Flavor Profile Origins of Natural Coffee Beans_Taste Differences Between Washed and Natural Processing_Are Natural Coffee Beans More Expensive

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You may have heard a saying: natural coffee beans have richer flavors, while washed coffee beans are cleaner and more acidic. Is this really true?

The flavors that coffee beans will carry can actually be glimpsed from their processing methods.

Today, let's explore how to imagine coffee flavors through the processing process!

First, we need to clarify a concept: processing = fermentation.

Coffee bean processing is the procedure of taking coffee cherries from the tree and handling them until they become green beans ready for roasting. This process can also be regarded as the fermentation process of coffee beans. Just as fine wine requires good brewing to produce exceptional flavors, processing methods for green beans are similar—they are treatment methods that combine microorganisms with coffee beans through fermentation, which can draw out the hidden secret flavors of coffee beans!

So what secret flavors do natural and washed processing methods have?

Natural processing, simply put, uses the sun to dry coffee cherries with their pulp and skin intact, which is why it's called "Natural" in English. However, this natural processing method, while seemingly simple, is actually not easy at all, and its refinement has gone through considerable effort.

Commercial natural processing involves spreading a plastic sheet on the ground and directly placing coffee beans on it for sun drying. However, the problem with this approach lies in the heat transfer from the ground and unstable thermal convection of the coffee cherries. If not stirred frequently, there may be issues of excessive temperature rise or uneven fermentation. (You can imagine the beans on top being sunned comfortably, while those trapped underneath might develop strange flavors from being suffocated).

Additionally, there are many harmful microorganisms and contaminants on the ground that can also damage the coffee flavors. Therefore, traditional natural processing often has various undesirable flavors. In the early days, high-quality beans would not be processed using natural methods because the impression was very poor, and prices couldn't be sold high.

However, natural processing methods have improved significantly in recent years. Today's natural processing mostly uses African raised beds, which effectively block ground moisture and soil while increasing air convection. Temperature is also strictly controlled during the natural process to prevent over-fermentation issues caused by high temperatures.

The entire natural processing process usually takes more than 20 days, allowing microorganisms and coffee cherry pulp to ferment gradually, resulting in sweeter flavors with abundant tropical fruit notes.

Washed processing involves removing the skin and pulp from harvested coffee cherries, leaving only the seeds and a layer of residual mucilage, which are then placed in water tanks for fermentation. The entire fermentation time is only about 24-30 hours.

Compared to natural processing, washed processing offers significantly better quality control. During the washed processing, defective beans floating on the water surface can be easily removed, and it's less likely to develop off-flavors due to the short fermentation time. Moreover, the beans are completely stripped and cleaned in water tanks, so washed processing presents a clean, flawless flavor profile.

In fact, washed processing can be further subdivided into machine drying in the final stage or sun drying in the final stage, and different regions have developed unique washing methods. For example, Kenya's 72-hour washed processing—let's briefly introduce this:

Kenyan Washed Processing

Kenyan coffee is famous for its rich layers and clean taste. Its unique Kenyan washed processing undergoes two washing and fermentation procedures, commonly known as "double fermentation." This is a quite complex but delicate green bean processing method. This method takes more time and water than regular washed processing, making Kenyan coffee more expensive, but it's also an indispensable technique for creating Kenyan coffee's unique acidic aroma and clean taste.

First Washing and Fermentation

After coffee cherries are harvested, they first undergo water flow density sorting. The principle uses the differences in density and quality of the coffee fruits themselves for screening; high-density (heavy) coffee beans will sink in water, while low-density coffee beans will float. Fully ripe, high-quality coffee fruits have high density, and they are selected for further processing.

After selecting high-quality and sufficiently ripe fruits, the skin is removed for washing and soaking, allowing the pectin mucilage attached to the outer layer of the green beans to ferment. Pectin contains natural sugars and alcohols, which play crucial roles in developing coffee sweetness, acidity, and overall flavor.

The fermentation time lasts up to 24 hours, after which 80-90% of the pectin can be removed, leaving only the flavors within the coffee beans.

Second Washing and Fermentation

Next, the process enters the second washing and fermentation procedure. After the coffee beans from the previous stage are cleaned, they are soaked again in water for 12-24 hours. This process increases proteins and amino acids, giving the coffee beans' acidity a complex and delicate layered texture.

Finally, all remaining pectin is removed, and the coffee beans are moved to raised racks for sun drying. The drying time depends on weather conditions, generally taking about 5-10 days to complete.

However, generally speaking, washed processed beans have high-quality, bright fruit acidity and very clean flavors. Sometimes, washed processing can better highlight the unique inherent flavors of coffee beans themselves.

So have you grasped the key points of why processing methods affect coffee bean flavors?

The answer is: fermentation time and fermentation degree.

Natural processing, because the beans are sun-dried with their skin and pulp, has a higher degree of fermentation and longer time, usually developing more tropical fruit flavors.

Washed processing leaves only a thin layer of mucilage, and the overall processing time is shorter. Even with Kenya's 72-hour washed processing, there's a significant time difference compared to natural processing's month-long sun drying. Therefore, one can imagine that generally washed processed beans have cleaner flavors.

Natural Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's freshly 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 devices. More importantly, they offer extremely high cost-performance. A half-pound (227 grams) bag costs only around 70-90 yuan. Calculated at 200ml per cup of single-origin coffee 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 tens 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 various 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