flavor? Today, let's explore this topic in depth.

What Are Coffee Cherries?

Coffee trees grow coffee fruits for the purpose of reproduction. Coffee fruits are bright red and, due to their cherry-like appearance, are also known as "coffee cherries."

The coffee beans we use to make coffee are actually the seeds inside the coffee fruit. Outside the seeds, there are structures including exocarp, pulp, mucilage, endocarp, and silver skin. The purpose of processing is to remove these external structures to obtain the internal coffee seeds.

Dry Process

The dry process is the oldest processing method. According to historical records, as early as the 11th century AD, over 1,000 years ago, Arabs began using the dry process to handle coffee fruits. Because of coffee's stimulating effects, when coffee was introduced from the Arab world to the West, it was called "the wine of the Arabs."

Processing Steps

1. Removing Floaters

Coffee beans are poured into large water tanks. Underdeveloped, inferior beans will float to the surface, while mature, full fruits will sink to the bottom. At this point, the floating beans are skimmed from the surface, completing the floater removal step.

2. Sun Drying

The coffee cherries are evenly spread on drying patios and must be turned several times daily. This process typically lasts about 2-3 weeks, depending on local climate. When the moisture content inside the coffee beans drops to 10-14%, the sun drying step is complete.

3. Removing Outer Shells

After sun drying is complete, the outer layers of the coffee seeds have become dry and hard. At this point, hulling machines are used to remove the outer shells, completing the dry process.

Advantages:

Besides the step of removing floaters (which some regions even omit), the dry process doesn't require water, and one bucket of water can be reused. The cost is low, making it widely used in areas with limited water resources and less affluent regions.

Disadvantages:

1. Because coffee beans must be placed outdoors for extended periods during the dry process, many impurities such as dead branches and fallen leaves often get mixed in.

2. Because it relies on solar energy, the drying degree of coffee beans is difficult to control, leading to "over-drying" situations where internal coffee beans become damaged.

3. During the sun drying process, because the pulp is not removed, mold and rot often occur.

Flavor Profile:

Because the dry process allows coffee cherries to dry naturally, coffee beans can naturally mature inside the fruit without interference from external environments. Therefore, sun-dried coffee beans processed by this method amplify their inherent flavors, with rich body, intense flavor, and sweet aromas.

Washed Process

Due to the numerous disadvantages of the dry process, the washed process was invented. The washed process is currently the most widely used processing method. The biggest difference from the dry process is the use of fermentation to remove the mucilage layer.

Processing Steps

1. Removing Floaters (Same as Dry Process)

Coffee beans are poured into large water tanks. Underdeveloped, inferior beans will float to the surface, while mature, full fruits will sink to the bottom. At this point, the floating beans are skimmed from the surface, completing the floater removal step.

2. Removing Exocarp and Pulp

Through pulping machines, the exocarp and pulp of coffee cherries are removed (leaving mucilage, endocarp, and silver skin).

3. Fermentation

The purpose of this step is to use biological treatment methods to remove the mucilage. The coffee cherries processed by pulping machines are placed in fermentation tanks for 16-36 hours, during which fermentation bacteria dissolve the mucilage.

4. Washing

After fermentation and mucilage removal, fermentation bacteria and impurities remain on the coffee beans, so they are washed again. To ensure thorough cleaning, this step consumes large amounts of fresh water.

5. Drying and Removing Endocarp, Silver Skin

Usually, machines (or sun drying) are used to dry the coffee cherries until moisture content drops to 10-14%. Then hulling machines are used to remove the remaining endocarp and silver skin, completing the processing.

Advantages:

1. All processing steps of the washed process are done indoors, so impurities in coffee beans are minimized, resulting in the highest quality.

2. Because the pulp is removed from the beginning, there's no need to worry about mold issues like in the dry process.

3. The appearance is more complete, with excellent market presentation.

Disadvantages:

1. The process is complex and tedious, making costs much higher than the dry process.

2. It requires large amounts of fresh water - producing 1 kilogram of coffee beans consumes 40-50 liters of fresh water, so it's less used in water-scarce regions.

Flavor Profile:

Due to fermentation, coffee beans typically have bright acidity and fruity aromas.

Honey Process

The honey process is an improved method of the dry process. The main difference from the dry process is that the exocarp and pulp are removed before sun drying, while retaining the mucilage layer for direct sun drying.

Processing Steps

1. Removing Floaters (Same as Dry Process, though some regions may skip this step)

Coffee beans are poured into large water tanks. Underdeveloped, inferior beans will float to the surface, while mature, full fruits will sink to the bottom. At this point, the floating beans are skimmed from the surface, completing the floater removal step.

2. Removing Exocarp and Pulp (Same as Washed Process)

Through pulping machines, the exocarp and pulp of coffee cherries are removed (leaving mucilage, endocarp, and silver skin).

3. Sun Drying

The coffee beans with mucilage are spread on drying patios for direct sun exposure until moisture content drops to 10-14%.

4. Removing Mucilage and Endocarp

Special machines are used to remove mucilage and endocarp, completing the processing steps.

Advantages:

1. As an improved method of the dry process, because the pulp is removed from the beginning, there are no mold issues.

2. It doesn't require large amounts of fresh water, keeping costs relatively low.

Disadvantages:

The processing steps can be described as the most complex and labor-intensive of all methods.

Flavor Profile:

Honey process coffee beans have excellent flavor, with balanced acidity and sweetness. Like the dry process, because of sun exposure, the inherent aroma of coffee beans is also amplified, with rich body.

Other Methods

Besides the several refined processing methods mentioned above, there are also methods that use enzymes and digestive fluids within biological digestive systems to process raw coffee beans (simply put, having animals excrete the coffee beans...).

Currently known animals that can be used for this processing method include the well-known civet cat (kopi luwak) and elephants (black ivory coffee). Other regions also use macaques, turkeys, and even water buffalo for coffee processing, but production volumes are not high, making them rare.

Natural Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's fresh-roasted single-origin natural coffee beans - such as natural Yirgacheffe and natural Sidamo coffee - offer full guarantees in both brand and quality, suitable for brewing with various equipment. More importantly, they offer extremely high value for money. A half-pound (227 grams) bag costs only around 70-90 yuan. Calculating based on 200ml per cup with a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, one bag can make 15 cups of specialty coffee, with each cup costing only 5-6 yuan. Compared to café prices that often run dozens of yuan per cup, this represents exceptional value.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find both famous and lesser-known beans. They also provide online store services. https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473