Which is Better: Natural or Washed Coffee Beans? What Are the Differences Between Natural and Washed Processing?

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Natural vs. Washed Processing: Which Coffee Bean Method is Better?

When it comes to coffee beans, are washed beans better than natural processed beans, or does natural processing excel over washing? Before I understood the differences, I was quite dismissive of washed beans, always feeling that natural processing was smoother to drink and carried a certain prestige. So which processing method actually produces better beans? In reality, this remains a matter of personal preference. This time, we'll introduce both processing methods to everyone. Will this article strengthen your current choice, or inspire you to try something different?

Natural Processing Method

As the name suggests, natural processing can be simply understood as follows: after picking, the coffee cherries are sorted for ripe versus unripe beans, then spread out on drying patios to dry naturally. Typically after 2-4 weeks, when the coffee beans' moisture content drops below 12% and they become hard, a hulling machine can be used to remove the dried fruit hull and parchment layer to extract the coffee beans. The process can be described as simple and crude. We're familiar with Ethiopia basically using this method.

Because natural processing involves beans drying naturally within the fruit pulp, the pectin sugars from the fruit can seep into the coffee beans, giving them higher sweetness and body. However, natural processing's greatest fear is humid climates and rain causing reabsorption of moisture, making climate the key factor determining whether natural processing can be adopted. Therefore, generally more underdeveloped producing regions without funds for washing equipment mostly use this method, which also leads to inconsistent quality in natural processed beans. Usually, the natural processed beans we encounter most are from Ethiopia's Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, and Yemen Mocha.

Washed Processing Method

The washed processing method is currently the most popular processing method, represented by Central and South America (excluding Brazil). Washed processing is the most technologically advanced processing method in green bean extraction, and also the most costly - generally, to get 200 grams of coffee beans requires 2-10 kilograms of clean water. For water-rich Central and South American countries, this method can still serve as the main green bean extraction method, while in Africa, washed processing appears relatively luxurious. Washed beans have better醇香味 and brightness, without miscellaneous flavors, and lack the earthy taste that's difficult to avoid in natural processing.

The general process for washed processing is:

Place coffee cherries in large water tanks to filter out floating beans (ripe coffee cherries will sink, while unripe or already rotten ones will float on the water surface) ---- extract parchment beans through a pulp remover ---- wash and ferment to remove pectin ---- after 1-3 days, take out and clean thoroughly ---- dry

Washed processing has developed rapidly in recent years, and more and more technologies have made the output even better. It is currently the most commonly used processing method for specialty coffee beans. Coffee beans processed through the washed method have pure flavors, low miscellaneous tastes, and optimal fruit aroma and fruit acidity. The only possible drawback might be that the sweetness is not as good as natural processing.

Recommended Natural Processed Coffee Bean Brands

FrontStreet Coffee's freshly roasted single-origin natural processed coffee beans - such as Natural Yirgacheffe and Natural Sidamo - offer full guarantees in both brand and quality, suitable for brewing with various equipment. More importantly, they offer extremely high cost-performance. A half-pound (227 gram) bag costs only around 70-90 yuan. Calculated at 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 coffee shops selling at dozens of yuan per cup, this represents excellent value.

Important Notice :

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